Protect Assets and maintain Medicaid Eligibility

June 17, 2021

Medicaid is a welfare program with strict income and wealth limits to qualify, explains Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “You Can Keep Some Assets While Qualifying for Medicaid. Here’s How.” This is a different program from Medicare, the national health insurance program for people 65 and over that largely doesn’t cover long-term care. There are a few ways to protect assets and maintain Medicaid eligibility.

If you can afford your own care, you’ll have more options because all facilities don’t take Medicaid. Even so, couples with ample savings may deplete all their wealth for the other spouse to pay for a long stay in a nursing home. However, you can save some assets for a spouse and qualify for Medicaid using strategies from an Elder Law or Medicaid Planning Attorney.

You can allocate as much as $3,259.50 of your monthly income to a spouse, whose income isn’t considered, and still maintain Medicaid eligibility. Your assets must be $2,000 or less, with a spouse allowed to keep up to $130,380. However, cash, bank accounts, real estate other than a primary residence, and investments (including those in an IRA or 401(k)) count as assets. However, you can keep a personal residence, non-luxury personal belongings (like clothes and home appliances), one vehicle, engagement and wedding rings and a prepaid burial plot.

However, your spouse may not have enough to live on. You could boost a spouse’s income with a Medicaid-compliant annuity. These turn your savings into a stream of future retirement income for you and your spouse and don’t count as an asset. You can purchase an annuity at any time, but to be Medicaid compliant, the annuity payments must begin right away with the state named as the beneficiary after you and your spouse pass away.

Another option is a Miller Trust for yourself, which is an irrevocable trust that’s used exclusively to maintain Medicaid eligibility. If your income from Social Security, pensions and other sources is higher than Medicaid’s limit but not enough to pay for nursing home care, the excess income can go into a Miller Trust. This allows you to qualify for Medicaid, while keeping some extra money in the trust for your own care. The funds can be used for items that Medicare doesn’t cover.

These strategies are designed to protect assets or income for couples; leaving an asset to other heirs is more difficult. Once you and your spouse pass away, the state government must recover Medicaid costs from your estate, when possible. This may be through a lien on your home, reimbursement from a Miller Trust, or seizing assets during the probate process, before they’re distributed to your family.

Note that any assets given away within five years of a Medicaid application date still count toward eligibility. Property transferred to heirs earlier than that is okay. One strategy is to create an irrevocable trust on behalf of your children and transfer property that way. You will lose control of the trust’s assets, so your heirs should be willing to help you out financially, if you need it. Work with an estate planning attorney to craft a plan that protects assets and maintains Medicaid eligibility.

If you would like to learn more about Medicaid planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Kiplinger (May 24, 2021) “You Can Keep Some Assets While Qualifying for Medicaid. Here’s How”

Can I Be Paid as a Caregiver?

June 9, 2021

AARP’s recent article entitled “Can I Get Paid to Be a Caregiver for a Family Member?” says that roughly 53 million Americans provide care without pay to an ailing or aging loved one. They do so for an average of nearly 24 hours per week. The study was done by the “Caregiving in the U.S. 2020” report by AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC). This begs the question: Can I be paid as a caregiver?

Medicaid. All 50 states and DC have self-directed Medicaid services for long-term care. These programs let states grant waivers that allow qualified people to manage their own long-term home-care services, as an alternative to the traditional model where services are managed by an agency. In some states, that can include paying a family member as a caregiver. The benefits, coverage, eligibility, and rules differ from state to state.

Veterans have four plans for which they may qualify:

Veteran Directed Care. This plan lets qualified former service members manage their own long-term services and supports. It is available in 37 states, DC, and Puerto Rico for veterans of all ages who are enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration health care system and need the level of care a nursing facility provides but want to live at home or the home of a loved one.

Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefits. This program supplements a military pension to help cover the cost of paying for a caregiver, who may be a family member. These benefits are available to veterans who qualify for VA pensions and meet certain criteria. In addition, surviving spouses of qualifying veterans may be eligible for this benefit.

