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xelihope Asked April 2016

How do I handle a joint bank account which is exclusively mine with my parent looking to apply to Medicaid?

My mother has been diagnosed with early onset dementia at age 57.

I am 23 and have been working full time for a while now. I am using a bank account my mom setup with me while I was still a minor. I did not know until recently that this account is setup as a joint account with my mother, as every deposit made into it as been mine exclusively. Her name does not appear anywhere in my online banking UI.

My mom is poor and might be applying for medicaid soon. I obviously can remove her name from my account, but I'm terrified of them looking at my personal assets as if they are hers. The account and every deposit in it is exclusively my own.

How do I avoid her being penalized during the application period as well as avoid a ridiculous suit in the future against me to reclaim assets that are strictly my own and should have never had her name on them to begin with?

anonymous281963 Apr 2016
P.S. The government only suspects really honest people, like you!

Lol, not to scare you any more! You will be fine, so hold your head up high, proceed with confidence!

anonymous281963 Apr 2016
If you ever had to explain, or were investigated, the history of the account would show the truth, just as you explained it here.
You can always open your own account for your own future deposits, and allow the current account to die a slow death due to lack of deposits and a normal spend down. The explanation: You did not want to co-mingle funds with Mom's.

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