Taking a break, and needed info for Medication application

Ed1937

Hello friends. I haven't been online much for the last week or so. One of my daughters was visiting, and the subject turned to dementia. While we were talking, I became emotional about some of the things others here have, or are going through. Maybe part of it was because of our own experiences with dementia, or maybe it was simply grieving. Anyhow, I've decided to take a break from dementia, so I won't be around for a while.

But I wanted to leave you with a better understanding of the Medicaid application experience. This is long, so take it or leave it. I'm in Indiana, and each state has it's own rules concerning Medicare. This has been copied from a letter from our CELA. This is only to give you an idea of how much is involved in applying for Medicaid. Yours may be considerably different if in another state. My heart hurts for all of you. I'm so sorry.

APPLICANT WITH COMMUNITY SPOUSE

INFORMATION NEEDED TO PROCESS A MEDICAID APPLICATION

A copy of the Birth Certificate for both Spouses.

A copy of the Marriage Certificate.

A copy of the Medicare claim card for both spouses.

For all health insurance policies (including Medicare Part D Prescription policies) covering both spouses, the following information:

a. A copy of the insurance card, front and back.

b. We need to know the date the coverage began (This date is often found on the insurance card).

c. The address where claims should be submitted (This information is often found on the insurance card).

d. Written evidence of the premium paid for the coverage for each spouse. If your premium covers both spouses, we will need a letter or statement from the company showing the breakdown for each spouse.

A copy of the Social Security Card for spouses.

6. A Benefit Verification Letter from the Social Security Office for both spouses. (This is not the same as the 1099 you receive in early February). This document is mailed to each Social Security recipient every December. It shows what your new Social Security amount will be for the following year. If you do not have your current statement, you may request a duplicate by calling Social Security at 1800-772-1213. Unfortunately, the Medicaid Office will NOT accept a copy of your bank statement showing a direct deposit as proof of the Social Security amount.

Information on Railroad Retirement benefits, if applicable.

If a pension is received by either spouse, a statement of the gross amount of the pension. If a stub is received with the check, it should be sufficient. Unfortunately, the Medicaid office will NOT accept a copy of your bank statement showing a direct deposit as proof of the pension amount.

Six months of employment pay stubs, or information on unemployment benefits, if applicable.

A copy of any prepaid burial trust and/or deed to cemetery plots owned by either spouse.

If either spouse owns a Safe Deposit Box, we will need a list of the contents signed by either spouse or by someone using a Power of Attorney for either spouse.

A copy of all life insurance policies owned by either spouse.

A copy of the Certificate of Title for any vehicle, boat, or mobile home titled in the name of either spouse (even if there are other names on the title).

A copy of all property deeds for all real estate titled in the name of either spouse (even if there are other names on the property).

If any real estate is used as rental property, we will need the following information:

a. A copy of the lease, or if none, a signed statement of the monthly rent.

b. If there is a mortgage, a statement of what portion of the monthly payment goes toward interest only.

c. Written evidence of any of the following, but only if paid by the Landlord: property insurance, real estate taxes, and utilities.

Has either spouse sold or otherwise transferred title to any real estate in the past five years? If so, please list all transfers on a blank piece of paper along with date and value of transfer.

Has either spouse, or someone acting on their behalf made any gifts that total in excess of $1,200 during a calendar year in the last five (5) years? If Yes, please list all relevant information on a blank piece of paper. We will also need the cancelled checks from those gifts, or other evidence documenting the date and amount of the gift.

A Copy of all bank and other asset account statements showing the balances on the first day of the month beginning with ______________, 2020, and each month thereafter until the Medicaid application has been approved. PLEASE MAKE NOTE OF THE ONGOING NATURE OF THIS REQUEST. Please also note that we must have all of the pages included in the statements (even if it appears to be a blank page). Let us know about any assets for which you do not receive regular monthly statements, and we will advise you how to obtain the necessary information.

Have you closed any accounts or liquidated any assets in the past year? If Yes, we will need a copy of the final statement or receipt showing the closure for each account, and the monthly statement if it was open on or after the date listed in Item 18.

A printout showing admission and discharge dates for the Medicaid Applicant from the following Hospital: ___________________________________.

Written evidence of the value, as of the opening of business on the “Snapshot Date” (see below) of each of the following types of assets owned by you: bank accounts, certificates of deposit, credit union accounts, mutual funds, investment accounts, annuities, stocks, bonds, IRAs, 401(k) accounts, and life insurance policies (cash surrender value). The “Snapshot Date” is the first day after September 30, 1989, that the Medicaid Applicant entered a continuous period of care of thirty (30) days or more outside the home, whether in a hospital nursing home, or a combination of the two.

