By Lori Parker, Esq.
When a loved one needs help with daily activities — bathing, dressing, eating, and personal hygiene — many people believe that a nursing home is their only option. In many cases, however, care can be delivered in the comfortable and familiar surroundings of home.
Easing Your Worries to About Home Care
Families considering home care frequently mention two concerns: 1) The burden of caregiving; and 2.) The cost of home care.
New York’s Community Medicaid program can put both of those worries to rest.
Community Medicaid helps families to arrange support and pay for in-home care that is tailored to their loved one’s needs.
When someone enters a nursing home, they have no choice about who will provide their care. Under Community Medicaid, however, the ill person (or their authorized representative) chooses, trains and schedules the caregivers. One-to-one care can be directed to the patient’s specific needs — and Medicaid funds pay for the caregivers’ time. Anyone other than the ill person’s spouse can be a paid caregiver.
Qualifying for Community Medicaid
Financial eligibility for Community Medicaid depends on the applicant’s assets and income — but community Medicaid is not subject to the “five-year lookback” associated with Medicaid for nursing home care.
In other words, a person can give away their assets and soon thereafter be eligible for Community Medicaid.
Recipients of Community Medicaid may keep up to $879 of their monthly income. This amount might seem alarmingly low — but never fear: There are legal ways for recipients of Community Medicaid to get the full value of their monthly income.
An attorney can help you to understand the techniques used to qualify applicants based on both assets and income.
This has been a very brief discussion of a complicated process. An attorney can serve as your guide and explain details that may be important to your situation.
Attorney Lori Parker is the principal at Parker Law Office, 2024 W. Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14523. To contact her, call 585-281-0717.