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My father's income makes him not eligible for Medicaid. (SSI etc. - money he doesn't receive monthly because it goes straight to mortgage company for house payment). He has Medicare and United Healthcare. He was a veteran, but didn't actively serve during the years some home care agencies require in order to qualify for covering costs.


He CLEARLY cannot live alone anymore. He is currently in the hospital and will be going to a rehab facility in a few days but after that he will need someone to be at his home with him to help with meals, light housekeeping, laundry, groceries etc.

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Welcome, James.

If your dad is currently in the hospital and going to rehab, you have the resources (social workers in both places) who can explain to you how to get dad qualified for Medicaid.

The bad news is that it doesn't seem like dad can afford his home any longer if all of his benefits are paying the mortgage. The equity in his home can private pay for Assisted Living and c then he can get Long Term Care Medicaid.

While he is in rehab, you are going to start researching Assisted Living facilities in your area that accept Medicaid.
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Jamers21984 Dec 2022
No he has it set up that way and he pays the rest of his mortgage himself.
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It may be time for him to go to a nursing home permanently. I was in a similar situation; we couldn't afford to pay in home caregivers. Talk to the social worker at the hospital and let her know you are concerned what will happen after rehab because there is no ability to pay for in home care.
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Jamers21984 Dec 2022
A nursing home is out of the question for him. He has too many assets/house/car/ etc plus his Will for after he passes away. He can afford paying for in home care out of pocket but would rather not pay for ALL if it considering he worked his rear off all his life and should qualify for SOME kind of assistance
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James, you are not understanding how this works.

If he has the money to pay for in-home care, then he is going to need to use it-- to pay for in-home care. Medicare may pay for some in home therapy--OT, PT, nursing visits for a few weeks after discharge but if he needs assistance at home, he will need to pay for it.

He can still own a home and car and get Medicaid.
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Contact an elder law attorney well versed in qualifying for Medicaid. That person will be able to explain how public assistance works for long term care for the elderly. Public assistance is only for the indigent which dad is not.

It sounds like it will be quite awhile before dad can qualify. Maybe he purchased a long term care insurance policy that he would qualify to begin to use.it?

Be proud of you dad that he did such a good job saving! He should be able to pay for the best care possible.

Another idea would be for you to provide free in home care for dad to preserve his assets for his will. However, I do not recommend that; the impact on you financially and emotionally and mentally will remain with you the rest of your life.
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"A nursing home is out of the question for him. He has too many assets/house/car/ etc plus his Will for after he passes away. He can afford paying for in home care out of pocket but would rather not pay for ALL if it considering he worked his rear off all his life and should qualify for SOME kind of assistance."

How hard one has worked has no bearing on caregiving assistance for the elderly.

Sounds like he is trying to preserve his assets to pass on to his heirs. While he would "rather not" pay for home care out of pocket, he will have to.

Don't be the one to take him home from rehab, unless he has arranged for in-home care.
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Unfortunately Jamers, I don't know of any free or low cost in home assistance. In home caregivers generally cost around $25 an hour, maybe a little more now. If he doesn't want to pay, and family is not able or willing to be there all the times when needed, he may be in a dangerous situation at home alone. As CCTN55 said, don't you be the one to pick him up from rehab unless you want to be the one to take responsibility for him. This is how it is today, you accumulate savings throughout your life so you are able to afford in home care. Most people would want to stay at home for as long as they can.
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He is a Veteran.
Contact his local Veterans Assistance Commission and they can help determine what help he would qualify for.
Just to clarify, in your profile you say your dad is 69. Is that correct? And you mention lung disease. What type of lung disease? Is it one that would make him eligible for Hospice? If so many supplies would be provided and he would get some help from a CNA 2 to 3 times a week.
If he has the funds though to pay for some help he is far better off paying for help rather than depending on Medicaid.
This is what he worked his butt off for all the years he was working....for his "retirement, his "golden years", I am sure he would rather be at home with help or in an AL facility of his choosing.
Find an AL facility he can use his funds to pay for his care. When his money runs out if he has been private pay for a while if the facility accepts Medicaid he can remain. Moving into a AL he will no longer have the expenses of a Mortgage, homeowners insurance, food, gas, electric and many other expenses. How much does it cost him to remain in the house he is in? How much is it for AL? How would you compare the two?
Oh, if you are worried about YOUR inheritance...that money is your dad's to use for his care until he dies THEN it becomes yours and anyone else your dad has chosen to benefit from his hard work.
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BurntCaregiver Dec 2022
@Grandma

I'll save the OP some time and tell him what his father qualifies for from the Veteran's. He may be able to get medical care from them. They will not pay for him to have homecare or for him to live in a veteran's home. Veteran's who qualify for these things served their country and took injuries and/or developed health conditions as a result of their service. They do not get simply because they did some time in the military.
My father was a WWII Navy veteran. He was onboard ship in the ocean during the war. He qualified for medical care and prescription coverage (which he did not need because he had great insurance from his job and retirement). When he had his stroke they would not pay for one day in the nursing home and no homecare either.
That's how out system works. A person has to be completely beggared then they can get services paid for by Medicaid.
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Or was the lung disease caused by some sort of exposure while.in the military? If so, then there may be a benefit there.
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BurntCaregiver Dec 2022
@Glad

