If you have tried to apply for SSDI, or if you are contemplating applying and have spoken to others about it, then you know it can be a long haul. SSDI does have a fast-track application process for certain illnesses. As of this month, they just added 52 more conditions to that list,...
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Good News on Pooled Trusts
When a single person is entering a nursing home, and if she needs MassHealth to assist her with paying for that, then she needs to bring her assets down to $2,000. Elder law attorneys often recommend setting aside a "cushion" in a pooled trust - since $2,000 amounts to bubkes, really. Having a cushion...
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Is Your Spouse Moving to a Nursing Home? Are You Scared of Using up Your Savings on the Nursing Home Bill?
When one member of a couple needs nursing home care, and if you are asking MassHealth to assist with the monthly bill, then the healthy spouse at home may keep only $113,640 in liquid assets, in addition to her home. For a younger spouse with many years ahead of her, reducing her liquid assets...
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Heard in the Office: “I Don’t Want the Nursing Home to Take My House.”
I hear this a lot. Let’s be clear on the very basics. If you’ve watched friends go to a nursing home and “lose the house,” it’s not the nursing home forcing them to sell. Like all medical providers, nursing homes need to be paid.
Your Medicare and supplemental health insurance policy (ex. MediGap) will pay...
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Heard in the Office: “I Want to Name My Son Executor under My Power of Attorney.”
I hear this a lot. This post is about vocabulary.
A Durable Power of Attorney is the document where you name someone to help you while you are living – you name someone (usually a spouse, child, sibling, or best friend) to help you in case you are unable to manage your finances yourself, for...
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