I’m often asked by others what “Medicaid Planning” really means. As an elder law attorney, I help people ensure they are ready for the many aspects of incapacity, long term care, and nursing home needs. There are many bases to cover including access to quality care, family communication about where mom or dad (or both) should stay, what level of care is required, how will mom and dad pay for the care, and many others. Medicaid Planning is a way to utilize the Medicaid system to pay for care in the most appropriate way allowed under law, and as an elder law firm we are uniquely positioned to advise our clients on how to do this. We break Medicaid Planning down into 2 different categories: (1) Medicaid Crisis Planning and (2) Medicaid Pre-Planning.
Medicaid Crisis Planning is appropriate when a long-term care or nursing home stay has been going on for a while or is imminent. In our part 2 of this post we will cover Medicaid Crisis Planning.
Medicaid Pre-Planning comes in to play when there is a level of confidence that a long-term care stay will not be needed for quite some time (usually 3-5 years or more). This pre-planning can be powerful, but must be done carefully by an experienced elder law attorney. Before deciding to hire an attorney to assist you with Medicaid Pre-Planning, ask how many Medicaid Planning cases he or she has handled as well as how recently, as there are many rules and they often change. We will cover Medicaid Pre-Planning in part 3 of this series.
If you ever have questions about Medicaid, estate planning, or elder law, call us for a complimentary conversation. The team at Alles Law in Grand Rapids, MI is happy to help!
