Ahrens Deangeli Law Group

Getting Help Paying for Long Term CareLast month a woman came into our office and told us that her husband, who was paying thousands of dollars a month for long term care, had been denied for Medicaid because the couples life savings (that they held in an annuity) was too much and they would have to cash the annuity out and spend most of the money before Medicaid would help, leaving little for the wife to live on.  We explained that was not necessarily true, and we contacted the annuity company to make some important changes to the annuity. Her husband was approved for Medicaid within a few weeks, even the couple still had the same amount of savings.    Many families find it difficult or impossible to pay the high monthly cost of long term care.  It can be especially difficult when one spouse needs long term care but the couple is hesitant to spend all the life savings on that spouses care when the healthier spouse may have many years of life left.  However, it is possible to get help paying for care without becoming impoverished; but it is crucial to know how to qualify and use that help to your advantage.  For veterans and their spouses there is a program often called Aid and Attendance that helps veterans, and their spouses pay for long term care.  Currently, a married veteran paying for nursing home care may qualify for up to $2,642.83 per month from the VA to help pay for that care.  To qualify, in most situations a veteran needs to have served only 90 days of active duty, one day of which was during a period of war and cannot have had a dishonorable discharge.  A veteran does not need to have a service-connected disability to qualify.There are rules about assets and income to qualify for a VA Aid and Attendance pension.  Often, veterans are told they dont qualify when they make an initial inquiry to the VA.  However, before giving up, it is important that a family consult a VA accredited elder law attorney to check whether there is anything the veteran can do to change the financial situation and become eligible for the pension.  A good advisor may be able to help the family make changes to become eligible.Medicaid also has a program to help seniors pay for long term care.  Like the VA pension above, Medicaid has strict rules about assets and income.  However, Medicaid also has rules that can be used to the advantage of the person needing long term care.  Even if you have think your loved one does not qualify for any help, you must consult with an elder law attorney to see if anything can be done to help your loved one before they become impoverished.  In the story above, we used the Medicaid rules to help the womans husband qualify before the money was gone.There are many myths and misconceptions about long term care and how to pay for it.  There are resources available to help pay for care, but you must plan appropriately to make sure that you can get the help you need. However, even if you havent planned ahead, dont give up just because a friend or even a professional tells you cannot get any help.  People often get bad advice in this area; find an elder law attorney near you that can help you protect yourself and your loved ones.David J. Wilson, J.D., L.L.M., CELABoard Certified Elder Law Attorney, VA AccreditedJoshua C. P. Reams, B.A., J.D., NAELA Elder Law Attorney, VA Accredited