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 that change, the State of Michigan hasn’t been requiring Medicaid recipients to file a redetermination application that confirms financially eligibility.
On May 11, that will change. The State of Michigan will reinstate the requirement to file an redetermination application that lists all of a person’s assets and income to determine if they’re still eligible.
With this change, it’s important to be ready and plan. These are a few steps to consider:
- Gather current financial documentation. Caseworkers will be asking about your current assets and income. You should have ready current statements for your bank accounts, investment accounts, and other assets. You will also need your 2023 Social Security benefit statement as well as documentation of a pension or other sources of income. It’s also important to have information about your house that shows the value and ownership.
- Be ready with other information. It’s possible a caseworker will also require documentation covering the time period from June 1, 2020 until today. Case workers may be asking if gifts or divestment has happened over this time frame. Because there are very short deadlines to respond to a caseworker’s request, you should have this documentation ready just in case you’re asked. If you aren’t prepared and fail to meet the deadline, the case worker may deny the Medicaid redetermination application and benefits will be lost.
- Have a Medicaid plan. If your spouse, parent, or other family member has too many assets to continue to be eligible, you should develop a Medicaid plan. Find out what planning can be done to allow that person to continue to be on Medicaid and preserve those assets. Or inquire if there are any options to protect a portion of those assets rather than having to spend all of them down and reapply for Medicaid.
If you have any questions about the State of Michigan’s reinstatement of this process or steps you should take, feel free to contact me at phmulder@cunninghamdalman.com.
