Understanding the rules for Vermont Medicaid eligibility is of the utmost importance because Medicaid may be the only source of funds to get long-term care costs covered. 
Medicare pays for you to be in a nursing home if you need care under very limited circumstances, like when you have a medical procedure and need skilled services afterwards, such as bandages being changed or physical rehabilitation services. It doesn’t pay for custodial care, which is the routine care most nursing home patients need. Most private insurers only pay for specialized care as well, if they pay at all.
Medicaid can pay for you to get basic care in a nursing home for as long as you need it- but you have to be sure you can qualify for benefits. Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC can provide you with help in fighting to obtain Medicaid coverage. Give our Burlington Medicaid planning lawyers a call today to find out more.
Key Facts to Know About Vermont Medicaid Eligibility
In Vermont, there are strict income limits when it comes to qualifying for Medicaid coverage. Vermont’s Medicaid page explains that adults can qualify for Medicaid coverage with incomes up to 133 percent of the poverty level. There are higher income limits permitted to qualify for pregnant women and for children.
There are also resource limits which apply in trying to qualify for Medicaid coverage. If you have more than the allowable amount of resources, you are not going to be able to receive benefits until you have spent down those resources.
It is the resource limits which are a problem for most seniors who are trying to qualify for Medicaid coverage. This is because seniors typically have a home they own, cars they’ve acquired and paid off, other property they’ve acquired over a lifetime, and money they have set aside in the bank for their retirement. Many of the different kinds of property which people own can end up putting them above the resource limits, and thus they cannot qualify for Medicaid.
If a senior citizen, or a person of any age, needs to go into a nursing home and cannot qualify to receive Medicaid benefits due to having too many assets, then there probably is no insurance coverage available. The person who must go into a nursing home would have to spend down assets until dropping below the coverage limit. Only then would the individual become eligible for Medicaid.
How to Qualify for Medicaid In Vermont
While Medicaid’s resource limits are strict, it is still possible to try to get Medicaid to cover you if you need to go into a nursing home without having to spend every dollar you own just to get care. This is because you can get help from a Medicaid eligibility lawyer with structuring ownership of assets in a way which will not count for determining if you’re eligible for Medicaid.
With the help of a qualified legal professional, you can use certain types of trusts and other techniques to structure the ownership of your assets so they are not considered to be resources. You can apply for Medicaid, not be seen as having too many assets to get benefits, and get coverage for nursing home care right away. This allows you to protect your assets and leave a legacy for your loved ones, even if you have to go into a nursing home.
Medicaid planning has to be done five years or more before you have to go into a nursing home to get the maximum asset protection because there is a five-year look back period when you apply for Medicaid to pay for your care. If you have transferred assets in that period, which you must to protect those assets, you will have to wait to get Medicaid. This would mean spending some of your money on a nursing home if you need care right away.
How a Burlington Medicaid Eligibility Lawyer Can Help
Unsworth LaPlante, PLLC provides invaluable assistance with the Medicaid planning process. We understand the Vermont Medicaid eligibility rules and we will help you work within these rules to protect your assets and to get nursing home costs and other essential care covered as you get older.
To learn more and to find out how a Burlington Medicaid eligibility lawyer can help you, join us for a free seminar or contact us to get personalized advice that is tailored to your situation. You can give us a call at (802) 879-7133 or contact us online today so we can get started on protecting your assets.
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