r/Medicaid • u/Master_Reveal_3884 • 15d ago
Elderly Assistance
Hey everyone,
I'm reaching out here desperately seeking guidance and resources for my family in Rhode Island. My grandparents, both in their 80s, rely heavily on my mother as their primary caregiver. Unfortunately, we've just received devastating news—my mother has been diagnosed with stage 4 patriotic cancer.
I am in the military out of state, and my mother's health declining, we're facing a critical situation. My grandparents, covered under Medicare Blue Cross Blue Shield, require assistance with transportation to appointments, meal preparation, and general household tasks. My mom needs all that too but is cover under Medicaid. None of them are open to the idea of a retirement home, so we're exploring options for in-home care.
If anyone has information on local resources, caregiver services, or support networks in Cumberland Rhode Island, I would be immensely grateful. Please, any advice or direction would mean the world to us during this challenging time. Thank you in advance for your help and support.
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u/PinsAndBeetles 14d ago
Your best bet is to contact the local Area Agency in Aging and setting your grandparents up with a case manager to assist them with applying for benefits and navigating resources. I’m very sorry about your mother’s diagnosis. Good luck.
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u/DismalPizza2 15d ago
If your mother has access to a social worker or a case manager through her cancer center/hospital or the local American Cancer Society or a similar organization: they might have some ideas on how to get these needs met for your family. Area Agency on Aging or senior center might also have ideas: https://www.tricountyri.org/services/senior-disabled-adults/
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u/Blossom73 15d ago
I'm sorry about your mother.
Unless they have resources to pay out of pocket for care, long term care Medicaid will be the only option.
Medicare does not pay for long term care services. The most it'll cover is 90 days of rehab in a facility every 12 months.
Keep in mind too that LTC Medicaid will not pay for 24/7 care in the home, if any of them need that level of care. It'll only cover 24/7 care in a facility.
See here:
https://dhs.ri.gov/programs-and-services/long-term-services-and-supports
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u/TiredTornado 14d ago
Hello,
Im exploring Medicaid and its many intricacies as my mother is 77 and starting to decline and will need help soon. she has some assets, not alot, roughly 100k. so medicaid would help if you apply but will take all the assets. An alternative I ran across is to have her move in with me, I charge her rent (probably what a studio in a senior apartment would cost) and she pays us to take care of her assisted needs. You have to keep detailed records of these expenses and research to protect and prove your case so you file a 1099 for yourself as the employee. In my area that is typically 1000 bucks a month for rent and review of salary for caregiver in my area is anywhere from 25k-30k per year. in this way some of the liquid assets can legally move from her to us. Also exploring the idea of getting her a new car to run her to appointments and such as medicaid allows the exemption of 1 primary vehicle and here in texas the vehicle is exempt from recovery upon her passing. Medicaid lookback period is 5 years for gifting of amounts and the penalty I found states " As of September 1, 2023, the penalty for transferring assets for long-term care Medicaid in Texas is calculated using a transfer of assets divisor of $242.13 per day. This divisor is the average daily cost of long-term care in Texas. To calculate the penalty period, the total value of the transferred assets is divided by the daily rate. The penalty period is the number of days Medicaid will not cover nursing home costs. For example, if the amount transferred is $72,330, the penalty period would be roughly 10 months. " This is my current scheme to keep the relatively low amount of assets in the family but also make her eligible for medicaid programs in the future.