As families prepare for the challenges of long-term care, few realize that one of the most effective strategies for protecting assets during Medicaid spend-down involves something as practical—and personal—as prepaying for funeral expenses. In Connecticut, Medicaid imposes strict asset limits: individuals must have no more than $1,600 in countable resources to qualify. However, certain expenditures…
Is the CSPA Connecticut’s Chapter of the ASPCA? Not exactly. So what is the CSPA and why am I writing about it anyway? CSPA stands for the Community Spouse Protected Amount and the reason my blog focuses on it this month is because the minimum CSPA in Connecticut has been increased to $50,000 effective July…
When a married couple applies for Medicaid, the Medicaid agency must analyze the couple’s income and assets as of a particular date to determine eligibility. The date that the agency chooses for this analysis is called the “snapshot” date and it can have a major impact on a couple’s financial future. Medicaid Eligibility for Couples…
When applying for Medicaid’s long-term care coverage, in addition to the strict income and asset limits, you must demonstrate that you need a level of care typically provided in a nursing home. Whether you are applying for nursing home coverage or through a Medicaid waiver program for coverage at home, you must meet the level-of-care…
WILSON’S UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY: THE ALPHABET SOUP OF THE MEDICARE SAVINGS PROGRAM Estate Planning Attorneys are known for loving acronyms. We like to shorten the names of the tools we use and sometimes throw the terms around, forgetting that not everyone speaks Alphabet Soup. POA, HCD, SNT, QTIP, QPRT, ILIT are just some of the terms…
It’s understandable that some people think that if the assets are under a different name, they are no longer considered yours. While that is true in most cases, Medicaid has slightly different rules.
So don’t put “transfer assets to spouse” on your to-do list just yet. Watch the video below and let Attorney Joan Wilson explain why.
