I am going to apply for Medicaid for my mother in Texas?

sancheza, it would be helpful to have more information, like: how old is your mom? Is she currently in LTC? What is her mental and physical condition? Is she currently near you? I'm asking these questions because if she doesn't live in a facility that is near you or any other offspring who could check on her or be her durable PoA, long-distance caregiving can be challenging and stressful. If she has dementia and can't really advocate for herself, I would move her to be near the durable PoA so that she receives the best oversight and care possible. Once you get that figured out, ditto to the answers below. Get your mom into a great facility on private pay that accepts Medicaid. When her funds run out then apply for Medicaid. Being on Medicaid will mean moving into a shared room for the rest of her time there but she will get the same care and attention as the private pay residents. You should definitely spend down some of her funds on a pre-paid funeral. Medicaid allows more for one if you purchase it before she goes on Medicaid so make sure to do that. Please come back to answer the other questions so you can receive the best advice from the forum.

She’ll have to spend down the $25,000 before she’ll be eligible for Medicaid. She can’t have more $2000 in assets. Her monthly income is below the income cap for LTC Medicaid so she’s fine there, but the $25,000 from the sale of her house will have to be spent down first-a portion of it can be set aside for her funeral. If she is paying for the nursing home, that $25,000 isn’t gonna last her long anyway. Normally it would be wise to use some of the money on things she won’t be able to afford once she’s on Medicaid-like new glasses and hearing aids if she uses them. And dental work if she needs it. But at present time, you probably won’t be able to get her in to see a dentist or an optometrist for a routine appointment.

Each state is different, but you will have to do a major spend-down. People here suggest buying end of life expenses insurance policy. If her monthly income, that will go to her facility. Your best bet is to go your local Medicaid office. Here in Ohio, it’s part of our Department of Health and Human Services.