The Snapshot Date in your case appears to be__________________________________. Unless the Medicaid applicant went straight to the nursing facility from home, this date will likely correspond to the most recent admission date from the hospital listed in Number 20.

A Copy of all Estate Planning documents signed by either spouse, including a Power of Attorney, Living Will, Health Care Declaration, Last Will and Testament, and Living Trust.

The Community Spouse is eligible for an excess shelter allowance if the items listed below total in excess of $603 when calculated on a monthly basis (Please note that the phone bill only counts to the extent of the basic monthly line charge, and not long distance or other fees). If there is a possibility that the Community Spouse will qualify for an excess shelter allowance, we will need the following information:

a. Copies of all utility bills for the last six months, if possible (this includes gas, oil, electric, garbage, water, sewer, and phone).

b. A copy of the homeowner’s (or renter’s) insurance policy with the premium amount.

c. A copy of the lease showing the monthly rent paid, if applicable.

d. A copy of the semi-annual real estate tax bill, if applicable.

e. A statement showing the monthly mortgage payment, if applicable.

f. A statement showing the monthly condominium fees, if applicable.

The Medicaid office requires the following information:

Has the applicant been involved in an auto accident in the past 3 years? ____YES ____NO

Do you plan on filing a Federal Tax Return? ____YES ____NO

Do you plan on filing a State Tax Return? ____YES ____NO

ladyzetta

(((((Hugs to you ED)))))

I only got 1/2 way through this, and I set it aside for another day. Thanks. Please take good care of yourself. We will miss your wise input. Hugs Zetta

M1

I had noticed your absence Ed, and wondered whether something was up-now I'm sorry i didn't reach out.

I get it though, completely. This forum is a lifeline, and yet sometimes it's too much. Sometimes i just can't answer a post. Sometimes i wonder if I'm doomscrolling.

I had to step away from the news this year-there was a horrific school shooting in Nashville this spring. I knew two of the families, indirectly. i have not watched a news broadcast since that time and haven't missed it one bit. Similarly, I wonder sometimes whether I'll continue on this forum after my partner dies, or whether it would be better to step away from it.

Take a breather, for sure. We will miss you though.

Donr

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/187876#Comment_187876

The information that a partner can give, can be a help to all of those still fighting this disease.

Joydean

Mr Ed I too noticed you haven’t been on in a while. I agree with everything M1 said. You do need time away from dementia. You need to spend time with your family and friends and mostly with your grandchildren.I Want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your knowledge, your wisdom and mostly for your kindness and your caring. Be blessed my friend!! Take care of yourself for a change!

Jgirl57

Thank you for EVERYTHING!!! Please know you were such a great help and I wish you peace as you continue on your stage 8 grieving path and finding comfort with your children . They need you and you need them. Much love !!!!

GothicGremlin

@Ed1937 I'm echoing everything that everyone else has said, and also wanted to add in my own heartfelt "thank you." I've learned so much from you over the last several years and that knowledge has helped to make my sister's life better.

Time to take some time out for yourself. The holidays are coming up - I hope they're wonderful for you, and your friends and family.

Also, I agree with everything that @M1 said.

Iris L.

I can't imagine gathering that much information!

Take care of yourself, Ed!

Iris

Dio

Ed, thank you to all you've done in this forum. Please take care of yourself and enjoy what time you have left--it's too precious to not live it! We'll miss you but completely understand. Everyone has said it better than I can. Hugs, and be well.

Jeff86

Ed, you have been an amazing presence on this forum, so welcoming, so generous with your knowledge, so empathetic. And you’ve been through so much.

So take a well deserved break. Our individual heartbreak, great as it is, sometimes is magnified as we read other caregivers’ heart-breaking journeys. Wishing you peace and quality time with your loving family.

Denise1847

Sending you hugs Ed. Please know that while the members of this forum are going through the hell of alz/dementia, you have been a source of guidance and wisdom for us. I personally thank you for your wonderful advice. I hope your heart and soul release their sorrows and become filled with peace and joy.

​fesk

Thank you, Ed. Take care of yourself.

Anna2022

Thank you, Ed, for all you have shared and for making our lives here a bit more brighter. In my time here on the Forum, your posts have been a lifeline of information, inspiration and hope. I wish you peace and happiness on your journey forward. Many, many thanks.

Davegrant

ED,

I have followed your posts for many years and identified with your journey and greatly appreciated your honest sincere posts. They helped me a lot. I thank you for them. Best wishes to you.

Dave

mrahope

Take the time to find peace and hopefully happiness as the holidays approach. Please know you have helped many people more than you know.