Housebound benefits. Vets who get a military pension and are substantially confined to their immediate premises because of permanent disability can apply for a monthly pension supplement.

Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. This program allows for a monthly stipend to a vet’s family member to be paid as a caregiver to provide assistance with everyday activities because of a traumatic injury sustained in the line of duty on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

Other caregiver benefits through the program include the following:

Access to health insurance and mental health services, including counseling
Comprehensive training
Lodging and travel expenses incurred when accompanying vets going through care; and
Up to 30 days of respite care per year.

Payment by a family member. If the person requiring assistance is mentally sound and has sufficient financial resources, that person can pay a family member for the same services a professional home health care worker would provide.

So yes, under certain criteria, you can qualify to be paid as a caregiver. It is best to work carefully with an Elder Law attorney who has experience managing Medicaid and VA issues.

Reference: AARP (May 15, 2021) “Can I Get Paid to Be a Caregiver for a Family Member?”

Address Finances if Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

May 6, 2021

Learning you have Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia can be overwhelming. There are many aspects of life that you will need to address. One of the first things you should do is address your finances if you are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Because of the debilitating nature of Alzheimer’s and related forms of dementia on a loved one’s ability to make sound financial decisions, the sooner you can get financial matters in order the better. The Statesville Record & Landmark’s recent article entitled “Steps to take when dealing with Alzheimer’s” lists four important steps to take:

Keep an eye out for signs of unusual financial activity. Early signs of cognitive challenges for a senior include difficulty paying a proper amount for an item, leaving bills unpaid, or making strange purchases. If you see signs of a loss in judgment related to financial matters, additional action may be required.

Identify and name a power of attorney. Many people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are hesitant to cede control of their personal finances to another. Therefore, have an honest discussion with your loved ones and help them appreciate the importance of having a trusted person in a position to look out for their interests. One person should be designated as financial power-of-attorney, who is authorized to sign checks, pay bills and help keep an eye on the finances of the affected persons.

Ask an experienced estate planning attorney about helping you draft this important document.

Examine the costs of care and how it will be covered. A primary concern is to determine a strategy for how your loved one will be cared for, especially if their cognitive abilities deteriorate.

You will need to be able to determine whether specialized care will be needed, either in the home or in a nursing or assisted living facility. If the answer is yes, you’ll need to determine if there are resources or long-term care insurance policies in place to help deal with those costs, which will impact decisions on a care strategy. Ask an elder law attorney about trusts that can be established to provide for care for the disabled loved one, while still protecting the family’s assets.

Be proactive. Don’t delay too long in addressing financial issues after an Alzheimer’s diagnosis. This can compound an already stressful and emotional time.

Be prepared to take action to get on top of the situation as soon as you’re aware that it could be a problem. Even establishing a plan for addressing these issues before a form of dementia is firmly diagnosed can be helpful.

Do not wait – address your finances early if diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Ask an experienced elder law attorney for guidance on how to manage these challenging times.

If you would like to learn more about Alzheimer’s and how it can effect estate planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Statesville Record & Landmark (April 11, 2021) “Steps to take when dealing with Alzheimer’s”

Deduct Expenses for Long-Term Care

April 29, 2021

The skyrocketing costs of long-term care (LTC) can ruin your retirement savings. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found that 27% of Americans turning 65 this year will have at least $100,000 in long-term-care costs, and 18% will require care costing more than $250,000. However, you may be able to deduct expenses for long-term care.

Kiplinger’s recent article entitled “Tax Breaks may be available for Long-Term Care” says that if you need LTC, you may be able to deduct a portion of the costs on your tax return. If you purchased a long-term-care insurance (LTCI) policy to cover the costs, you may also be able to deduct some of your premium payments. Since retirement planning includes long-term care, it’s important to know how these tax deductions can help to offset overall costs.

Long-Term-Care Costs

The IRS allows you to deduct unreimbursed costs for long-term care as a medical expense, if certain requirements are met. This includes eligible expenses for in-home, assisted living and nursing-home services. The long-term care must be medically necessary and may include preventive, therapeutic, treating, rehabilitative, personal care, or other services. The cost of meals and lodging at an assisted-living facility or nursing home is also included, if the primary reason for being there is to receive qualified medical care.

The care must also be for a chronically ill person and provided under a care plan prescribed by a doctor. The IRS says that a person is “chronically ill,” if he or she can’t perform at least two activities of daily living. These are things like eating, bathing, or dressing. They must be unable to do these without help for at least 90 days. This condition must be certified in writing within the last year. A person with a severe cognitive impairment, like dementia, is also considered chronically ill, if supervision is needed to protect his or her health and safety.

To get the deduction, you have to itemize deductions on your tax return. However, itemized deductions for medical expenses are only allowed to the extent they exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income.

An adult child can claim a medical expense deduction on his own tax return for the cost of a parent’s care, if he can claim the parent as a dependent.

Insurance Premiums

The IRS also allows a limited deduction for certain LTCI premiums. Similar to the deduction for long-term-care services, this has to be an itemized deduction for medical expenses. Again, only premiums exceeding the 7.5% of AGI threshold are deductible. (Note that self-employed individuals may be able to deduct premiums paid for LTCI as an adjustment to income without having to itemize.)

In addition, the LTCI policy is required to satisfy certain requirements for the premiums to be deductible. The policy can only cover long-term-care services, so the deduction only applies to traditional LTCI policies, not “hybrid” policies that combine life insurance with long-term-care benefits. This deduction also has an age-related cap. For 2021, the cap is $5,640 if you’re older than 70, $4,520 if you’re 61 to 70 and $1,690 if you’re 51 to 60. (For those 41 to 50, it’s $850, and for 40 or younger, it’s $450.)

Make sure to educate yourself on what types of expenses you can deduct for long-term care. These deductions can be valuable for people in their seventies and older.

If you are interested in learning more about long-term care, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Kiplinger (March 23, 2021) “Tax Breaks may be available for Long-Term Care”

Protect Your Estate from Nursing Home Costs

February 8, 2021

Nursing home care is expensive, costing between $12,000 to $20,000 per month, so you need to protect your estate from nursing home costs. Most seniors should do all they can to prepare for this possibility. According to a recent article from the Times Herald-Record, “Elder Law Power of Attorney can save assets that would go to nursing home costs,” this is something that can be done even when entering a nursing home is imminent.

A Power of Attorney is used to name people, referred to as “agents,” to conduct legal and financial affairs, if we are incapacitated. Having this document is an important part of an estate plan, since it reduces or completely avoids the risk of your family having to go through guardianship proceedings, where a judge names a legal guardian to take over your affairs.

The guardian likely will be someone you have never met, who does not know you or your family. It’s always better to plan in advance, so you know who is going to be taking charge of your affairs.

Then there’s the Elder Law Power of Attorney, a stronger form of a Power of Attorney that includes unlimited gifting powers. Having this unlimited gifting power lets a single person who applies for Medicaid in a nursing home to protect their assets, by using a gift and loan strategy.

Here’s an example: Amy, who is single, can’t live on her own and even having home health care aides is not enough care anymore. She has $500,000 in assets and does not qualify for Medicaid to pay for her care. Medicaid will allow her to keep only $15,900.

One option is for Amy to spend down all of her money on nursing home costs, until all she has is $15,900. All of her savings will go to the nursing home, with very little left for her daughter, Ellen.

However, if Amy has an Elder Law Power of Attorney, a gift and loan strategy can protect her assets. Half of the money, $250,000, can go to Ellen as a gift under the unlimited gifting powers. The other half goes to Ellen as a loan, under a promissory note with a set rate of interest.

Any gifts made in the past five years, known as a “five year look back,” cause a penalty period. Amy will have to pay the nursing home costs for about twenty months. Every month during that period, Ellen will pay Amy a monthly payment that, with her income, is used to pay the nursing home bill. At the end of the 20 months, Amy qualifies for Medicaid to pay for her care for the rest of her life, and Amy may keep the $250,000. Saving half of her assets by using the gift and loan strategy is sometimes called the “half a loaf is better than none” strategy.

