The recent article in the New York Times, “Too Little Too Late’: Bankruptcy Booms Among Older Americans,” stirred up quite a bit about the financial situation many older adults are facing. As the article points out, many older adults are turning to bankruptcy as a…
Category: Georgia Law
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: How to Avoid the Medicaid “Death Bill”
The rules for Georgia Nursing Home Medicaid eligibility are confusing. We have tried our best to provide clear, concise information on our website and blog to help families understand their options and rights. One area of Medicaid law that continues to confuse and scare families is…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Qualified Income Trusts 101
As we have discussed several times in our blog (here and here), Georgia has an “income cap” that is currently set at $2,250/month for nursing home Medicaid eligibility (as well as the elderly and disabled waiver program). This means that anyone with over $2,250/month of income…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: How Mr. Smith Pays for His Wife’s Nursing Home Care
Mr. and Mrs. Smith have been married for 50 years. About six years ago, Mrs. Smith began showing signs of dementia. At first, Mr. Smith refused to acknowledge that there was any problem, but their children and church family finally convinced him to take her…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Is This Legal?
It is not illegal to plan for nursing home expenses and to work with the rules given by our federal and state government to access available resources. It is, however, illegal to hide assets from the government in order to qualify for Medicaid. The asset…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Hide Your Assets in a Trust?
“Can’t I just put Mama’s assets in a trust and then apply for Medicaid?” We hear this question maybe weekly. Unfortunately for these families, qualifying for Medicaid is not that easy. Medicaid Asset Limits In Georgia, you cannot own more than $2,000 of countable assets…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Getting Medicaid Even When You Have Too Many Assets
To qualify for nursing home Medicaid, applicants must show that they have a limited amount of countable assets. These rules can be very confusing, and most families worry that their loved one cannot qualify for Medicaid. Currently, Georgia residents must have less than $2,000 in…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Getting Medicaid Even When You Have Too Much Income
Medicaid is a means-tested, government-provided health insurance benefit. It is the largest payer of nursing home care in Georgia. It is also commonly misunderstood. For instance, many people believe that they may have too much income for Medicaid. It is true that Georgia has an…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Giving Your Assets Away and the Dreaded Medicaid Look Back Period
I am still so surprised by how much misinformation there is about Medicaid’s Look Back Period. Is it 3 years? Is it 30 months? What exactly is the Medicaid Look Back Period? As we all know, Medicaid is a means-tested program that provides health insurance…
Expert Tips for Georgia Medicaid: Giving Your Assets to Your Spouse and Understanding the Maximum CSRA [Community Spouse Resource Allowance]
It is true that Medicaid is intended to be health insurance for the very poor. It is also true that Medicaid has become the default long-term care insurance payer for millions of middle class families. In the Metro Atlanta area, nursing home costs can run…