Income and asset limits for the Elderly
Sam is 69 years old and the proud owner of a home, a car, and a great life insurance policy. In addition, he still receives a monthly income of $3,500 from the supermarket he had founded. His physical health has deteriorated to the extent that it is clear to his spouse and children that he requires nursing home-level care. A quick online search reveals that the current income and asset limits in New Jersey for seniors are $2,742 income per month and a total of $2,000.00 in assets.
Unaware of the various options available to applicants in NJ and other states who are above the income limit, such as setting up a QIT, Sam’s family assumes that he is ineligible for Medicaid.
Recalling that their aunt – who only owned a car and several stocks and bonds – was unable to be approved for Medicaid when she required care, convinces them not to even waste their time applying.
Thus, they continue spending upward of $2,000 each month for a live-in caretaker, while pushing through the days and weeks until they’d be forced to pay the astronomical fees involved in nursing home care.
The Complexity of Medicaid Eligibility Criteria
What Sam’s family, among many other families struggling with the costs involved in caring for an aging, loved one, fails to realize is that there are different types of care available through Medicaid and that each category of income and assets are evaluated differently.