THE FOLLOWING IS AN EXCERPT OF INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, DEPT. OF HEALTH SERVICES, REGARDING MEDI-CAL ELIGIBILITY. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE CONTENT OF THIS INFORMATION, YOU MAY CONTACT OUR OFFICE TO DISCUSS, OR YOU MAY CONTACT DHS, THE AUTHOR OF THIS INFORMATION.
If you or your spouse is in, or is entering a nursing facility, read this important message!
You or your spouse do not have to use all your resources, such as savings, before Medi-Cal might help pay for all or some of the costs of a nursing facility.
You should be aware of the following to take advantage of these provisions of the law:
UNMARRIED RESIDENT:
Medi-Cal no longer counts assets against a person applying for long-term care benefits. Therefore, the applicant can have a home and financial assets and still be eligible for long-term care benefits!
NOTE: However, I recommend you talk to an Elder Law Attorney to make sure that Medi-Cal doesn’t go after your assets upon your passing!
If an unmarried resident is financially eligible for Medi-Cal reimbursement, he or she is allowed to keep from his or her monthly income a personal allowance of $35 plus the amount of health insurance premiums paid monthly. The remainder of the monthly income is paid to the nursing facility as a monthly deductible called the “Medi-Cal Share of Cost.”
MARRIED RESIDENT:
If one spouse lives in a nursing facility, and the other spouse does not live in a nursing facility, the Medi-Cal program will pay some or all of the nursing facility costs. The at-home spouse will be allowed to retain both the home and the couple’s financial assets.
If a spouse is eligible for Medi-Cal payment of nursing facility costs, the spouse living at home is allowed to keep a monthly income of at least his or her individual monthly income or $3,854.00, whichever is greater. Of the couple’s remaining monthly income, the spouse in the nursing facility is allowed to keep a personal allowance of $35 plus the amount of health insurance premiums paid monthly. The remaining money, if any, generally must be paid to the nursing facility as the Medi-Cal share of Cost. The Medi-Cal program will pay remaining nursing facility costs.
Under certain circumstances, an at home spouse can obtain an order from an administrative law judge or from the Court that will allow the at home spouse to retain additional resources or income. Such as order can allow the at-home to retain more than the minimum income limit of $3,854.00. You should contact a knowledgeable elder law attorney for further information regarding court orders.
This is only a brief description of some of the Medi-Cal eligibility rules; for more detailed information, you should call either contact my office, or you may contact your local county welfare office…
AS STATED ABOVE, THIS IS ONLY AN EXCERPT OF INFORMATION AS PROVIDED BY MEDI-CAL. YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN KNOWLEDGEABLE ELDER LAW ATTORNEY IF YOU OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEEDS LONG-TERM CARE NOW, OR IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE.