Category Archives: walnut creek

SPENDING DOWN AND GIFTING ASSETS FOR MEDI-CAL QUALIFICATION

             For Medi-Cal eligibility, the single applicant must have no more than $2,000 in non-exempt assets in her name. If you just give away your assets, without proper planning, and you want to enter a nursing home, you may create a period of ineligibility for Med-Cal. The ineligibility period begins at the date of the […]

THE MEDI-CAL IMPOVERISHED SPOUSE STATUTES

For Medi-Cal qualification, the community spouse (well spouse) is allowed to have $109,560 (in 2009) in non-exempt, or countable assets. This is called the Community Spouse Resource Allowance, or CSRA, which increases yearly based upon the Consumer Price Index. Only non-exempt assets are counted for the CSRA. As a result, IRA’s in the name of […]

What If You Die After Having Been On Medi-Cal?

If you die after having been on Medi-Cal, the State can pursue a claim against your estate for recoupment of the money they paid to the nursing home. But, if there are no assets in your estate when you die, there will be nothing for the State to recover. The State will not pursue a […]

Our Clients and Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease is a brain disorder, wherein certain nerve cells in the brain become impaired or die. These nerve cells, called “neurons” normally produce a chemical known as dopamine. This chemical allows for smooth, coordinated functions of the body’s muscles and movements. When a high percentage of the brain cells which produce dopamine are impaired, […]

For Home Health Agencies: Important News on a US Government Program That Can Help Pay Your Clients’ In-Home Healthcare Costs

If you run a home health agency, you probably feel like you are wearing a hundred different hats, from finding the right employees,  to dealing with all of the issues they bring with them. Moreover, you are communicating with clients who are stressed out and who are wondering how they are going to be able to pay for your valuable services. Did you […]

Major Changes To the Medi-Cal Laws Pending

October 27, 2009  Major Changes To the Medi-Cal Laws Pending By: Michael J. Young Elder Law Attorney               Governor Schwarzenegger recently signed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) into law in California. The law has not yet taken effect, but when it does take effect, within the next several months, there will be major changes […]

Common Myths about Medi-Cal

Common Myths about Medi-Cal:   Medicaid, which is called “Medi-Cal” in California, was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson at the Truman Library in Independence, Missouri on July 30, 1965. This is part of President Johnson’s “Great Society.” It is a national program, which is administered by each state. The rules and regulations change constantly, and […]

HELP FROM THE SANDWICH GENERATION

October 26, 2009  HELP FROM THE SANDWICH GENERATION We receive many calls from adult children who are struggling with the task of caring for their aging parents. Perhaps their parents have been in and out of the hospital and various nursing homes. Their parents may be losing their mental capacity, and may have been diagnosed […]

Are Hispanics at a higher risk of Alzheimers’s Disease?

Experts suggest that Hispanics may be more suseptible to Alzheimer’s Disease than the general population, according to a New York Times article entitled “Are Hispanics at a Greater Risk for Alzheimer’s Disease.” “>” http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/21/us/21alzheimers.html The article suggests that Hispanics may have more risk factors for developing dementia than other groups, and that a signigficant number […]