April 13, 2017
Michigan Medicaid Updates 2017
Every year Michigan Medicaid, VA Benefits, Social Security, SSI and Medicare get new numbers, limits and there are changes to the different programs. As a Certified Elder Law Attorney it is important to stay on top of the changes so that our clients don’t.
Michigan Medicaid in 2017
Medcaid remained largely unchanged for 2017. The key Medicaid numbers are as follows.
- Countable Asset Limit= $2,000. A single individual may only have $2,000 in countable assets in Michigan. This remains unchanged from previous years and most people are familiar with this.
- Personal Needs Allowance= $60/mo. In addition to a countable asset limit, Medicaid only allows an individual to keep $60 a month worth of income. The rest of it will go to the nursing home as part of the “patient pay amount.”
- Community Spouse Resource Allowance= $24,180-$120,900. If you are married and one spouse is in the nursing home, the healthy spouse can keep, at most $120,900 in assets. Basically, you need to spend half your assets and at most, Medicaid will allow you to keep $120,900. Meaning if a couple has more than $241,800 in assets, those assets will be cut in half. If a couple has more, then they need to spend it down. There is also a minimum of $24,180 where if a couple has less than $24,180 in assets, there will be no spend-down.
- Monthly Divestment Divsor= $8,018. Medicaid has a five year look back period, where the state of Michigan looks back five years to see if there were any gifts. If there are any gifts, they divide the total amount of gifts by the divisor amount and that equals the number of months the Medicaid applicant needs to go before the state of Michigan will be able pay any benefits.
- Community Spousal Income Allowance= $2,003-$3,023. The community spouse living at home when one spouse is in a nursing home can keep a portion of ther nursing home spouse’s income if the community spouse would be below $2,003. If they have expenses that exceed their income, then they can keep even more.
Michigan VA Benefits for 2017
As a VA Accredited Attorney, we assist Michigan veterans and surviving spouses qualify for the VA Benefit sometimes called the Aid and Attendance benefit. The amount of benefit changes every year. Here are the Veterans Benefits numbers for 2017:
- Surviving Spouse of a Veteran- $1,153
- Single Veterans- $1,794
- Married Veterans- $2,127
There are five requirements to qualify for the VA Benefit in Michigan. Those five requirements are as follows:
- 90 days of active duty service
- 1 day during a period of conflict
- Cannot be dishonorable discharged
- More long-term care costs than income from social security or pension
- Asset test, but currently there is no look-back period
Does a Loved One Need VA Benefits or Medicaid?
Do you have a loved one who needs long-term care and do you want help paying the devastating cost of long-term care? Then schedule a time to review your situation so that we can bring in the VA Benefit or Medicaid to help pay the devastating cost of long-term care.
