My 80 year old mother recently was hospitalized with Covid Pneumonia and severe sepsis. She has been transferred to a nursing rehabilitation center. Once she is able we are moving her in with us. I work from home and have a solid support system. She can’t be left alone. She will be selling her house/car. She currently is on Medicare. She receives SS. It is overwhelming and I’m looking for a checklist. Does this exist? My dad (who has been passed for 20 years) was a war-time vet. Does she qualify for any benefits from that?
Please realize post discharge Medical transport to go home not covered by Medicare or insurance. It will be $$$$ trip to TX.
If you are hoping that MediCARE will provide for in home caregivers to lend you a hand, that’s not happening. TX Medicaid will do this but they have to be enrolled as a “dual” so on Medicare & community based Medicaid & in a MCO (managed care) that participates in in-home health care. The Area on Aging & 2022 TX Medicare book has info on MCO’s. Molina Health is the big MCO for duals. If she qualifies, tends to be 18-22 hrs per wk.
if she applies for community Medicaid, she may have a copay for in-home health. It will be based on what her monthly income is. .
If you find she is going to need Medicaid to pay for a NH stay as level of care is beyond your capabilities & she has spent down her $ to 2k and income under $2200 & no assets but her home, it will be easier for her as a MS resident to apply for MS Medicaid. Each state runs its Medicaid program uniquely. She will have documents needed to show she’s a resident & her home can remain an exempt asset (assuming under 550k in value) so if it cannot be easily sold at FMV, it’s can sit vacant, keep homestead exemption and she / you can deal with it when things get calmer. Her ID, banking, SSA letters, property details all show her as a MS resident. If she were to move to TX, she would need to in some way become a TX resident…. this may not be at all easy…. If she right now banks someplace (Hancock, Regions) that does not have a branch in your city, she will have to open a new account, change her SS / retirement deposit info, etc & not simple to do. She’ll need to get a TX DL or ID as well. Atop this, her home cannot be an exempt asset for TX Medicaid, it’s out of state so nonexempt. It can stall her eligibility…. She / you would have to file a time limited waiver & have it on the market with a active Realtor listing at FMV. Should it not sell in the time period, her TX eligibility can be suspended. Whether in MS or TX, once she’s applied for LTC Medicaid and living at a NH, all her mo income, like SS $, goes to NH as a required copay. All she gets is a sm personal needs allowance of $60. So it will be on you to pay all property costs. If she moves to TX that MS homestead exemption will stop.
Please give it some hard thought before you move her to TX. Ask how her sepsis will likely affect her organs & Covid vulnerability. Should she get very ill and need a facility and unable to be eligible for LTC Medicaid, you’ll end up having to private pay the gap between her SS income and the NH bill or run yourself ragged btw being her CG & continuing to WFH. Good luck.
If you you are moving her to another state then she will need a health insurance supplimental. Each state is different in who they allow to write policies in your State. Supplimentals usually don't cross State lines. See if the one she has is also available in your State. Be very careful signing up for Medicare Advantage policies. Medicare contracts out to these companies. They r suppose to go by Medicaid rules but...you must stay in their network of medicare providers. Your County Office of Aging should be able to help.
If she is selling her house and car, they should be at Market Value in case she needs Medicaid for Longterm care/in home care in the next 5 years. Her money should be kept separate from yours. If you plan on charging her room and board, have a contract written up by a lawyer with her signing she agrees. She will not be able to receive any State resources, like Medicaid, until the money she has has been spent down on her. No big "gifts" should be given out of her money. Anytime you use her account, write a check. Her bankstatements should show where her money goes. Keep good records and receipts.
You best resource is your County Office of Aging.
Now for reality. Moving Mom in may be more responsibility than you are expecting. You work from home, does your work allow for interruptions? She will have nothing familiar. She will be depending on you for everything. You have not lived together for years. You have changed, you are not her little girl anymore. She has changed. Its going to be very hard for her to give up her independence. She is not going to appreciate you telling her what she should and shouldn't do. Don't be surprised to find that this is not what you thought it was going to be like. You may eventually find that she will be better in a nice AL nearby and thats OK.
If her husband was a vet you should contact the VA about benefits. Others will be able to provide more info for you.
She may need a medical transport company to physically take her, so when you get close to knowing she can be moved you'll need to get an estimate on this service... it is not cheap.