Practice area
Paying for a parent’s long-term care
Nursing care can cost more each month than most families earn. Medicaid can pay for it, once a parent qualifies. We help families plan ahead, and apply when the need is now.
Planning years ahead
Arranging savings and the house early, so less is spent down later.
Planning when care is close
What can still be done when a move to a care home is months away.
The application
We gather five years of records, file the application and answer the caseworker’s questions.
Protecting the spouse at home
The husband or wife who stays home keeps the house and an income to live on.
What to gather before we meet
Don’t wait until you have all of it. Bring what you can find.
Bank statements
The last few months of each account, for each parent.
The house
The deed, or the address and whose names are on it.
Income
Social Security and pension letters.
Any papers already signed
Old wills, trusts and powers of attorney.
Questions
About Medicaid and nursing care
Will Mom lose her house?
Not always. A spouse or a disabled child living there changes the answer, and so does planning done early. We’ll go through your parent’s situation at the first meeting.
Is it too late if Dad is already in a care home?
Often not. There are still steps that can protect some savings, and the application itself takes care to get right.
Do the rules differ between Iowa and Illinois?
Yes, in the details. Tell us which state your parent lives in and we’ll work from that state’s rules.
Talk it over before the move
The sooner we meet, the more choices your family has.