My Mother lives in an assisted living facility with the assistance of Medicaid. She owns an old, 1983, mobile home that is worth around $3-4,000. It is in a mobile home park and I cannot continue to pay lot rent for it. I have read that if it is sold, it would stop her Medicaid assistance. How can this be handled? Can it be sold and have the proceeds given to the state?
I know you want to do what is best for your mom. Maybe a social worker or elder law attorney might be able to help with his question.
Ok here’s my suggestions:
- trailer needs to get FMV known. You need something that documents what it’s current value is. Like tax assessor bill that states value. Let’s say $3800
- make sure your dpoa allows for you to do all financial transactions so that you can sell it without a glitch. If not either you need to get this done or mom needs to sign...
- it has to get sold at FMV, so if you need to Gussie it up a bit do so. Realize that any costs to do this are on you unless you get some of mom’s personal needs allowance funds to do this. PNA is allowed for their needs or anything they own. My point is any costs you pay or have paid on the trailer are not reimburse able to you from the sale of the trailer - so be mindful of your wallet.
- time the sale so that it’s right at the beginning of the month. To me this is KEY, cause mom is going to spend all the money to have it so that she is within Medicaid asset limits at the end of the month. Asset max is $ 2k. If mom currently has say $500 in assets, then with sale mom has $4300 ($3800+500), so you need to find $2300 of things that mom needs and buy them, so she’s back to under 2k. Like 2 new pairs of eyeglasses, new hearing aid, preneed funeral or burial costs, dental work..... all bought & cleared bank so that that months statements clearly show where spent and all ok items for Medicaid.
The point is mom starts the month good for Medicaid financially and ends the month good for Medicaid financially.... comprende?
- so you need a plan. Remember $ has to be spent & clear before EOM.
Probably the easiest is to get funeral burial preneed done, the full $3800 won’t cover all the costs for a traditional funeral (more like 8-10k) but puts a big dent into it; $3800 should totally cover all cremation costs with a viewing/rosary type of event. If this is what seems best, please get with FH ahead of all this do you can decide without pressure. And then Day trailer sells you make a copy of the check as you’ll need this for Medicaid and take check over to FH to get that stack of paperwork work done & again get copies of all to have to submit to Medicaid. Remember FH contract must be Medicaid compliant... the FH know that needs to be to be ok for Medicaid.
I’d contact Medicaid caseworker once act of sale date is fixed and tell caseworker of your plan. Stress that all funds in&out within a single month and used 100% for mom’s needs. And you can provide all paperwork if need be or can file all with mom’s annual Medicaid renewal. Caseworker will likely be thrilled that you are thinking ahead, understand Medicaid compliance AND it’s less paperwork for them to deal with!
Medicare covers a pair of eyeglasses after cataract surgery.