MEDICAID ALERT: New Medicaid Community Care Look Back Rules Start October 1, 2022

New Medicaid Look Back Rules

 

If this sounds familiar, you’re right—recent years have seen many extensions of rules regarding Medicaid. But for New Yorkers, this most recent change to Medicaid Community Based Care is a result of a New York State’s 2022-2023 budget and not the pandemic.

There has always been a five-year lookback period for Medicaid applicants seeking coverage for long-term nursing home care. Any transfer or sale of assets within a five year makes an applicant ineligible and nursing home costs have to be paid by the person or the family until the person spends down enough of their assets to become eligible.

The look-back is now being applied to Medicaid Community or Home Care. This is a first for New York State, and it requires seniors to do advance planning if they wish to receive Medicaid Community and Home Care services and protect their assets.

After October 1, 2022, anyone applying for  Home Care Medicaid benefits will be subject to at least a 15-month lookback. It’s also possible the person and their spouses will have to provide records of up to 2.5 years before the application date.

The lookback period is not as long as for long-term nursing care, but this will still have a negative impact on those who need Medicaid Home Care.

We can’t stress this enough: As of right now, there is NO look-back or penalty period for Medicaid Home Care benefits. This includes home health aides, adult day care and community based services.

If you are considering applying for Medicaid for a loved one or for yourself, you need to act now. Once these rules change, you or your loved one may lose their eligibility. The time to plan for this care is today. Not tomorrow, not next week.

In time, the Medicaid Home Care lookback period will increase to 30 months, and an additional month will be added until the period for asset transfer records reaches 2.5 years.

As a premier Elder Law firm, we help families and individuals plan to protect assets and ensure eligibility for needed care.  Contact us today and learn how we can help you and your family.


This article was provided by Stephen J. Silverberg, Attorney at Law, Founder of the Law Office of Stephen J. Silverberg, P.C., one of New York’s TOP Elder Law and Estate Planning Law Firms.  Attorney Silverberg and his firm are Members of the ElderCare Matters Alliance and have a Featured Listing on ElderCareMatters.com– America’s National Directory of Elder Care / Senior Care Resources to help families plan for and deal with the issues of Aging.

If you have additional questions about your family’s Elder Care / Senior Care Matters, you can count on ElderCareMatters.com (America’s National Directory of Elder Care / Senior Care Resources) to help you find America’s Top Elder Care / Senior Care Professionals.  You can find Local Elder Care / Senior Care Experts by Searching our National Database by City and Service Category.  (This Search feature is located on the homepage of ElderCareMatters.com).

The Elder Care / Senior Care Experts that are found on ElderCareMatters.com can provide you with the help you need in a total of 78 different Elder Care / Senior Care Services, including Elder Law, Estate Planning, Home Care, Medicaid Planning, Assisted Living, Care Management, Daily Money Management, Senior Living, Investment Advisory Services, Tax & Accounting Services, Wills & Trusts, Probate plus many other Elder Care Services.

We look forward to helping you plan for and deal with your family’s Issues of Aging.

Visit ElderCareMatters.com.

MEDICAID ALERT: New Medicaid Community Care Look Back Rules Start October 1, 2022 was last modified: April 6th, 2023 by Stephen J. Silverberg, Esq.