Caro_Lynne

Ed, you are always there for us with useful information or just empathetic acknowledgement - thank you. I wish you well; you will be missed xo

GiGi1963

Ed, please do not come back. You have helped all of us with your wisdom and knowledge. Living each person's journey is taking a toll on each of us in different ways. I hope you know how much we will miss you but we are ready for you to leave the nest and fly! Hugs!

FAHNJL

Ed, you're not being fired, you're being promoted to full-time grandpa. I wish you a well-deserved wonderful rest of your life.

Rocky2

Ed,

Thank you for your wisdom, compassion and mentorship. I pray that you find healing, peace and joy as you focus on the many blessings of faith, family and friends. You will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers.

Tom

[Deleted User]

The user and all related content has been deleted.

A. Marie

Dear Mayor Ed, I can only add my thanks and best wishes to everyone else's. Please take all the time for yourself, your family, and your life that you need. You may never know how many people you've helped here, but I'm certainly one of them.

Beachfan

Dear Ed,

What everyone else said and more! And like M1, (I think) I understand your mindset. I still check in almost daily, but contribute less and less. I vacillate between feeling guilty that I am no longer dealing with Alz and feeling profoundly sad for those still in the trenches. It can put me in a dark place and so I lurk, and the outcome is not healthy, I know. Take a break, but know how much you are respected and admired and as long as you remember your password, you can drop in from time to time. 🥰

ImMaggieMae

Ed, thank you for all of your help and kindness on this forum. I can totally understand that you need to take a break. Hope you’ll still drop in occasionally.

Mint

Ed, I understand but you will be missed. My experience is so much different than the majority of people on here that I really feel like I never have much to offer. I just learn in case the future holds some of it for me. Wish you and your children the best.

RickM

Dear Ed,

Thanks so much for your invaluable contributions to the forum. So sorry for your suffering. It’s ridiculous how many hoops we have to jump through when all we want to do is help our loved ones have comfort. We get no break not to mention recognition.

I was sitting at lunch helping my wife in MC today. One of the caregivers put a placemat down for me expecting me to eat lunch with everyone. I told her that I would not be joining them because I hadn’t signed up for it and, additionally, there was a fee. She looked at me amazed and said in her country (Kenya) they took care of everyone.

Drapper

Ed, Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Sending hugs.

🫂

ButterflyWings

Dear Mayor Ed,

After nearly 5,000 posts and helping SO many of our forum mates, me included, you deserve a break. If it is a retirement or graduation from the dementia trenches, then good for you. What a challenging roller coaster this is, we all know. And I truly understand that, having reached Stage 8 and survived a loved one's dementia...well the grieving and healing process must be at least as complex and taxing.

You will be missed, but thankfully your wisdom, insight, support and comforting input has had an indelible impact. May your days ahead be more pleasant and fulfilling than you can even imagine.

Thank you. Well done. Be well. God speed.

gampiano

Ed, you are an angel on earth. This is a new beginning. Please enjoy every moment.

Happy for you,

Maureen

Jo C.

Hello dear friend; I understand. So glad this is for a "break," and not permanent. So much has been given by yourself both in your private life which continues as well as what you give here in this special place; now time for you to recoup.

You have been such amazing support and helped so many and you are deeply respected and cared about. Sure will miss you. I read everything you write and you have taught us much with your insight, experience and input.

Please take good care of you; we will continue to think of you and look forward to the day you are comfortable in returning to us again.

With a hug and deepest respect,

J.

White Crane

I will miss you, Ed. Please take care of yourself you deserve the rest. You have been very helpful and very caring to me over the years. Thank you. I think of you as a dear friend.

Brenda

Last Dance

Ed,

I certainly understand you're withdrawing from this site, whether it's permanent or temporary. I wish you God's blessings. After I lost my wife, I still came to this site to try to offer help to people, but as time went on, I found it more depressing. Some days I would read a post and I thought I should reply but I didn't. I would come to the site every day, partly I think it's because I was also a caregiver to my son-in-law who had a stroke and that kind of left him in the dementia mindset. I also did it to help my daughter but then she developed cancer and I had to take care of her also. She passed away on May 28th of this year. I think because of that I just about have given up on everything in life anymore. I hardly ever go to this site, but for some reason today I did, and I am glad I did because I saw your post. I just wanted to tell you that I know everybody here appreciates all the help that you have given us in the past and the advice you gave us and the jokes from time to time.

However, I think you're doing the smart thing by pulling away from this site.

Dementia does horrible things to those that we love, and unfortunately it does horrible things to us also. It destroys our soul. So please stay away from here and don't feel guilty, and if you want to from time-to-time check in that's fine, but if not that's also fine.

I pray that you can have a peaceful life moving forward, may your days be sunny and bright. Take care of yourself and enjoy your family, and friends. Richard❤️