Medi-Cal Planning

How will you pay for nursing home care if it is needed for yourself, your spouse or a loved one? If affording the cost of nursing home care is not easy for you, one option is Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal is a government-funded needs-based program. One of the Medi-Cal benefits available is payment for nursing home care. The rules on qualifying for Medi-Cal are complex and do change.

Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about the rules related to Medi-Cal and many persons who offer incorrect advice.

Qualifying for Medi-Cal

You do not have to be or become totally impoverished to qualify and there are options that allow for the protection of your assets for use by your family. If there is any chance that you or your loved one will need Medi-Cal assistance with nursing home care in the future, you should contact an attorney with experience in this particular area of the law. In order to determine eligibility, you must provide a complete list of assets and income of the family unit (husband and wife). We can
review your information and discuss with you the strategies available to qualify, including gifting assets, choosing a nursing home, transferring assets between husband and wife. It is important to obtain advice in this area as early as possible so that you can put together the best plan for the family.

Contact us before you sell a home, make gifts, or spend down your assets, and if at all possible, before the person going into a nursing home loses the ability to understand the issues involved. In many cases we can still assist you if he or she has become incapacitated.

We can also assist you with questions that arise after someone is on Medi-Cal regarding claims that will be made against the estate and forms that are required while they are receiving Medi-Cal.

For specific information and legal advice regarding planning for Medi-Cal, please call and schedule your free initial consultation with a Van Sickle & Rowley Estate Planning Attorney.