If it was caused as a result of his service, then he will be eligible for some benefits. Definitely worth finding out.
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You work and save your money to be able to pay for assistance in your older years. Contact your Area Agency on Aging, they might know of a local service that's available. It's very unlikely that he will find services for free is he has money to pay. Most social services are designed for the very poor.
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Mostly this is for the indigent with no assets.
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There are good answers below, Grandma1954 hit it on the nail..

if you do consider an AL , make sure you select one that will take Medicaid after self pay. I found their is more options if you self pay , two and 3 years. Google care advisors, get someone local who can guide you with recommendations. I didn’t know this, when I moved my mom from her AL in another state , my mom was just short of having a year self pay . The memory care I moved her to , had a business relationship and agreed she could stay when she went on Medicaid …

You have some tough decisions to work thru. Downsizing so your dads money can work for him. My parents sold their home and moved into a mobile home …

The way my mom paid for her care is by selling her mobile home , using that and her savings .. yes would have been my inheritance…

I am 66 and how am I going to pay for my care ? It’s by using the assets I’ve worked for, since I was 15… I would love to give my assets to my children. But even more so, I don’t want them to be in the boat I was, trying to keep my mom afloat..
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Jamers21984, welcome to the forum. I've read your profile, my gosh your Dad is only in his 60's, I hope that Rehab can help him become stronger so he can do things on his own..

I know many people prefer to age at home, and that is their choice. My Dad decided he no longer wanted the responsibility of maintaining a house so he sold his house and used the equity to pay his monthly rent at an Assisted Living facility. The facility looked like a hotel inside and out. Dad was happy as a clam being there, especially the 3 meals in the restaurant menu style dinning room. Plus being around people of his own generation.

Don't forget, Medicaid and other programs are funded by the taxpayers. Does it sound fair for the taxpayers to help pay for someone when that person is able to pay for themself? Imagine if everyone thought that way.... our taxes would got through the roof or Medicaid would shut down completely.

Just food for though.
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lealonnie1 Dec 2022
Not to mention, I would not WANT Medicaid to fund my care in a SNF if I had the funds to pay my own way in much nicer one. The main goal in my life was to keep my mother OFF of Medicaid and OUT of a Medicaid funded SNF where she'd have to deal with a roommate, so I used up all of 'my inheritance' to keep her in a private pay Memory Care ALF that was fantastic. When she died, there was virtually nothing left of their 'estate' but she'd had great care up until she took her final breath. THAT to me is the goal.
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"He can afford paying for in home care out of pocket but would rather not pay for ALL if it considering he worked his rear off all his life and should qualify for SOME kind of assistance"

Ummmm - no. Why? There's no free lunch, Santa doesn't exist, and the tooth fairy has left the building.

I babysat from the time I was 13, worked summer jobs starting at 16, paid for 5 college educations including my own, worked in a factory, in a bank, in a department store, and at career jobs. Worked from age 13 and am still earning from the business I started and continue to this day. I'm caregiving my 4th loved one (5th if you count a friend I helped) with no financial compensation except what was left after my parents died. I've worked and saved all my life so that I'll have the resources I need to survive as I age. I'm old now, past the usual age of retirement, and I don't know who will physically take care of me when I need it. I'm not eligible for handouts and don't expect one. Also, I don't consider myself that unusual. But "I worked my rear off all of my life and should qualify for some sort of assistance?????" (Excuse me, I'm laughing so hard I couldn't stop hitting the question mark!) Jamers, this is the real world. You and your dad, welcome here. You have lots to learn!
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Bridget66 Dec 2022
Spot on Fawnby!
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"Homecare agencies" do not require anything in order to pay VA benefits......the VA is the agency that requires a veteran to have served during wartime in order to qualify for Aid & Attendance benefits specifically. A&A is NOT the only benefit that a veteran may qualify for, however, so if I were you, I'd contact your local VA office to find out.

My parents also worked their entire lives and had to sell their home & cash out their stocks to be able to afford Assisted Living when it became required. All elders would 'rather not pay for ALL' of their care costs, but that's why they get Social Security and Medicare benefits: to offset the costs they're paying out of pocket. #Truth

In reality, assets are what we all use to pay for what we need in life. Whether it's a vacation, stuff on Amazon, food and heat, or caregivers to come into our homes later on in life when we need help. If we don't have enough money to fund our own care, and we qualify for Medicaid, then we wind up complaining how poor the care IS with Medicaid and 'why oh why do I have to suffer THIS level of care' in the first place? And "Boy I wish I had money to pay for my OWN good care!" The continuous Catch-22 complaints of life, huh?

The best solution is to set up a consultation with a Certified Elder Care attorney which is what I did when my father broke his hip and was headed off to rehab. The advice the CELA gave me was worth its weight in gold. He had ideas I'd never even heard of.

Good luck to you.
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This post has been changed from what was originally posted. I answered what was originally posted and so did others.
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Reverse mortgage. Sell the house and use the equity to pay for AL instead. Tap any retirement funds for care. Talk to an attorney about options.

There is no magic out there that is going to allow his care without him providing the financial contribution.
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