$8,000-$12,000 is an overwhelming amount to add to any monthly budget, but the most important thing is to understand there is no reason to panic – eligibility planning can be done. We’re excited to announce that our Medi-Cal Eligibility Planning Presentation featuring Kirsten Howe is AIRING on Contra Costa Television (CCTV) Comcast Channel 26 NOW through February 28th. Show times are: Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and…
This is another installment in our series on Medi-Cal planning. In this blog post we discuss common eligibility problems and a few of the tools we can use to solve them. Once we have analyzed our client’s situation and see why they are ineligible, either because they have too much income, too much assets, or both, we can create a…
Eligibility requirements relating to assets This is another installment in our series on Medi-Cal planning. We have been discussing Medi-Cal eligibility from the standpoint of income. In this blog post we will discuss eligibility requirements relating to assets. In analyzing our client’s situation we have to consider assets. If the client’s assets are of a value greater than what Medi-Cal…
This is another installment in our series on Medi-Cal planning. We are focusing on the income requirements for Medi-Cal eligibility. In our last blog post we discussed income in the context of in-home care. Here we look at nursing home care. Nursing Home Medi-Cal The income calculation for nursing home Medi-Cal is slightly different from in-home Medi-Cal. There is almost…
In this continuing series of posts we will focus on Medi-Cal for our over-65 clients who need assistance with long-term care. Here, we continue our discussion of the issues we discuss in our first appointment with our clients. What About Veteran’s Benefits? One preliminary question we ask our clients has to do with their prior military service. In some cases,…
In this series of posts we will focus on Medi-Cal for our over-65 clients who need assistance with long-term care. We will take you through the laws and what we do for our clients, from the initial meeting until we receive that eligibility letter, to help them qualify, apply for and receive Medi-Cal, for long-term care. The Initial Appointment –…
IRAs, 401(k)s and other tax-deferred retirement accounts allow your savings to grow tax-free until you retire. The year after you become age 70 ½, you must begin taking required minimum distributions from your retirement accounts, and you will pay ordinary income taxes on all distributions. The rest of the money that stays in your account continues to grow tax-free until…
According to new federal data, gathered by Medicare from daily payroll records from more than 14,000 nursing homes in the United States, nursing homes have been under-reporting to the government their nurse and caretaker staffing levels for years. For families with loved ones dependent on nursing home care, this is likely not a surprise. There are nearly 1.4 million people…
“I’ll tell you, Marge, my attorney is a wizard, a downright magician. When the time comes and my kids stick me in a nursing home, I am going to be ready. She has created a plan that protects my assets and will enable me to qualify for Medi-Cal quickly.” Lynda smiled triumphantly as she sipped her coffee. Marge frowned. “I…
One of the things we do at Absolute Trust Counsel is assist families with a disabled senior to preserve assets and also become eligible for Medi-Cal assistance to help them pay for nursing home care. One of the tools we often use to do this type of planning is an irrevocable trust. We also sometimes have to help families who…
