Does anyone have their spouse in a VA facility? Are the financial requirements the same for both VA and Medicaid? My DH tells me he wants to go to a VA facility if he has to be placed. I think he looks on this like there would be "buddies" he could talk with. I really think he is living in a dream world regarding VA placement.
I am sure others will be along today to answer your questions, but in the meantime, check out these discussions to see if there is any information you can use.
in the state of missouri, i placed my husband in the VA facility. I had t o pay the top amount of a sliding scale as we had income above the scale, It was still much less t h an the othe r nur sing homes and it included all expenses. whenever he had t o go to for medical expenses outside of t he VA home, medicare kicked in. In this home, he had a private room with bath. He received excellent care . If you would like further info, contact me at my e-mail address and I will try to help yo u.
Judith, first is he in the VA system already? If not, you need to get him enrolled in the system. Then talk to a social worker. Our only income is SSDI and the VA social worker told me we would apply for medicaid at the time of placement. But get him enrolled and then talk with a social worker. They can also give your the information as to what facilities are in your area or that he is eligible for. In Oregon and Washington they are run by the state for the VA, or that is how she explained it. Our residence is Vancouver, WA so he is eligible to use the AD unit in Oregon. If we lived anywhere else he would have to go to the one in the Bremerton, WA area. (when he is ready).
Yes ny DH is in the system ane he gets most of his medications from the VA. I don't think I worded the title to this post in order to maybe get the answer I wanted.
What I really wanted to know is this: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MEDICAID QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS AND THE VA QUALIFYING REQUIREMENTS FOR CARE IN A FACILITY?? Does anyone know or how can I find out???
Depends on which state you live in. The state requirements are not all the same and the types of facilities within the state are different. VA is the same nation wide.
Wow - it's been over a year since I have contacted or commented. I'm just now "coming home" because DH is getting worse. Any way, regarding VA benefits - We found the local chapter of the Disabled American Veterans to be very helpful. They will submit claims for you and advise you on available services. Has anyone applied for "Aid and Attendance"? I believe there is an income cryteria but it is worth a try. The DAV will ask you if you are a member and would you like to join. We did since the $180 lifetime membership fee was way less than any attorney would have charged and the gentleman we spoke with was very helpful. I'm sure we will be using their services in the future.
If your spouse is a veteran, please look into veterans benefits. I wish I had known about the "Aid and Attendance" benefit while Claude was still alive. We would have qualified and it would have helped us tremendously.
As I understand it now, as a widow of a veteran (at least in Texas), I will be entitled to benefits if and when I need them.
Now that I'm a widow, I'm learning of alot of things that would have helped both of us. Oh well, that's life unfortunately. The motto in our family always has been "a day late and a dollar short". LOL
Thanks for your comments. Yes, my dh is a memeber of DAV. I am going to look into exactly what is offered by the VA. My dh gets most of his medications through the VA and some of his health care. He is a Viet Nam veteran and was in northern Nam and that is the area where they used the agent orange the most. He is only 63. He has already filed for his heart condition which is one of the new conditions that probably was caused by agent orange or at least a certain percentage of it was caused by exposure to agent or
Judith, I meet with our elder care attorney tomorrow about this sort of stuff tho my dh is not anywhere near needing assisted or nh services..our income, thanks to my inheritence from my parents and an aunt and uncle is way more than that 111,000.00 most of which is in a portfolio that I have taken great care of so that if something happened to dh ( as i accident) and my income would drop I would at least be able to make it. Our house is fully paid for as are our cars which are 2003 and 2004 models. I am nervous about what kind of things the lawyer may be suggesting..got a gut feeling I won't like any of it.
I think you maybe very happy with the results. I was when we completed our trusts with our elder care attorney last week. Most of your assets you can put in an irrevocable trust . Of course that means you no longer have control over those assets, the trustee does. If you are careful who you name as trustee and they will release funds to you if you need them then you will be OK. I also had a home that I lease out that was not part of community property. This went into a separate trust and will not affect qualifying for medi-cal or VA. Our present home went into another trust and it is protected by law and the equity is protected for the health and welfare of both of us and no distribution can be made from this trust until we both die. My husband then has a third trust since he still has his IRA money. We are going to have to spend those funds down so we will be doing a lot of travel this year....however, if he has the IRA in a annunity and that pays a monthly amount and then it cannot be counted for qualifying for assistance. ....your attorney will probably suggest you place your private funds in a separate trust or an annuity. Everything went much faster and smoother then I thought it would. I will be anxious to hear what you have to say about your attorney. I wouldn't worry at all about those private funds...I think you probably can shelter them....he probably will suggest you put the entire portfolio in a trust.