With a Standard Power of Attorney, there are no unlimited gifting powers.

A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) created five or more years before Amy needed a nursing home could have saved her entire nest egg for Ellen.

Preplanning is always the better way to go. An elder law estate planning attorney is the best resource for determining what the best tools are to protect a nest egg if and when a person needs the care of a nursing home.

Many people make the mistake of thinking that it “won’t happen to me.” However, injuries and illnesses often accompany aging, and it is far better to protect your estate from nursing home costs in advance than waiting and hoping for the best.

DISCLAIMER: Medicaid planning is complex and the case hypothetical above with “Amy and Ellen” is provided for purposes of illustration. Whether this strategy would work for you or your loved ones depends on the laws of your state of residence given your unique circumstances. Consult with an experienced elder law attorney admitted to practice law in your state of residence before engaging in any Medicaid planning!

If you would like to learn more about nursing home care and Medicaid, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: Times Herald-Record (Jan. 8, 2021) “Elder Law Power of Attorney can save assets that would go to nursing home costs”

You Must Plan for Your Spouse’s Medicaid

February 4, 2021

Medicaid eligibility is based on income. This means that there are restrictions on the resources—both income and assets—that you can have when you apply. So you must plan for your spouse’s Medicaid.

The Times Herald’s recent article entitled “Elder law planning for Medicaid” says that one of the toughest requirements for Medicaid to grasp is the financial eligibility. These rules for the cost of long-term care are tricky, especially when the Medicaid applicant is married.

To be eligible for Medicaid for long-term care, an applicant generally cannot have more than $2,400 in countable assets in their name, if their gross monthly income is $2,382 (which is the 2021 income limit) or more. An applicant may have no more than $8,000 in countable assets, if their gross monthly income is less than $2,382 (2021 income limit).

However, federal law says that certain protections are designed to prevent a spouse from becoming impoverished when their spouse goes into a nursing home and applies for Medicaid. In 2021, the spouse of a Medicaid recipient living in a nursing home—known as “the community spouse”—can keep up to $126,420 (which is the maximum Community Spouse Resource Allowance “CSRA”) and a minimum of $26,076 (the minimum CSRA) without placing the Medicaid eligibility of the spouse who is receiving long-term care in jeopardy.

The calculation to determine the amount of the CSRA, the countable assets of both the community spouse and the spouse in the nursing home are totaled on the date of the nursing home admission. That is known as the “snapshot” date. The community spouse is entitled to retain 50% of the couple’s total countable assets up to a max. The rest must be “spent-down” to qualify for the program.

In addition to the CSRA, there are also federal rules concerning income for the spouse. In many states, the community spouse can keep all of his or her own income no matter how much it is. If the community spouse’s income is less than the amount set by the state as the minimum needed to live on (“the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance” or “MMMNA”), then some of the applicant spouse’s income can also be allocated to the community spouse to make up the difference (called “the Spousal Allowance”). Planning for your spouse’s Medicaid is pretty complex, so speak with an experienced elder law attorney.

If you are interested in learning more about Medicaid and nursing home planning, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Times Herald (Jan. 8, 2021) “Elder law planning for Medicaid”

Steps to Take when Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

February 1, 2021

A diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or any serious progressive disease takes some time to absorb. What are the steps to take when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s? During the days and weeks after the diagnosis, it is important to take quick steps to protect the person’s health as well as their legal and financial lives, advises the recent article “What to do after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis?” from The Indiana Lawyer.

Here are the legal steps that need to be taken when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, before the person is too incapacitated to legally conduct their own affairs:

General Durable Power of Attorney—A person needs to be appointed to perform legal and financial duties when the time comes. This can be a family member, trusted friend or a professional.

Health Care Power of Attorney—A person must be entrusted with making health care decisions, when the patient is no longer able to communicate their wishes.

HIPAA Authorization—Without this document, medical care providers will not be able to discuss the person’s illness or share reports and test results. An authorized person will be able to speak with doctors, pick up prescriptions and obtain medical reports. It is not a decision-making authorization, however.

Living Will—The living will explains wishes for end-of-life medical care, including whether to prolong life using artificial means.

Funeral Plans—Some states permit the creation of a legally enforceable document stating wishes for funerals, burials or cremation and memorial services. If a legal document is not permitted, then it is a kindness to survivors to state wishes, and be as specific as possible, to alleviate the family’s stress about what their loved one would have wanted.

Medicaid Planning—Care for Alzheimer’s and other dementias becomes extremely costly in the late stages. A meeting with an elder law attorney is important to see if the family’s assets can be protected, while obtaining benefits to pay for long-term and dementia care.

After the patient dies, there may be a claim against it from the state to recover Medicaid costs. By law, states must recover assets for long-term care and related drug and hospital benefits. All assets in the recipient’s probate estate are subject to recovery, except if surviving spouse, minor children, blind or disabled child is living or where recovery would cause hardship.

These are just a few steps to take when diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. With good planning and the help of an experienced elder law attorney, the family may be able to mitigate claims by the government against the estate.

If you would like to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia, please visit our previous posts.

Reference: The Indiana Lawyer (Jan. 6, 2020) “What to do after an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis?”

Perfect Storm for the Financial Abuse of Seniors

July 14, 2020

The extended isolation and loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic is creating the perfect storm for the financial abuse of seniors, who are unable to visit with family members and friends, reports Fredericksburg Today in the article “SCC urges awareness of investment fraud among seniors due to increased pandemic isolation.” The unprecedented need to forgo socializing makes seniors who are already at risk, even more vulnerable.

In the past, scammers would deliberately strike during a health crisis or after the death of a loved one. By gathering data from obituaries and social media, even establishing relationships with support and social groups, scammers can work their way into seniors’ lives.

Social distancing and the isolation necessary to protect against the spread of the coronavirus has left many seniors vulnerable to people posing as their new friends. The perpetrators may not just be strangers: family members are often the ones who exploit the elderly. The pandemic has also led to changes in procedures in care facilities, which can lead to increased confusion and dependence for the elderly, who do not always do well with changes.

Here are a few key markers for senior financial abuse:

A new friend or caregiver who is overly protective and has gotten the person to surrender control of various aspects of their life, including but not limited to finances.
Fear or a sudden change in how they feel towards family members and/or friends.
A reluctance to discuss financial matters, especially if they say the new friend told them not to talk about their money with others.
Sudden changes in spending habits, or unexplained changes to wills, new trustees, or changes to beneficiary designations.
Large checks made out to cash, or the disappearance of assets.
Signatures on checks or estate planning documents that appear different than past signatures.

Not being able to visit in person makes it harder for family members to discern what is happening. However, there are a few steps that can be taken by concerned family members. Stay in touch with the family member, by phone, video calls, texts or any means possible. Remind loved ones that scammers are always looking for an opportunity and may try to exploit them during the pandemic.

Every community has resources that can help, if senior financial abuse is a concern. An elder law estate planning attorney will be able to direct concerned family members or friends to local resources to protect their loved ones.

Reference: Fredericksburg Today (June 20, 2020) “SCC urges awareness of investment fraud among seniors due to increased pandemic isolation”

Your Children Wish You Had an Estate Plan

June 19, 2020

It is the adult children who are in charge of aging parents when they need long-term care. They are also the ones who settle estates when parents die. Even if they can’t always come out and tell you, your children wish you had an estate plan. The recent article, “Why your children wish you had an Elder Law Estate Plan” from the Times Herald-Record spells out exactly why an elder law estate plan is so important for your loved ones.

Avoid court proceedings while living. In a perfect world, everyone over age 18 will have an advance directive, including a power of attorney, a health care proxy, and a living will. These documents appoint others to make financial, legal, and medical decisions, in case of incapacity. Without them, the children will have to get involved with time-consuming, expensive guardianship proceedings, where a judge appoints a legal guardian to make these decisions. Your life is turned over to a court-appointed guardian, instead of your children or another person of your choosing.

