Long-Term Care

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Could Georgians one day use Medicaid to pay for assisted living?

By Hurley Elder Care Law | September 29, 2017

  There is a new push to change Georgia’s laws so that Medicaid dollars could also be used to pay for assisted living facilities. The Coalition of Advocates for Georgia’s Elderly (CO-AGE) has finalized their 2018 advocacy priorities, and this topic was selected as one of their 3 legislative issues for 2018. We all know…

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How Medicaid Treats Joint Bank Accounts

By Hurley Elder Care Law | September 22, 2017

Medicaid’s rules for eligibility are complex and there are so many misunderstandings. Families often mistakenly believe that adding more account holders to the Medicaid applicant’s bank account will reduce their assets. We often hear things like this, “Well, I added myself to Momma’s checking account last year, so won’t Medicaid look at only ½ of…

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Using the Medicaid “Spend Down” to Pre-Pay Funeral Expenses

By Hurley Elder Care Law | September 14, 2017

Money, Death, and Medicaid—topics very few want to discuss. When it comes to planning ahead for retirement, long-term care needs or death, I have come to learn that few families ever approach these topics. Most of our families come to us in crisis – they have insufficient funds for retirement, no plan for their long-term…

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Do all Nursing Homes Accept Medicaid?

By Hurley Elder Care Law | August 30, 2017

We often hear families talk about “Medicaid Nursing Homes” as if there are nursing homes in Georgia that are for residents relying on Medicaid. There is a fear behind this assumption that Medicaid beneficiaries are relegated to terrible nursing homes. Fortunately, this is a myth. Most nursing homes in Metro Atlanta are dual-certified for Medicare…

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Understanding Medicaid Rules: Exempt Assets and Countable Assets

By Hurley Elder Care Law | August 16, 2017

To qualify for nursing home Medicaid, applicants must pass some fairly strict tests on the amount of assets they own. While the Medicaid rules themselves are complicated and tricky, it’s safe to say that a single person will qualify for Medicaid as long as he/she has only exempt assets plus a small amount of cash…

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When to Apply For Medicaid

By Hurley Elder Care Law | August 9, 2017

I want to look at the case we mentioned last week again: Sarah applied for Medicaid on behalf of her father, Don. Don owned a home that he placed in an irrevocable trust in 2014. When he first moved to the nursing home, he had about $85,000 in his checking account and a few certificates…

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Can’t I Just Give Away My Assets? Understanding the Penalty Period

By Hurley Elder Care Law | July 26, 2017

After our last blog post about qualifying for nursing home Medicaid while owning a home, we received numerous questions about just giving the house away. Several sons and daughters were advised to just sign a quitclaim deed transferring mom or dad’s house to them before moving them into a nursing home. They thought that just…

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Qualifying for Nursing Home Medicaid While Owning a Home

By Hurley Elder Care Law | July 19, 2017

Is it true that I have to sell mom’s home before she can get Medicaid? We just received this question yesterday…and the day before that… and a few times last week… There is so much confusion about Medicaid, especially when it comes to home ownership. A nursing home resident can own a home and still…

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More about the QIT

By Hurley Elder Care Law | July 12, 2017

The eligibility rules for Medicaid can be confusing, and this is especially true if you think you need a Qualified Income Trust (or QIT). In today’s blog, we want to address how the QIT (the Qualified Income Trust, or Miller Trust) is used. A QIT is needed when a nursing home resident’s income exceeds the…

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Individuals, Income, and Georgia Medicaid Rules

By Hurley Elder Care Law | July 5, 2017

Over the last few months, we’ve addressed the top questions about nursing home Medicaid for couples. Today, let’s take a closer look at Medicaid rules for individuals by focusing on the income rules. Medicaid is a means-tested, government-provided health insurance benefit. It is the largest payer of nursing home care in Georgia. Most nursing home…

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