Navigating medicaid for my dad Is DC or MD better to start the process?
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Anonymous
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Hi all,
complex situation. My dad currently lives in the UK but is a US citizen. He was stuck in the UK after being in the hospital for months and was unable to travel. He's now able to travel, although his dementia is worse and he uses a walker. I am hoping to get him back to the US by the end of May beginning of June. He has little to no money, approx $1600 in SSI, and less than $2000 in the bank. I currently live in a one-bedroom in DC and am looking to move into a 2-bedroom place so he can be with me. But...I work full-time and need support for him and probably eventually nursing home care. I think he's eligible for Medicaid. Has anyone had recent experience getting Medicaid to pay for care for their parent? He's 90, has COPD, dementia, and a seizure disorder (that's what landed him in ICU and care in the UK for months). He's not entitled to social care in the UK; he would stay there (long story), but is only entitled to medical care, not to social care, and therefore not to full-time nursing home care or carers in the home. He currently lives with his UK-based partner, but she is also aging and can't keep up with his care needs. They are not married, and she can't pay for his care either. I'm already spending $2,000 per month on his care there, and I can't sustain that. So this needs to all change. He wants to be back in the US, but navigating the Medicaid situation feels very overwhelming. What options have you all found that could work? Thanks for any positive advice! |
Anonymous
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For DC contact Iona and see if they have any advice/resources.
https://iona.org/ |
Anonymous
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Thanks! |
Anonymous
| If they married could he get social care? Money goes farther in UK |
Anonymous
Sadly not an option. I really tried to get that to happen. |
Anonymous
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Even if his SSI income puts him over the limit for Medicaid for elderly people, there are programs to pay for a nursing home or memory care for him. First he spends all his monthly income on the care and then Medicaid picks up the rest.
With no assets though, it may be hard to get him into a nursing home or memory care place. Usually it helps to be able to pay $100,000 for the first few months before Medicaid takes over. He will probably need to establish residency first before he can apply for Medicaid, so move him in with you, use your address, and then apply for him. |
Anonymous
| He's need to establish residency by living with you so it goes by where you live. He probably wouldn't qualify for regular medicaid but you you are looking for a memory care nursing home he should qualify for long term care medicaid, which is a different program than medicaid despite the name. |
Anonymous
| Thanks! I am working on getting him back to the US to establish residency, mostly I want to know if I should move from DC to MD? Which is better for medicaid support? |
Anonymous
Dc where you live. |
Anonymous
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I only have experience with CA Medicaid, but if it’s anything alike it’s hardly overwhelming.
Apply for him online using your address, and do it now. It takes 90 days to process the application in CA so I doubt it’s much faster here. Also put yourself as an authorized rep on the application. I don’t know anything about LTC but there are programs where the state pays a caregiver to care for a Medicaid recipient at home. You can become the caregiver or hire someone. When he needs a nursing home, he might not get into the fanciest one but he should be ok if you hire someone to visit him there and keep an eye on staff. Grease their palms (not with money but food and maybe gift cards for holidays) and they’ll keep a better eye on him. I doubt these basic things are very different from CA. |