Sensible Senior Planning

03/20/2026

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Just a reminder that every state and in some states, each county, have different policies and procedures as it relates to Medicaid!

Make sure that when getting advice from others, whether it be online or in person, they are aware of the rules in the state where the applicant is at!!

Recently I have been hearing more and more about individuals who were advised wrongly by a friend, family member or professional that did not guide them on their specific situation! Something as little as having too much funds in an irrevocable burial account than the County allows can cause ineligibility!

03/05/2026

Did you know that there are all different Medicaid programs?

When applying for Medicaid for your loved one who requires care, it is so important that you ensure that you complete the correct application and complete the application correctly:-)!

In some states, there is a different application if you are applying for an individual who needs care vs a senior who needs Medicaid as health insurance.

In other states it is the same application however you have to specify that the application is for an individual who needs care.

Just know if you are applying for Medicaid, to be sure which Medicaid program you are applying for prior to applying!

Have a good day everyone!

02/26/2026

Marcus contacted me and stated that his wife Joselyn was diagnosed with alzheimers and needed to go into a Nursing Home.

He said that they have $160,000 in assets and he needed their assets so he can continue to maintain his lifestyle at home.

He was afraid of losing all of their assets.

Well, we were able to preserve 100% of the assets.

Essentially, we used a product called a Medicaid compliant annuity. We turned the assets that he was not able to keep into an income stream for him utilizing the Medicaid compliant annuity.

It is so important that if you are in a situation where Medicaid is needed, you reach out to a profession to find out ways to preserve assets!

I hope everyone's week is going well!

02/16/2026

Trevor's mother was just denied Medicaid for failure to provide documentation. He called us for assistance.

After reviewing all the documentation that was provided and the verification request, I saw that the health insurance premium letter wasn't submitted.

When I asked Trevor, he said that the premium came out of his mother's checking account and he showed that to Medicaid.

I explained to Trevor that Medicaid needs a formal notice from the health insurance company that states the premium amount. In certain situations, the caseworker will accept an invoice that states the amount paid during the year if it matches the bank statement.

We did call the caseworker and she did confirm that this was the reason for the denial.

Just remember that it is so important to ensure that you are submitting what Medicaid needs as they don't often communicate back and forth if something is not sufficient.

Have a great day!

02/11/2026

I was working with Attorney Bill and Harry to get his wife on Medicaid.

Harry was concerned because the facility stated that his wife won't qualify for Medicaid because her income is too high.

In the state where Harry lives, there is an income limit of around $2900. His wife's income was $3300.

Well, this was an easy fix for us! We were able to set up a Qualified Income Trust, also known as a Miller Trust. The income that put her over the limit went into the trust and we were able to get her qualified for Medicaid from an income standpoint.

Don't give up and know that it is worth it to reach out to a professional for assistance if you are concerned your loved one won't qualify for Medicaid!

02/06/2026

When I informed Martha that her mother, Ann, was able to keep up to $137,400 in assets and her father can only have $2000 in assets she asked about next steps.

She stated that their assets were only $110,000 total so she should be ready to submit the application.

I explained to her that in this State, during the month that we are applying for Medicaid, they will look at each financial institution.

Although the stocks initially were in Ann's name, being that Erik is on the account, it is considered his assets as well.

Essentially, we had to consolidate some accounts, liquidate others, close some accounts and open up new accounts.

We had to ensure that Erik only had $2000 in his name and he was not on any other financial institutions.

Navigating all of the accounts were a challenge, but we were able to get Erik approved for Medicaid within 1 month!!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

01/28/2026

Happy Wednesday !

I often get asked, what can I do so I’m not in the same boat as my parents?

Well, there is pre planning that can done!! In most states the pre planning needs to get done five years prior to the individual needing Medicaid.

Preplanning can include setting up a MAPT.

There are options!

It’s so important that the Attorney that you are working with for pre planning not only understands estate planning but also Medicaid planning.

If you need any recommendations for Attorneys in a specific state, feel free to reach out!

01/26/2026

Happy Monday!

Marilyn called me and stated that she just received a denial for her mother who has been on Medicaid for 2 years.

She sent me the denial letter as well as all documentation that was submitted during the recertification period.

The state where her mother lives in, there is an asset limit of $2000. Her mother had a life insurance policy and the cash value grew to $3600 in one year.

This disqualified her for Medicaid.

In this situation, it was best for Martha to take a loan out of her mother's life insurance policy and to reapply for Medicaid however there can be other options.

Just reminding everying that in some situations, the cash value of the life insurance policy can be counted as an asset!

Call now to connect with business.

04/04/2025

"My father just received a one-time allotment from social security. He is currently on Medicaid and this puts him over the Medicaid limit."

One of my clients reached out to let me know that she spoke with Medicaid about the one-time allotment that her father received. It was around $15,000.

Her father lives in Delaware and is on Nursing Home Medicaid in Delaware.

Medicaid informed her that since the money is from the government and is owed to him in arrears, this will not jeopardrize her father's Medicaid status.

Of course every situation is different but if your loved one received payment from a government agency that puts them over the Medicaid limit, speak to whomever is assisting you with the Medicaid process and see if this exemption applies to them.

Thanks Cathy for sharing this with me!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

03/11/2025

When I informed Martha that her mother, Ann, was able to keep up to $137,400 in assets and her father can only have $2000 in assets she asked about next steps.

She stated that their assets were only $110,000 total so she should be ready to submit the application.

I explained to her that in this State, during the month that we are applying for Medicaid, they will look at each financial institution.

Although the stocks initially were in Ann's name, being that Erik is on the account, it is considered his assets as well.

Essentially, we had to consolidate some accounts, liquidate others, close some accounts and open up new accounts.

We had to ensure that Erik only had $2000 in his name and he was not on any other financial institutions.

Navigating all of the accounts were a challenge, but we were able to get Erik approved for Medicaid within 1 month!!

03/10/2025

So where did the $3000 figure come from that Martha was told her parent's had to spend-down to in order for her father, Erik, to apply for Medicaid?

In this state, when both spouses of a married couple are applying for Medicaid, they have to spend-down to $3000 in assets.

In this situation, being that only Erik was applying for Medicaid, he was only allowed $2000 in assets.

Ann was not applying for Medicaid so she was allowed $137,400 in assets.

In guiding the family correctly, we were able to preserve all of the assets.

What were the steps that we had to take to get Erik eligible?

Well, I will explain tomorrow some of the next steps being that they did not have a spenddown.

If you do know someone who has assets but in a facility that accepts Medicaid, just know that there are options for asset preservation!

03/05/2025

How is the penalty period calculated if there was gifting during the 5 year lookback?

In most states, they have their own set figure that they use. For example, in Arizona, for every $7,300 that is gifted, there is one month that Medicaid won't cover.

In Pennsylvania, for every $12,160.58 that is gifted, there is one month that Medicaid won't cover. In Michigan, it is for every $11,842. In South Carolina it is for every $9,243.32.

In New Jersey it is for every $440.10 that is gifted there is one day that Medicaid won't cover. In Kentucky it is for every $316.88 a day that is gifted there is one month that Medicaid won't cover.

In a few states, it is based off of the private pay rate at the facility as to how it is determined. A couple of other states it is based on the geographic location within the state to determine the penalty period.

If anyone has a specific state that they want to know how the penalty period is calculated, reach out!