My 57 year old uncle is in a LTC nursing home (about 1 1/2 years now). Medicaid is paying for his medical care and the nursing home takes his monthly social security disability check to help cover the costs of him living at the nursing home. He's just been granted a Veteran's monthly compensation disability check. Must this new income be reported to Medicaid? Will Medicaid disqualify him now and throw him out of the nursing home?
I'm not sure if VA disability is the same as Aid & Attendance. But if it is this is what I've heard. My mom is in a NH that has lots of military (my Dad was a fed who worked within the military too) & it seems that A&A solo does not work well for paying the costs of a nursing home. A&A is rarely enough to cover the difference between NH cost & their income (SS, SSDI). On the other hand, Medicaid will cover this difference in cost so in most cases Medicaid is a better to be on to pay for everything for those in a NH.
Eligibility for Medicaid seems to cause difficulty for those who also want to receive their pension income in a nursing home. For a single person, VA usually refuses to pay the benefit if that person is eligible for Medicaid and will only pay $90 a month towards NH costs. BUT for a beneficiary with a spouse at home, the combination of A&A and Medicaid is can work but seems to be tricky to deal with. If your uncle has a spouse who on her own has significant recurring medical expenses or has a child that is a minor, it seems they can keep VA and the uncle can totally be on Medicaid. There is a younger 2nd wife @ my mom's NH who gets his VA as their son has asthma so they meet the requirement of recurring medical expenses and her personal income & assets are low enough so that it doesn't affect his Medicaid income & assets.
Really its just so specific to the individual circumstances so carefully ask @ the NH what is best to have him there with no costs to family. Good luck.
I really do not know if VA disability will touch the Medicare grant...
wish I could be of more help....you'll find out regardless....
My dad was a fed - he's deceased but my mom gets his survivor annuity. There are 2 items mailed out you'll need -
1 in Dec which is RI 25-23 Notice of Annuity Adjustment - this one shows what his current & future income will be each month &
1 in Jan - OMB form # 1545-0119 Statement of Annuity Paid (a 1099R for taxes) -
this one validates his income for the last year.
Now they ARE NOT in a traditional envelope with a letter inside. Both are on a narrower than a regular envelope heavier trifold printing with a tear-off strips on each side, so that when you open it it is almost legal size. I bet they are there somewhere even if its from past years, it will help as the retirement claim # will be there - this is key to his info. If they are being direct deposited, the bank may have the claim # within their records
Now you can call them @ 888-767-6738. I would caution you on calling as they are expecting to speak with your brother and will not speak with his POA or family it needs to be him. It is just easier to do this by mail on his behalf. Understand?
About VA, if he is in regular NH & on Medicaid, VA is limited to paying $ 90.00 a month. (It is only if he is in a VA NH that the pension gets paid in full - pretty sure that is the situation). I think you should think about applying for it even if the forms are a total PIA. My mom's personal needs allowance is $ 60.00 a month and really $ 60 isn't enough. Their clothes will need to be replaced as the heat in the wash is super hot and their clothes will have to be replaced as they just flat get worn out from the wash. Their shoes, eyeglasses & sweaters just grow legs and walk out of their room! Also some NH charge for cable & phone and that costs. Barber shop & hair salon costs - if he can't shave himself that easily will use up all his funds. Really having an extra $ 90 a month / $ 1,080 a year could really help out and the VA pension does not count towards his required co-pay to the NH so it's all his money to use however you see best. Really apply for it once you get through the Medicaid application and I bet you get it retro to month #1 at the NH.
Also if he is going to get a military burial ask about to see which funeral homes do this and get a prepaid visitation / rosary set up if you can. Although they do get free burial in federal cemetery some of the funeral home charges are not included & at least in my mom's city (big military presence) there is a back-log of 3+ weeks on burials at Ft Sam cemetery, when my MIL died her hubby is buried in Santa Fe military cemetery and they too were running on delays on burials. Good luck.