Wondering how you’ll be able to afford a quality nursing home or assisted living facility if you need full-time care one day? We are here to help! Our experienced estate planning and elder law attorneys have tools at their disposal to help you qualify for Medicaid benefits to cover part or all of the cost of long-term care while protecting your hard-earned assets. It’s never too early to meet with our attorneys to discuss the best way to structure your assets now to make sure you are taken care of down the road.
What Is Medicaid?
You may already be familiar with Medicare, the federal health insurance program for anyone over the age of 65 who is entitled to Social Security benefits, regardless of income, but you may be less familiar with Medicaid. Medicaid is a state-run federal program that provides health coverage for people with very low incomes. Both of these programs can be used to pay for a nursing home or assisted living facility, but advance planning is often needed to ensure your eligibility for Medicaid.
High-Quality Nursing Homes in Virginia Are Very Expensive
Long-term care can be extremely expensive—nursing home care can exceed $9000 per month—and very few people can afford to pay for it out of pocket for any length of time. Medicare does cover the cost of a long-term care facility, but only for a limited amount of time and only under very limited circumstances. Medicaid, on the other hand, provides coverage for nursing home care, but you must meet specific income requirements to qualify. Further, not every nursing home accepts Medicaid patients. If you’re confused, you are not alone.
Our Medicaid Planning Attorneys Can Help You Navigate This Maze
Even if you have never been eligible for Medicaid before, the elder law team at Alperin Law may be able to help you obtain Medicaid benefits to pay for long-term nursing care. In Virginia, Medicaid eligibility is evaluated by dividing your assets into two categories: exempt and available. Simply put, the more assets you have in the “exempt” category, the more likely it is that you will qualify for Medicaid to pay for long-term care. With sufficient advance planning, our elder law attorneys can help you favorably structure your assets to help you qualify.
Schedule a Consultation With Our Medicaid Planning Attorneys
At Alperin Law, we want to help you plan for the future. We know all of the rules and legal ways to set money aside so you can qualify for Medicaid benefits to pay for some or all of your nursing home or assisted living care—all while protecting your assets. And if you need help applying for these benefits, we are glad to shoulder that burden for you. Hiring an experienced elder law attorney to assist in the Medicaid application process can mean the difference between obtaining immediate access to pay for long-term care and going broke in a nursing home.
Our main office is located in Virginia Beach, and we have additional offices throughout Hampton Roads for your convenience. If you are located in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, Poquoson, or Suffolk; on the Eastern Shore (Northampton and Accomack Counties); or elsewhere in southeastern Virginia; one of our locations is sure to be nearby. Call or fill out the form on this page to get started today. Discover the Alperin Law Advantage!