Dear Mr. Di Costanzo: Can Medicaid take my home if I get sick? If you fall ill, you may seek Medicaid benefits to help pay for your care at home or in a nursing home. If Medicaid begins paying for care, Medicaid can try to recoup what it has paid on your behalf either by…
Dear Mr. Di Costanzo, Is it true I can gift $15,000 without jeopardizing Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care? This is a question I’m continually asked, so I’m glad I have another opportunity to clear things up. The main thing to remember is that IRS rules are different from Medicaid rules.
This question often arises where an individual requires some assistance with her activities of daily living but can largely function on her own. These are almost always homecare cases and can be tricky from a planning perspective. We utilize the professional knowledge of geriatric care managers, nurses or social workers to assess the functional limitations…
A 529 plan is a very common planning technique used by grandparents to fund a grandchild’s college education. Simply stated, contributions to a 529 plan grow tax-free over the life of the plan and if used for qualified tuition costs, the distributions from the plan are also tax-free.
Co-Authored by Joanna C. Feldman, Esq. The short answer is no, but let’s go further. Medicaid applications to cover expenses in a nursing home are subject to the five-year look back period. This means that any gifts, uncompensated transfers, or transfers for less than fair market value made by the applicant within the five years…
by Salvatore M. Di Costanzo, Esq., and Joanna C. Feldman, Esq. An application for Medicaid benefits to cover home care services is less complicated than an application for coverage for nursing home care, which requires submission of a full financial history for the previous five years. A Medicaid home care application requires submission of a…
One of the most unfortunate situations in my practice is when I hear that someone spent most, if not all, of their assets on the cost of a nursing home or home care aides because they believed they were ineligible for Medicaid as a result of having income and assets. Most often it is due…
Second to the house, an individual retirement account (“IRA”) is usually the largest asset when looking into someone’s financial portfolio. The tax and Medicaid rules dealing with IRAs are very different yet related, quite complex and often misinterpreted or misapplied. It is important to have a general understanding of these rules in order to avoid…
Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman Under the usual fact pattern, a retirement account will not render someone ineligible for Medicaid. There are initially two major issues when considering whether someone is eligible for Medicaid: resources and income. Retirement accounts can fall in both categories. For resources purposes, in New York, retirement accounts, such as IRAs, 401(k)s,…
Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman Let’s consider the cost of care versus the legal fees to implement proper planning. So often, when I ask clients about their assets, they respond “I have nothing”, yet they own a house. For some reason, it seems to be common that where there are little cash assets, there is a…
Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman Generally speaking, Medicaid rules require most of one’s monthly income be contributed toward the cost of one’s care in a nursing home. When the spouse of the Medicaid recipient remains at home, however, the impact of losing the other spouse’s additional income can be detrimental. The spouse at home (known…
Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman This is a question we’re continually asked, so we’re glad we have another opportunity to clear things up. The main thing to remember is this: IRS rules are different from Medicaid rules. Under current IRS rules, you may gift up to $15,000.00 to as many people as you’d like in…
While an annuity might serve you well from a financial planning perspective, financial planners and clients must be aware of the treatment of annuities for Medicaid purposes. For Medicaid eligibility purposes, the cash value of an annuity is considered an available resource. This means that an annuity is treated like cash and if you need…
A 529 plan is a very common planning technique used by grandparents to fund a grandchild’s college education. Simply stated, contributions to a 529 plan grow tax-free over the life of the plan and if used for qualified tuition costs, the distributions from the plan are also tax-free. Notwithstanding the beneficial tax treatment of a…
For 2017, the federal lifetime estate and gift tax exemption have increased to $5,490,000. This means that you can gift this amount over your lifetime without incurring a federal gift tax and to the extent you haven’t done so, any exemption remaining at death can be applied against the value of your estate for…
Medicaid Planning in Advance of Changes to the Healthcare System By: Salvatore M. Di Costanzo, Esq. With Congress about to break for a two week Spring recess, the repeal of Obamacare appears to have stalled and remains uncertain. Notwithstanding, we must pay attention to the various proposals that have been put forth by the…
At some point, most people experience that enlightening moment when they realize there is a risk of losing their assets if they fall ill and require long-term care. Some will contact an elder law attorney and receive sound advice; others will contact their friends and relatives, who after all, usually know more than most attorneys…