Avoid court proceedings after you die. If you die and assets are in your name alone, then your estate will go through probate, a court proceeding that can be time consuming and costly. Not having any assets in trusts leaves your kids open to the possibility of wills being challenged, disputes among family members and litigation that can drag on for years.

Wills in probate court are public documents. Trusts are private documents. Do you really want a stranger to access your will and learn about your assets?

An elder law estate plan also plans for the possibility of long-term care and costs. Nursing home care costs can run between $12,000—$18,000 per month. If you don’t have long-term care insurance, you can create a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) that protects assets in the trust from nursing home costs, once the assets are in the trust for five years. The MAPT also protects assets from homecare provided by Medicaid, called “community” Medicaid, once the assets are in the trust for 30 months under a new rule that starts on October 1, 2020.

The “elder law power of attorney” has unlimited gifting powers that could save about half of a single person’s assets from the cost of nursing homes. This can be done on the eve of needing nursing home care, but it is always better to do this planning in advance.

Having a plan in place decreases stress and anxiety for adult children. They are likely busy with their own lives, working, caring for their children and coping in a challenging world. When a plan is in place, they don’t have to start learning about Medicaid law, navigating their way through the court system, or wondering why their parents did not take advantage of the time they had to plan properly.

You probably don’t want your children remembering you as the parents who left a financial and legal mess behind for the them to clean up. Speak with an elder law estate planning attorney to create a plan for your future. Your children will appreciate it.

Reference: Times Herald-Record (May 23, 2020) “Why your children wish you had an Elder Law Estate Plan”

How Do I Talk about End-Of-Life Plans?

June 18, 2020

With the coronavirus pandemic motivating people to think about what they prioritize in their lives, experts say you should also take the time to consider how to talk about end-of-life plans.

Queens News Service’s recent article entitled “How to have the hardest conversation: Making end-of-life decisions” reports that in this coronavirus pandemic, some people are getting scared and are realizing that they don’t have a will. They also haven’t considered what would happen, if they became extremely ill.

They now can realize that this is something that could have an impact upon them.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 70% of Americans say they’d prefer to die at home, while 70% of people die in a hospital, nursing home, or a long-term care facility. This emphasizes the importance of discussing end-of-life plans with family members.

According to a survey of Californians taken by the state Health Care Foundation, although 60% of people say that not burdening their loved ones with extremely tough decisions is important, 56% have failed to talk to them about their final wishes.

“Difficult as they may be, these conversations are essential,” says American Bar Foundation (ABF) Research Professor Susan P. Shapiro, who authored In Speaking for the Dying: Life-and-Death Decisions in Intensive Care.

“Now is a good time to provide loved ones with the information, reassurance and trust they need to make decisions,” Shapiro says.

Odds are the only person who knows your body as well as you do, is your doctor.

When thinking about your end-of-life plans, talk with your doctor and see what kind of insight she or he can provide. They’ve certainly had experience with other older patients.

If you want to make certain your wishes are carried out as you intend, detail all of your plans in writing. That way it will be very clear what your loved ones should do, if a decision needs to be made. This will eliminate some stress in a very stressful situation.

Even after the COVID-19 pandemic is over, everyone will still need a will.

Talk with an experienced elder law or estate planning attorney to make certain that you have all of the necessary legal documents for end-of-life decisions.

Reference: Queens News Service (May 22, 2020) “How to have the hardest conversation: Making end-of-life decisions”

Suggested Key Terms:

Category: Assisted Living

Can I Be Paid as a Caregiver?

Address Finances if Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Deduct Expenses for Long-Term Care

Protect Your Estate from Nursing Home Costs

You Must Plan for Your Spouse’s Medicaid

Steps to Take when Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s

Perfect Storm for the Financial Abuse of Seniors

Your Children Wish You Had an Estate Plan

How Do I Talk about End-Of-Life Plans?

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