• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC

Vermont Estate Planning Attorneys

Vermont: (802) 879-7133

Attend A Free Workshop
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Meet Our Team
    • What to Expect When Working with Us
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Planning & Elder Law
    • Pet Planning
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
    • Young Families Planning
  • Resources
    • Articles
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Burlington
      • Montpelier
      • Rutland
      • St. Johnsbury
      • White River Junction
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Elder Law
        • In-Home Elder Care
        • Medicaid
        • Planning for Long-Term Care
      • Estate Planning
        • Business Succession Planning
        • Estate and Gift Tax
        • Estate Planning for Blended Families
        • Estate Planning for Parents
        • FAQs for Families Without an Estate Plan
        • LGBTQ Estate Planning
        • Taxes on Inheritances in Vermont
      • Incapacity Planning
      • IRA & Retirement Planning
      • Gift, Estate, and Inheritance Taxes
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • Philanthropy and Estate Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Revocable Living Trust
      • Special Needs Planning
      • Trust Administration
      • Trusts
      • Wills
    • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
    • Medicaid Resources
      • Medicaid Analysis Worksheet
      • Medicaid Guide
      • Vermont Medicaid
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning for Niches
    • SECURE Act
    • Top Estate Planning Techniques
  • Webinars/Seminars
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • BLOG
  • Contact
Home » Why is it Important for Seniors to Know the Eligibility Requirements for Medicaid?

Why is it Important for Seniors to Know the Eligibility Requirements for Medicaid?

October 25, 2016 by Stephen Unsworth

Seniors need to know the eligibility requirements for Medicaid because of the strong potential that they could end up relying on Medicaid to cover essential costs. Many seniors experience substantial medical expenditures because the risk of illness and infirmity rise with age. Seniors need to ensure that they have the ability to pay for their medical care, including nursing home costs. In many cases, the only way for seniors to get the coverage and help they need is to qualify for Medicaid benefits. Eligibility requirements for Medicaid

Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC can provide help to seniors in understanding eligibility requirements for Medicaid in Vermont. Seniors typically will try to qualify for Green Mountain Care, which is the name used for Vermont’s standard Medicaid coverage for the disabled, blind, and people 65 and older.

The rules for qualification are very strict in terms of resources, assets, and income that a senior can have. These rules can make it difficult to qualify for benefits, even when you need them. However, a Medicaid planning lawyer can help to ensure that seniors can meet eligibility requirements and get Medicaid coverage when they need it.

Why Seniors Need to Know Eligibility Requirements for Medicaid

According to the Wall Street Journal, greater than 70 percent of people in the U.S. who are at least 65 are going to need long-term care some time over the course of their remaining years. For seniors who have reached the age of 65, there’s a 40 percent chance of spending some time in a nursing home and a 20 percent chance that this time in a nursing care facility will exceed five years.

Medicare isn’t going to cover nursing home care, unless you need care for a limited time to receive skilled medical services. Private insurance ins’t going to cover nursing home care either, in most cases. This leaves no choice for seniors but to pay themselves for a nursing home or to try to qualify for Medicaid. Paying yourself means spending thousands of dollars per month, which most seniors cannot afford- at least not for long. You don’t want to lose your entire life savings so you need Medicaid to provide you with coverage to pay for a nursing home.

Medicaid can also pay for Medicare premiums if you are struggling, and can pay Medicare co-insurance costs and provide coverage for things not typically paid for by Medicare. Since Medicaid can cover more than Medicare does and can pay for important things that Medicare does not pay for, you need to know eligibility requirements for Medicaid so you can try to get Medicaid benefits.

Making Sure You Can Qualify for Medicaid Coverage

Many seniors can meet income limits for Medicaid, but may have trouble meeting eligibility requirements for Medicaid due to having too many assets. If you have worked for your whole life, you likely have more resources than Medicaid allows. This could mean spending down your assets, including selling property, in order to pay for your medical care. Once the assets have been spent down and your resources are more limited, then you could get benefits. Unfortunately, by this time, you would no longer have all you had worked for, and the assets that you hoped to leave as your legacy would be gone.

You can make sure this does not happen to you by working with a Vermont Medicaid planning lawyer. If you begin the asset protection process well in advance of the time that you actually need nursing home care, you may be able to structure ownership of many of your assets so they do not count as Medicaid resources.

You can protect your property and wealth that you want to leave to your family, and you can get Medicaid coverage at the time when you need it and without a spend down or delay. You should talk with Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC as soon as possible to begin making your plans, as your ability to protect assets becomes much more limited if you need Medicaid to cover your care soon.

Getting Help from A Medicaid Planning Lawyer

Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC understands the Medicaid eligibility requirements in Vermont and can help you with the medicaid planning process. To find out more about Medicaid coverage and learn about making plans to qualify for Medicaid when you need coverage, without spending down your assets, you can download our free Medicaid Analysis Form. You can also give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online to speak with an experienced attorney who can assist with Medicaid planning so you can meet the requirements to get covered.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Stephen Unsworth
Stephen Unsworth
Stephen A. Unsworth is admitted to practice in both Vermont and Maine, and has more than 30 years of experience in estate planning and business law. His mission is to provide quality estate planning services, including assistance with Living Trusts, Wills, Medicaid Planning, Probate, Trust Administration, Powers of Attorney, Special Needs Planning, and Family Limited Partnerships.
Stephen Unsworth
Latest posts by Stephen Unsworth (see all)
  • Does My 401(k) Account Count for Medicaid Eligibility? - October 20, 2022
  • Senior Care Options - October 18, 2022
  • Is an Oral Will Valid in Vermont? - October 13, 2022

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Medicaid

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Essex Junction elder law attorneys
What You Need to Know about Elder Abuse
Essex Junction Medicaid planning attorneys
How to Apply for Senior Medicaid in Vermont
Planning for the “Silver Tsunami”
Discharge of Indebtedness Income and Student Loan Forgiveness
More than Just Salad Dressing: The Ongoing Saga of Newman’s Own Foundation
Essex Junction Medicaid planning attorneys
Does My 401(k) Account Count for Medicaid Eligibility?

Primary Sidebar

Elder Law and Medicaid Planning Attorneys

Unsworth LaPlante, PLC

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE ESTATE PLANNING WORKSHEET

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Blog Subscription

Sign up to Unsworth LaPlante's estate planning blog to receive all the latest news and updates.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Essex Junction, VT

26 Railroad Ave
Essex Junction, VT 05452
United States (US)
Phone: (802) 879-7133
Fax: (802) 879-0408

Map

unsworth_sidbr_map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Footer

footer-logo
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The information on this Vermont Attorneys & Lawyers / Law Firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.