| Geriatric
Assessment – Who Does It & Why It Helps
Podiatric Care – Importance for Seniors
& Resources
Pharmacies – Home Delivery
Physician House Call Services
Physicians Who Accept Medicare and Medicaid
How to Apply for Medicaid
Home Health Care
Non-Medical Home Care
Mobile Lab Services
Clinics
Transportation Asssitance
How
to Apply for Medicaid
Medicaid is
a State and Federal medical assistance program that pays medical
bills for eligible, needy persons. Programs for the elderly and
disabled include:
- Community
Medicaid for persons living in their own homes
- Nursing Home/Institutional
Medicaid
Nursing Home
Assisted Living – under specific circumstances
Call
the Somerset County Board of Social Services for an Application,
908-526-8800
When applying for Medicaid, you must be very specific about which program you’re applying for.
For Assisted Living or Nursing Home, ask for the Nursing Home Unit or Adult Medicaid Unit.
Institutional
Medicaid
You must meet both income and clinical eligibility requirements for Institutional Medicaid. Clinical eligibility includes determining level of cognitive functioning and level of hands-on assistance required
for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, eating etc.
Financial eligibility limits change annually. The annual income eligibility cap for 2010 is $24,264.
Liquid resources (defined as cash, stocks, bonds, etc.) for a single person may not exceed $2,000.
Community
Medicaid
Medicaid programs are available to persons living in their own home. Annual eligibility cap for 2010 is $10,836 for a single person, $14,580 for a couple. Assets must be under or $4,000 for a single person, $6,000 for a couple.
All income and resources must be verified. The Board of Social Services recommends that contact be made 3 months prior to the time that the applicant’s liquid resources will be eligible.
When You Apply for Medicaid
Medicaid “looks back” three to five years into your financial history to determine what you have done with your assets. Persons who transfer countable resources at less than fair market value within 3 years prior to application for Medicaid are presumed to have disposed of these resources for the purpose of establishing Medicaid eligibility. Depending on the amount and timing of transfer, there is a waiting period to become eligible for Medicaid.
Your income and resources must be verified by the following means:
General: Proof of age, marriage/divorce, death certificate of spouse, copy of will, Medicare card, social security card, health insurance card.
Income verification: Copy of social security check, long-term care insurance, pension and other income.
Resource verification: Deposits and withdrawals from financial accounts for 3 years. Savings accounts, checking accounts, investment accounts, life insurance policies, stocks, bonds, CDs, IRAs, past 3 years of income tax returns, annuity accounts, deed to burial plot, copy of irrevocable funeral contract.
Needed when appropriate: Proof of citizenship, Power of Attorney, alien registration card.
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