Here is the most recent Medicaid Eligibility criteria for Arizona. By the way, in Arizona Medicaid is called the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), and the program that specifically provides long term care for the aged, blind, and disabled is called the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS).
| 2018 Arizona Medicaid Long Term Care Eligibility for Seniors | |||
| Type of Medicaid | Single | Married (both spouses applying) | Married (one spouse applying) |
| Institutional / Nursing Home Medicaid | Income Limit – $2,250 / month Asset Limit – $2,000 Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
Income Limit – $3,375 / month Asset Limit – $3,000 Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
Income Limit – $2,250 / month for applicant Asset Limit – $2,000 for applicant & $123,600 for non-applicant Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
| Medicaid Waivers / Home and Community Based Services | Income Limit – $2,250 / month Asset Limit – $2,000 Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
Income Limit – $3,375 / month Asset Limit – $3,000 Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
Income Limit – $2,250 / month for applicant Asset Limit – $2,000 for applicant & $123,600 for non-applicant Level of Care Required – Nursing Home |
| Regular Medicaid / Aged Blind and Disabled | Income Limit – $1,005 / month Asset Limit – No limit Level of Care Required – None |
Income Limit – $1,354/ month Asset Limit – No limit Level of Care Required- None |
Income Limit – $1,005 / month Asset Limit – No limit Level of Care Required – None |
When you are using this chart, keep in mind that even if you think you do not quality, there may be a way to figure things out. For example, even if you have too many assets (more than $2,000), there still may be a way of qualifying.
Beware of Conflicts of Interest
You may have spoken to someone at a home health agency or nursing home. And they referred you to a document preparer to help you with Medicaid (ALTCS) eligibility. There may be a hidden conflict of interest. The document preparer wants to keep the nursing home happy (so she keeps getting more work). The nursing home wants you to pay privately for as long as possible (because they make more money that way). But you want to preserve assets and get on Medicaid as soon as possible. A Medicaid Eligibility Lawyer will be loyal to you (and your elderly parent).
Beware of Financial Exploitation Laws
This is a possible landmine. Read this paragraph carefully. If you meet with a Medicaid Eligibility Lawyer, you may be told to spend down your mom or dad’s money or transfer it to your account as part of a “spend down.” In other words, you may be told to transfer your mom’s or dad’s assets to their kids or to a trust. From the standpoint of Medicaid planning, this is fine. However, A.R.S. Section 46-456 could pose a big problem. Is your mom or dad s a vulnerable adult? (Probably, if you are talking about Medicaid planning.) Are you in a position or trust and confidence? (Probably, if you are the one helping with this.) Are you thinking about transfer your parent’s resources away from your parent’s control? Then could easily be violation A.R.S. Section 46-456 (the Arizona financial exploitation statute). If you violate the statute, you could be liable for two times the amount that you transferred from your parent, plus legal fees, plus you could be disinherited. YIKES! There are ways around this. But you need to handle this issue before you start transferring assets away from your mom or dad.
The Cost of Hiring a Medicaid Eligibility Lawyer is Cheaper Than Making a Mistake
The average cost of a nursing home in Maricopa County, Arizona is around $4,800 per month. You could easily make a mistake and pay privately for a nursing home, when you don’t have to. Worse yet, you could make a mistake and be held personally liable for mismanaging your parents assets. The cost of getting a lawyer to help you through this process is much less in comparison.
Contact a Scottsdale Medicaid Planning Lawyer Today
Give us a call at 602-443-4888 or contact us here. We’d love to help. Medicaid Eligibility Lawyer Paul Deloughery’s mom owned a nursing home, and Paul Deloughery was a partner in a home health agency after law school. He has a passion for helping older people and their families.
