Who meets the qualifications for Medicaid?
In broad terms, to qualify for Medicaid in Ohio or Kentucky, you must be both medically and financially eligible. Medically, a level of care assessment is administered to determine whether you need assistance with certain daily activities, such as: bathing, grooming, eating, dressing, etc. Financially, your income must be less than your medical costs, and your resources must be at a certain level depending on your financial and marital situation. However, certain assets like your home, car, personal belongings, and a few other exceptions do not count towards resource eligibility. If you fall just above the qualifications for Medicaid but do not have enough to cover all of your medical expenses, Medicaid sometimes will cover the difference in your costs.
Medicaid does not count the value of a home towards Medicaid eligibility; however, a parent, spouse, or dependent, or other family member must remain living in the home, subject to certain restrictions. If the Medicaid participant was the only person living in the home at the time he or she moved into the long-term care facility, then the house must be sold (within 6 months in Kentucky or within 13 months in Ohio) to help recoup some of the medical expenses.
William E. Hesch, Esq., CPA, PFS
William E. Hesch Law Firm, LLC
Cincinnati, Ohio