Medicaid Planning

The Medicaid rules to financially qualify for in-home care, assisted living, and nursing home care are notoriously complicated. Unfortunately, the rules aren’t any simpler for assets held in a trust. Assets in some trusts are exempt and don’t impact Medicaid eligibility, while assets in other trusts are countable and prevent someone from qualifying for Medicaid. […]

If your spouse or parent needs care in assisted living or a nursing home, it’s possible you’ll need to apply for Medicaid to cover all or a part of this care cost. Assisted living in West Michigan typically ranges from $5,000 – $8,000 per month, while nursing home care ranges from $12,000 – $14,000 per

One of the biggest challenges to qualifying for Medicaid and receiving benefits is divestment. Divestment is when someone makes a transfer or gives away an asset. An example is making out a check to a grandchild or putting a child on the title of your house. As I’ll explain below, there are a lot of

Michigan Court of Appeals Affirms SBO Trusts In the recent decision of Hegadorn, the Michigan Court of Appeals delivered good news to married couples facing expensive long term care. It affirmed a Medicaid planning technique that helps married couples preserve their assets. Specifically, it upheld the use of what are called solely for the benefit

Medicaid in Michigan can help to financially support someone living in a number of different care settings including assisted living. However, Medicaid has particular eligibility rules for assisted living. Also, assisted living facilities are increasingly creating their own requirements for when residents can pursue Medicaid. These challenges make navigating Medicaid and assisted living very difficult.

Medicaid is a complicated program and process to go through. It’s not usual for it to take multiple months and in some counties, provide account statements going back five years. If a gift or other transfer was made within five years of filing for Medicaid, it’ll only complicate the process further. Medicaid treats certain transfers

You or your parent may want to live at home as long as possible. But, that sometimes isn’t financially feasible due to the cost of in-home care. Fortunately, there’s a planning option in situations like these. It’s called a “reverse mortgage.” It’s essentially when a loan is taken out against the equity in the home

The options for protecting assets from Medicaid and the cost of long-term care differs depending on if you’re single (i.e. not married or have survived your spouse) or are married. Also, the planning differs depending on when you need care. In other words, if you can live independently for five years, there are certain planning

If you have a spouse, parent, or other family member who is on Medicaid, that person hasn’t had to meet the financial eligibility rules since June 1, 2020. At that time, the State of Michigan changed its policy so that people can remain on Medicaid even though they have too many assets. As part of