California does have gifting penalty rules. If the rules are not followed, you could create periods of ineligibility for Medi-Cal. If you follow the rules, Medi-Cal can pay for your stay in a skilled nursing facility, minus a share of the cost that you would pay. We have seen monthly bills of $10,000 and more from skilled nursing facilities.
You can gift any amounts of money or assets to your spouse without penalty, and she can keep up to $119,220, plus her IRAs and “exempt assets, and you can still be qualified for Medi-Cal.
If you gift your money and other non-exempt assets to someone other than your spouse, penalties may apply. The Medi-Cal application asks if you have made any gifts of non-exempt assets to someone besides your spouse, within the last 30 months. If you have, that amount is divided by $7,628. This is the amount that Medi-Cal pays monthly to nursing homes, minus the share of cost paid by the Medi-Cal recipient. It is called the Approximate Private Pay Rate, also known as the APPR.
So for instance, if you gave $40,000 to a grandchild for college tuition during January of 2014, you would not be eligible for for Medi-Cal for the next 5 months. You would not be eligible for the months January through May. You would be eligible however in June, 2014. To figure this out, divide the gifted amount of $40,000 by $7,628 and you will get 5.24, which rounded down is 5 months of ineligibility. You can also give the same amount of a gift on the same day to two children, and still only get 5 months of ineligibility. There are also other rules which can be employed which allow us to transfer monies over time, and thereby significantly reduce the number of months of ineligibility. The nice thing about these rules, as they presently exist, is that the penalty begins to run during the month that you made the gift.
When the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) is adopted in California, which could be any time, there will be a five year look back instead of a 30 month look back penalty period for gifting. If we take the above example under the DRA rules, of the $40,000 gift to a grandchild, you would be ineligible for 5.24 months after you have entered the nursing home. If you gifted that amount to two people, you would have two periods of ineligibility of 5.24 months each. Also, under the DRA, the more liberal rules for gifting over time will be severely restricted.
As a result, you should proceed now with your long term care planning with your elder law attorney.
For additional information, you can contact your elder law attorney Michael J. Young. This information is not to be taken as legal advice, and you are encouraged to see your elder law attorney. At the law offices of Michael J. Young, 1931 San Miguel Dr., Ste. 220, Walnut Creek, CA http://www.WalnutCreekElderLaw.com, 925-256-0298,lawyoung1@gmail.com, we practice elder law and we help Baby Boomers, Seniors and families through their Elder Care Journey. We help families with “Sustainable Estate Planning” TM, long term care planning, asset protection plans, special needs trusts, comprehensive estate planning, wills, trusts and powers of attorney. We also help Baby Boomers and families get their “Ducks in a Row” in order to help them qualify for Medi-Cal and the VA Aid & Attendance Improved Pension Benefit.