One of my biggest concerns

there are different types of Medicaid. The kind where he’s at home and gets Medicaid to pay for health care etc. The kind where he is in an approved AL/MC and gets partial reimbursement for certain care needs there- called Medicaid waivers. ( hard to find a facility that accepts it). The kind where he is in a nursing home. Called institutional Medicaid. Check into that one - especially as it s what assets the community spouse ( that’s you) is able to keep in order to have a ‘dignified life’.

I did look into medicaid initially her in AZ. I did complete the application and was approved medically. Financially my husband qualified but my income and our savings would require hugh buy down before medicaid would assist. There are some ways around the buy down per legal counsel. There are no guarantees. There are some attorneys that will give you free visit to discuss and others charge for it. Overall most attorneys wanted around $2500 - $9000 to help with getting him qualified financially.

My DH is a vet and the VA has been most helpful assisting me with care and now hospices. I hope to be able to keep him at home until he passes.

Hi, Sherry, first of all, if you haven't done it already, you need to talk to a certified elderlaw attorney. If you have trouble finding one, you can look on www.nelf.org. Some will give you a free consult. Second, each state has different rules for Medicaid so a lot depends on where you live. Third, please don't put this off. I know you want to keep your DH home until the end but sometimes that isn't possible.

My DH has been in MC since January. I had intended to keep him home for the duration but he got pneumonia and was hospitalized. This left him too weak and confused for me to bring him home. I could no longer take care of him. I had consulted two elderlaw attorneys in the last two or three years but was not impressed with either of them. One wanted $10,000 and the other gave me very little useful information. I finally found an elderlaw attorney who was both informative and affordable. With her help, I have managed to qualify my DH for Medicaid and still be able to pay my bills. Since January, I have downsized to a smaller house and complete the necessary spend down. It was a lot of work but I now feel less anxious and DH is being taken care of. I hope some of this helps. Please don't put off having a plan of action in case you need it. Sending hugs.

Brenda

I'm in California, which is a "community property" state. I have heard of couples, who had been married for a long time, getting a divorce so that they could divide their assets because one of them was going into long term care. The one in the care facility would spend down their assets and then apply for Medicaid without affecting the other spouse's assets.