Moving to AL or MC, and how do you pay for it?

jessicaj7

Hi friends,

I'm wondering how/when we go about moving my mother from her home to either AL or MC. Would her primary care or neurologist make the recommendation, then we go?

We only have a certain amount of money to pay for care, and I am concerned that if she goes to a new community where she is engaged she will rebound, which is great except we cannot afford to keep her in an AL or MC for long. She does not have a LTC policy and is not a veteran.

We live in Massachusetts and from what I understand, Medicaid does not cover AL or MC. What do people do when they run out of money? I don't think she is currently in a place where she would qualify for a nursing home.

Thank you so much for your input!

mabelgirl

There is Medicaid LTC program that will help pay for AL or MC or for in home assistance. If the person needs skilled nursing there is a different program. I live in FL and there are several programs I got my mom qualified for on my own. There is Qualified Medical Benefit which will also pay for the cost of Medicare. If you can’t afford an elder attorney you can find a lot of info online. You may also want to contact your local area on aging or social services elder affairs. These places generally have long waiting lists, hence I did all my applications on my own. It is NOT a speedy process. For the LTC program there will be a state interview and then a specific form for the pcp to fill out. I also had to provide lots of financial info plus DPOA . She got approved and they pay for about half the cost of care. My next step will be SSI as my siblings and I are paying for what isn’t covered now that her little savings were depleted. Prayers for success.

harshedbuzz

@jessicaj7

Families generally decide on their own whether a LO can be cared for at home although sometimes a doctor will say that the person requires 24-hour supervision. But it's up to the family to decide what that looks for for them.

The best strategy is to talk with a CELA in your state. While Medicaid is federally funded, states do manage the funds differently. What applies in one state may not exist in another. Another trap to be aware of is states with filial obligation laws. One of my aunt's was in a low-income senior housing unit in MA (not sure whether it was Essex or Middlesex County) with a waiver and some VA Aid and Attendance (via her late husband) hours in the early- middle stages of dementia. Her home was sold to fund the rest plus her social security. She had a fall and ended up on Medicaid in a SNF.

This is an overview of what is available in MA.

https://www.medicaidlongtermcare.org/eligibility/massachusetts/#programs

Good luck.

HB

Victoriaredux

I second HB recommending that you see a CELA — there are no do-overs and the potential costs as you've found can be large. There are also tax issues etc. Considering the monthly cost of MC a few thousand while not an easy ask -getting a personalized plan is valuable.

MaryEllenDaughter

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/71219/moving-to-al-or-mc-and-how-do-you-pay-for-it

Hello I live in Massachusetts and my Dad is in CT, I thought of bringing him to a place close to me in Western MA. The big thing I noticed was that in MA if you are in MC (not skilled care) you cannot get booted out if you run out of money and go on title 19. It is a law, in CT they can relocate you if you run out of money. In MA at least where I am the places had a very poor resident to staff ratio. More crowded. Title 19 does not pay for any AL or MC unit they only pay for skilled care. We are paying for my Dad’s by selling his house and he had a rider in his life insurance that reimburses for Long Term Care. We cashed out his phone company pension. My Dad’s neurologist recomended he go to MC and signed the facility paper work. We chose a place in CT for now. If your Mom runs out of money she would qualify for Medicaid/title 19. I would suggest an elder attorney to understand the law better. I went to a law clinic a friend recommended.