The Medicaid Act permits individuals, who are seeking Medicaid assistance, to pay for nursing home care by purchasing a Medicaid compliant annuity. These annuities can be used to protect a spouse that is still living in the community from poverty or can be used to transfer wealth to loved ones upon death.
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Caregiver Mental Health During COVID-19
AARP recently released findings of a study that analyzed over 236,000 cases of individuals diagnosed with COVID-19. The study indicates that up to one-third of survivors suffer from psychiatric or neurological illnesses within six months of infection, with 34% of those further diagnosed with mental health or neurological disorders. The most common conditions were mood and anxiety disorders, but it also identified a higher rate of insomnia, dementia, and even encephalitis.
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Surrogate Decision Making in Mental Health Cases
In many respects, those who suffer from mental health issues fall through the cracks the most – whether that be cracks in the medical system, in public benefits, or in estate planning and guardianship law. People fall through because the system is largely designed to take care of those with physical needs or severe cognitive disorders, not those who look and feel just fine on the outside. Mental health issues are difficult because it isn’t clear when an individual is deemed incapacitated, and without that clarity, they have the right to be free from Probate Court jurisdiction from a Guardianship and can easily revoke or amend a power of attorney to remove someone that is irritating them in that moment. Unfortunately, it’s in those moments that they need surrogate decision makers the most.
Keep reading ...Senior Living Options
On this episode of Elder Law Talks, Janelle Leonard continues her conversation on senior living options, discussing assisted living and nursing home care.
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Do I Need Medicaid If I Have Medicare?
Medicaid and Medicare are the two largest publicly funded health programs in the country, with different missions that often overlap. Medicare provides health coverage to seniors and some individuals with disabilities. Medicaid covers adults and children who cannot afford insurance, or who have health care costs they cannot afford. Often, an individual will be eligible for coverage through both programs. The following blog will describe how Medicare and Medicaid interact. Part one gives an overview of Medicare, what it covers, and what options are available for more coverage. Part two will describe how Medicare and Medicaid work together.
Keep reading ...Elder Law Talks – Senior Living Options
This week on Elder Law Talks, Care Coordinator Janelle Leonard discusses senior living options that are available to you.
Keep reading ...Medicaid for Beginners: 5 Facts about Ohio Medicaid
Everyone has heard of Medicaid. It is one of the largest health insurance providers in Ohio and covers individuals and families who don’t have insurance and can’t afford to buy it. More than 2.9 million people in Ohio get health insurance through Medicaid every year. But did you know that Medicaid is much more than health insurance for the poor? Here are five facts about Medicaid that might surprise you.
Keep reading ...Elder Law Talks – Powers of Attorney
On This Week’s Episode: Powers of Attorney
Elder Law Attorney David Banas breaks down powers of attorney, he discusses two main types and how important they are when caring for loved ones.
Keep reading ...Elder Law Talks – Managing Your Loved Ones Affairs During COVID-19
On This Week’s Episode: Managing Your Loved Ones Affairs During COVID-19
Keep reading ...Elder Law Talks – Care Advocacy Services
Hickman & Lowder Co., L.P.A. is excited to continue our Elder Law Talks series. Our short videos are designed to help you expand your awareness, reduce your stress and redefine what is possible as you advocate for your loved one.
On this week’s episode: Care Coordinator, Janelle Leonard discusses Care Advocacy Services.
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Elder Law Talks Episode 3
Hickman & Lowder Co., L.P.A. is excited to continue our Elder Law Talks series. Our short videos are designed to help you expand your awareness, reduce your stress and redefine what is possible as you advocate for your loved one.
This week’s episode: Parents of an Adult Child with Disabilities – What Happens When You Need Care Yourself?
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Gathering the Documents Needed When Applying for Medicaid Can Be Overwhelming
When you become financially eligible for Medicaid, the next step is to apply and it’s generally a straightforward process. You fill out an application with basic information about yourself and submit it to the county Job and Family Services (JFS) where you currently reside.
However, the next steps are crucial and can become overwhelming.
Be prepared to send JFS current financial statements of every account you and your spouse own, along with income verification from every source of income received by you and your spouse. Technically, JFS can require you to provide 60 months (five years) of statements because of the “five-year-look-back” period. This is because JFS will want to know whether you transferred or gifted any assets to someone else before applying for Medicaid.
In addition to all the financial records, JFS wants to ensure you are a citizen and verify what medical insurance you receive. These documents include, but are not limited to, State IDs, Social Security cards, Medicare cards, Medicare Supplement cards, birth certificates and marriage certificates.
Navigating this process can be mind-boggling and working with an experienced Elder Law Attorney can ensure financial eligibility and take the stress off of you when applying. The attorney will tell you exactly what documents you will need and handle the application process with JFS, saving you the hassle of organizing what could be hundreds of pages of documents.
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