Are you wondering whether Medicaid covers long-term assisted living or nursing home care for dementia? Need to know if you can get help with treatment for a chronic illness, including prescriptions or doctor visits?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret that medical care is expensive, so looking into aid is a good way to ease the financial burden a bit. But before you apply, there are some important rules you should be aware of. The more you learn about the process, the quicker you can gain access to the help you need.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Federal law requires states to cover certain services for recipients of Medicaid, such as treatment in nursing facilities, behavioral health services, and more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Arizona has a Medicaid program called ALTCS<\/a> (Arizona Long-Term Care System) for aged, disabled, developmentally disabled, or blind residents of the state. The service offers long-term care services for those who are medically and financially eligible at little to no cost.<\/p>\n Once you apply, you\u2019ll wait to hear back on whether or not you qualify for the benefits. If an associate finds you to be eligible for ALTCS, you\u2019ll work with a case manager to put together a service plan. The program may cover the following:<\/p>\n Note that there are other services your ALTCS benefits may cover in addition to the ones listed above. Keep in mind that not all nursing homes or related services accept Medicaid benefits as payment, so you\u2019ll have to ask.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll cover financial information a little later in the article, but first, what are the non-financial requirements to get ALTCS assistance? You must:<\/p>\n How much does Medicaid (ALTCS) pay for long term care? This will depend on your financial situation and medical needs. As soon as you gain eligibility for ALTCS, an associate will determine how much (if any) you owe towards your community-based services or nursing home. This amount is called the Share of Cost.<\/p>\n For the purposes of the application, your income includes Social Security, wages, retirement pensions, and more. The gross monthly limit for income is $<\/span>2,829<\/b>\u00a0as of January <\/span>2024<\/b>\u00a0for one person. If you need ALTCS services and you\u2019re married, read through the program\u2019s information on <\/span>Community Spouse<\/span><\/a> applicants.<\/span><\/p>\n If you make more than $<\/span>2,829<\/b>\u00a0per month, you might still qualify under special circumstances<\/span>. Working with an Elder Law attorney is one good way to find out whether an exception applies to your situation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re financially eligible for ALTCS, a social worker or nurse will give you an in-person interview to determine medical eligibility. To qualify, you must be at risk of institutionalization in an intermediate care or nursing facility. Keep in mind that this doesn\u2019t mean you have to actually live in one, just that you must be in need of this level of care.<\/p>\n As a single applicant, your countable resources may not exceed $2,000 if you wish to receive Medicaid benefits. If you\u2019re married, there may be an exception if your resources are set aside for your spouse. The following resources (among others) don\u2019t count under these rules:<\/p>\n Some people believe that they can qualify for ALTCS services by transferring their money or assets to their children. However, under Medicaid law, you may not transfer your assets unless you receive fair value for them in return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The program imposes a penalty for people who break this rule. If you\u2019re caught making transfers within the 5-year period before your Medicaid application, they will deem you ineligible for a period of time. This period will vary based on how much money you transferred. Some exceptions exist for this rule regarding the transfer of assets.<\/p>\n ALTCS can deny their services to people who aren\u2019t low enough on resources to qualify. As a single applicant, you can only have up to $2,000 in countable assets. As a married person who is applying for benefits with your partner, you may have up to $3,000.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you have too much, you can \u201cspend down\u201d on care to help meet the financial requirements and receive benefits. This is a way to spend your extra resources on exempt items so you can reapply later. Note that you can\u2019t give away your extra resources in order to qualify. ALTCS may look back five years to make sure you haven\u2019t done this.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This rule is to ensure that applicants are using their money for their needs rather than giving it away. As mentioned, this rule applies only to countable assets such as bank accounts, retirement accounts, and other exempt items. If you wish to qualify for Medicaid even with multiple assets, speaking with an Elder Law attorney<\/a> can help.<\/p>\n If you need medical care and aren\u2019t sure how you\u2019ll cover the costs, ALTCS can be an invaluable resource. When should you start preparing to apply for ALTCS? If you suspect you may need long-term care in Arizona, you should start planning your application as soon as possible. The quicker you begin the process, the quicker you can potentially gain access to the program\u2019s benefits.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you have any further questions on how Medicaid works for long term care, or simply need help applying, schedule an ALTCS pre-screen<\/a> today. Introduction Are you wondering whether Medicaid covers long-term assisted living or nursing home care for dementia? Need to know if you can get help with treatment for a chronic illness, including prescriptions or doctor visits? It\u2019s no secret that medical care is expensive, so looking into aid is a good way to ease the financial […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Services are Available?<\/h2>\n
\n
What are the Eligibility Requirements for ALTCS?<\/h2>\n
\n
Financial Requirements for ALTCS<\/h3>\n
Medical Eligibility<\/h3>\n
Resource Requirements for Eligibility<\/h2>\n
\n
Can You Transfer Assets to Qualify for ALTCS?<\/h2>\n
How Much Money can a Medicaid Recipient Keep?<\/h2>\n
What is Spending Down on Care?<\/h2>\n
How to Prepare for ALTCS<\/h2>\n
\nContact the JacksonWhite ALTCS team today at (480)467-4337<\/a> and learn more your options for long term care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"