Recently, the VA has changed its policy in a way that limits the pension awards available to veterans who are receiving care in senior and independent living facilities. Issued as a “clarification” of policy, VA Fast Letter 12-23 limits the unreimbursed medical expenses (UMEs) that may be deducted from income for pension purposes – specifically in regard to the cost of room and board at a facility. Fast Letter 12-23 discusses the circumstances under which the cost of room and board paid to senior or independent living facilities will be treated as a UME. It suggests that in some past…
Seven million adults in the United States care for their elderly parents from afar, according to the National Institute on Aging. But it is no easy task to coordinate doctor’s visits long-distance or evaluate nursing homes or analyze the safety of your parents’ home if — like 90 percent of older adults, according a recent AARP poll — they choose to age in place. However, if you cannot stay at home, due to ill health or cannot perform activities of daily living, your options may be choosing a nursing home. At the Law Office we are in contact with many…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has announced the new Medicare premiums, deductibles, and coinsurances. The standard Medicare Part B premium is increasing by $5 to $104.90 a month, smaller than the $9 per month increase predicted earlier in the year. Social Security recipients will receive a 1.7 percent increase in payments in 2013. Most people have their Medicare premiums deducted from their Social Security benefits. The smaller-than-expected hike means that most Medicare recipients will still receive a modest boost in Social Security benefits. Here are all the new Medicare figures: Part B premium: $104.90/month (was $99.90) Part B deductible:…
Now that the votes are counted and President Obama has a second term, what does it mean for seniors? While President Obama's re-election means Medicare and Medicaid as we know them will likely be preserved at least for the next four years, many challenges are still ahead. One of the biggest outcomes of the election is that the Affordable Care Act (ACA – a.k.a. "Obamacare"), which candidate Mitt Romney had promised to repeal, will almost certainly remain as law and be fully implemented. The law is already beginning to close the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage known as the…
A recent report in the Wall Street Journal suggests the following tips for taking stock of your parents’ health – and recommends that, if faced with dementia or Alzheimer’s symptoms or signs of waning physical health, family members contact a professional geriatric care manager to get help creating a customized care plan. 1. Medical needs Get a sense of your aging parents’ physical and mental health, either by accompanying them to doctor’s appointments or requesting their permission to review medical records. Consider a consultation or full assessment with a geriatric care manager to go over possible health risks and lifestyle…
CBO has issued a reminder of the need to cut Medicare spending. Health care programs are quickly outgrowing their historical share of the federal budget, CBO said, and the cost of those programs will only grow faster as more baby boomers reach retirement and underlying health care costs continue to soar. CBO's latest figures confirm what Republicans and Democrats acknowledge only selectively —that health care is a huge part of what's driving federal spending and debt. Health care programs are eating up an ever-increasing share of the economy, while tax revenues and other domestic spending are holding relatively steady, CBO…
While President Obama's re-election means Medicare and Medicaid as we know them will likely be preserved at least for the next four years, many challenges are still ahead. One of the biggest outcomes of the election is that the Affordable Care Act (ACA – a.k.a. "Obamacare"), which candidate Mitt Romney had promised to repeal, will almost certainly remain as law and be fully implemented. The law is already beginning to close the gap in Medicare’s prescription drug coverage known as the "doughnut hole," as well as providing free preventative care for Medicare recipients. The ACA also included a number…
Although there has been no official pronouncement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, we think we know what next year’s spousal impoverishment thresholds will be for Medicaid long-term care applicants. The annual adjustments to the figures are based on the consumer price index for urban consumers for the September prior to the year in question, in this case September 2012, a figure that was just released. Pennsylvania attorney the results in his blog. Marshall cautions that his projections may differ slightly from CMS’s ultimate figures if the agency rounds differently, but we feel certain that the figures are…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit upholds a district court ruling that Connecticut cannot treat the income stream from an annuity as an available asset for the purposes of Medicaid eligibility. Lopes v. Dept. of Social Services (2nd Cir., No. 10-3741-cv, Oct. 2, 2012). After John Lopes moved to a nursing home, his wife, Amelia, purchased an annuity. She received a letter from the annuity company stating that no part of the annuity was assignable, including periodic payments. Mr. Lopes applied for Medicaid. The state identified a potential buyer of the annuity's income stream and directed Mrs. Lopes to…
A Maryland woman convicted of submitting $7 million in fraudulent claims to the District of Columbia Medicaid program has been sentenced to more than six years in prison, states the Washington Post Fifty-five-year-old Jacqueline Wheeler of Chevy Chase, Md., was also ordered to pay $3.17 million in restitution at sentencing Friday.
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