Hi all,
I recently got my mom on medicaid and its been a roller coaster learning all the ins and outs of the system. I ran into a potential problem as social security decided to deposit my mom's monthly check on the 30th of September, four days earlier than its supposed to be. That put her slightly over the 2000 asset limit.
I saw it immediately this morning and made her monthly liability payment to her facility as soon as I caught it, drivingit back down under the limit. She's only had coverage for a month at this point and I hope this doesn't negatively impact renewal next year.
Has anyone here had this happen to them? If so how did it impact your loved one's coverage? I have read from some sources that as long as the money is spent back down before the end of the month it should be fine.
We got a letter rejecting her and it sent us into panic mode x10. The hiccup was due to purchasing a pre-paid cremation insurance policy this spring (which in MN is the only way to pre-pay any burial). We were on hold for 2 hours before talking to a human. They got hung up on the beneficiary (which is the cremation place we chose). Not sure why they didn't know this. Just keep checking your mail to see if they request other "proofs". If they do, there is a deadline to send it so pay close attention to that. You can upload forms online now (at least in my state).
It was posted for only a day when I caught it, and the bank makes a note on the deposit stating the effective date of the check (October 3rd). So hopefully it won't trip a red flag later.
Amazingly this happens, they sometimes do get “income”, like they inherit $ from the Estate of a family member; or they have a super old life insurance policy that pays them a dividend, or old mineral rights that pay royalties but they do not pay out unless it’s over $600. So it’s all random and off POAs radar. It’s things like this that the caseworker is to be made aware of.
FWIW there will more than likley be an annual renewal done for her LTC Medicaid. Could be totally done online or could be via snail mail. Just how it’s done totally depends on how your State administers its programs. Tends to be 1 -2 month(s) prior to when it would be the anniversary date. Renewal will want some of the same items submitted the first time to be resubmitted PLUS if any of those items have their own annual updates, then that updated paperwork. Like say mom has a preneed burial policy, that will be resubmitted again. But if mom kept her home, then the updated annual property tax bill on the house is submitted (so Medicaid can easily see that yes it’s still there and yes its still in her name). Also they may specifically want a statement from the NH as to the balance as close to the renewal date of her in-the-NH trust account thats she uses to pay for onsite beauty shoppe or small incidentals. Just be mindful to pay attention that her bank statement PLUS her in the NH account combined do NOT exceed the 2K max for nonexempt assets (or whatever $ amt her State has for nonexempt). Renewal is nothing but fun! I had no idea they existed and had placed all of my moms paperwork into bins in storage. It was a l…o…n…g weekend.
Thanks for the info on renewals!
If your Mom is going to be permanently in this facility, why do you not allow the facility to become Moms POA. Then her check is sent directly to the NH and they set up a Personal Needs acct for the small amount SS allows for her personal needs. I did this because if there was any problem with SS after Moms passing, the facility would need to deal with it. One less thing for me to worry about.