Interview
with Louise
Louise
has been interviewing and helping
prospective clients locate the right service in and out of our office for
over fifteen years. Before that she was an active community volunteer,
housewife, mother of two and an elementary school teacher. Having lived in
Clearwater since the 1950's, she is familiar with many community and legal
services.
Before Charlie's mother went into the
nursing home, Louise utilized Neighborly Senior Services. She learned
first-hand how difficult it can be to discover where, how and when to get
help for ailing loved ones. Later she assisted her own mother during many
moves from retirement homes to assisted living facilities (ALFs). She
became even more aware of problems experienced by caregivers.
In addition to assisting people
who call the office, Louise was an Ombudsman for five years. As an Ombudsman, she
is an advocate for clients who live in nursing homes or ALFs. As an
Ombudsman,
she investigated complaints and did inspections of various facilities.
She participated in monthly meetings of the Ombudsman Counsel and heard
reports from the government agencies that oversee nursing homes and ALFs
and the programs that service them.
Louise is a tremendous resource in our
office. She is always happy to assist prospective clients with their
problems. You can contact her by email or on the phone.
Here is a sample of the questions from the interview process when
you call us for help.
My father is in a
nursing home in Orlando. Can your office in Clearwater help us with
Medicaid benefits for him?
Yes, we can make Medicaid
applications for anyone in a nursing home in Florida.
Medicaid is a federal program administered by the state.
Florida Medicaid rules apply to the whole state of Florida.
We file the application with our local Department of Children and
Families (DCF). Once we have
approval, DCF transfers the case to the local DCF office serving your
father's nursing home.
I believe that my
father is already qualified for Medicaid.
Will Charlie just answer one question about one of his assets?
Charlie feels that
qualifying your father for Medicaid is like assembling a big puzzle.
He has to see the whole picture before he can answer any questions.
Let me explain our
procedure before you meet with Charlie.
We will send you a letter explaining our procedure and
a
total disclosure questionnaire that covers every type of financial and
personal
information about your father. The
questionnaire seems overwhelming, but you only fill out the pages of the
questionnaire that apply to his situation.
Before you have your conference with Charlie, you return the
completed questionnaire along with a copy of your father' s current legal
documents such as his will, trusts, Durable Power of Attorney, Healthcare
Surrogate and Living Will.
How can I tell if my
father is already qualified?
On our web site we have Medicaid
requirements for a single person and, if your father is married, Medicaid
requirements for a married person. I suggest that you print out and
review the qualifications as they apply to your father.
My father has income
from Social Security of $1,500 and a pension of $739 a month.
Can he still qualify for Medicaid?
Your father will need a
Qualified Income Trust (QIT) in order to qualify because he has income
above the $2,022 income limit established by the Department of Children
and Families (DCF). Charlie
will explain the QIT and the process we use to assure that it is accepted
by DCF.
If your father's net
income that he actually receives is less than $2,022, but there are
deductions that make his gross income above the $2,022 limit, he would
still need a QIT.
My father owns a home
up north and a mobile home here in Florida.
Can he keep both and still qualify?
This is a good question and
one that Charlie addresses often. Real
estate is treated differently by Department of Children and Families (DCF)
depending on whether it is considered homestead.
Charlie will explain to you how your father may be able to keep
both properties and still qualify for Medicaid.
I live near Orlando
and may not be able to get to your office.
Will Charlie meet with me by telephone?
Yes, we do many of our
planning conferences by telephone. Charlie
must have the completed questionnaire and existing estate planning
documents before the conference. You should also keep a copy of the questionnaire so that you and
Charlie can discuss all your father's options.
At the
appointment time, you call Charlie. He
will be waiting for your call just like he would be waiting for your visit
to our office.
If
you have anyone else you would want to be on the telephone call, we can
conference up to two separate calls with our telephone system.
More than two people calling into our office would have to be set
up through a telephone conference operator.
My father and I have
done financial planning with his tax attorney.
How is your planning different?
Your tax attorney is
concerned about IRS regulations. We
call our process asset protection planning. Charlie focuses on the rules
and regulations of the Department of Children and Families.
Charlie will provide a plan of action that will protect your
father's assets with an eye toward long term care in a nursing home.
What can I expect at
the conference with Charlie?
The conference is scheduled
for an hour and a half although it may not take that long.
Charlie will review the information on the questionnaire to be sure
that he has the whole picture. He
will be looking at asset totals and asset types.
He will discuss your father's income.
There
are various strategies to legally qualify your father for Medicaid.
Charlie will discuss each strategy that fits your father's
situation.
What happens after the
conference?
Charlie will send you a
written analysis of your father's situation. Each strategy Charlie
recommends to qualify your father for Medicaid is reviewed in this letter.
These recommendations fall into three categories:
- Things that you can
do on your own.
- Things that you
could do on your own, but you choose to pay us to do.
- Things that you
cannot do on your own. You will have to pay us to do them.
What is the purpose of
the second conference with Charlie?
Charlie wants you to
understand the options he has described in his letter.
There are pluses and minuses to each strategy that need to be
considered before you decide the best way to protect your father's assets
while providing the best possible care for him.
Because DCF regulations are very different and often illogical, Charlie
likens the system to what Alice encountered when she fell through the hole
in Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland."
We encourage you to come to the second conference with a written list of
your questions and concerns.
How much will it cost
to do asset protection planning?
You will know how much our
asset protection planning process will cost before you come see us.
I will quote our fee for the first conference, the written analysis
letter, and the second conference during this interview process.
Charlie quotes any additional fees in his written analysis letter.
We ask that you pay the fee before we begin the work.
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