My father's income makes him not eligible for Medicaid. (SSI etc. - money he doesn't receive monthly because it goes straight to mortgage company for house payment). He has Medicare and United Healthcare. He was a veteran, but didn't actively serve during the years some home care agencies require in order to qualify for covering costs.
He CLEARLY cannot live alone anymore. He is currently in the hospital and will be going to a rehab facility in a few days but after that he will need someone to be at his home with him to help with meals, light housekeeping, laundry, groceries etc.
Contact his local Veterans Assistance Commission and they can help determine what help he would qualify for.
Just to clarify, in your profile you say your dad is 69. Is that correct? And you mention lung disease. What type of lung disease? Is it one that would make him eligible for Hospice? If so many supplies would be provided and he would get some help from a CNA 2 to 3 times a week.
If he has the funds though to pay for some help he is far better off paying for help rather than depending on Medicaid.
This is what he worked his butt off for all the years he was working....for his "retirement, his "golden years", I am sure he would rather be at home with help or in an AL facility of his choosing.
Find an AL facility he can use his funds to pay for his care. When his money runs out if he has been private pay for a while if the facility accepts Medicaid he can remain. Moving into a AL he will no longer have the expenses of a Mortgage, homeowners insurance, food, gas, electric and many other expenses. How much does it cost him to remain in the house he is in? How much is it for AL? How would you compare the two?
Oh, if you are worried about YOUR inheritance...that money is your dad's to use for his care until he dies THEN it becomes yours and anyone else your dad has chosen to benefit from his hard work.
I'll save the OP some time and tell him what his father qualifies for from the Veteran's. He may be able to get medical care from them. They will not pay for him to have homecare or for him to live in a veteran's home. Veteran's who qualify for these things served their country and took injuries and/or developed health conditions as a result of their service. They do not get simply because they did some time in the military.
My father was a WWII Navy veteran. He was onboard ship in the ocean during the war. He qualified for medical care and prescription coverage (which he did not need because he had great insurance from his job and retirement). When he had his stroke they would not pay for one day in the nursing home and no homecare either.
That's how out system works. A person has to be completely beggared then they can get services paid for by Medicaid.
If he has the money to pay for in-home care, then he is going to need to use it-- to pay for in-home care. Medicare may pay for some in home therapy--OT, PT, nursing visits for a few weeks after discharge but if he needs assistance at home, he will need to pay for it.
He can still own a home and car and get Medicaid.
If it was caused as a result of his service, then he will be eligible for some benefits. Definitely worth finding out.
I know many people prefer to age at home, and that is their choice. My Dad decided he no longer wanted the responsibility of maintaining a house so he sold his house and used the equity to pay his monthly rent at an Assisted Living facility. The facility looked like a hotel inside and out. Dad was happy as a clam being there, especially the 3 meals in the restaurant menu style dinning room. Plus being around people of his own generation.
Don't forget, Medicaid and other programs are funded by the taxpayers. Does it sound fair for the taxpayers to help pay for someone when that person is able to pay for themself? Imagine if everyone thought that way.... our taxes would got through the roof or Medicaid would shut down completely.
Just food for though.
There is no magic out there that is going to allow his care without him providing the financial contribution.
It sounds like it will be quite awhile before dad can qualify. Maybe he purchased a long term care insurance policy that he would qualify to begin to use.it?
Be proud of you dad that he did such a good job saving! He should be able to pay for the best care possible.
Another idea would be for you to provide free in home care for dad to preserve his assets for his will. However, I do not recommend that; the impact on you financially and emotionally and mentally will remain with you the rest of your life.
if you do consider an AL , make sure you select one that will take Medicaid after self pay. I found their is more options if you self pay , two and 3 years. Google care advisors, get someone local who can guide you with recommendations. I didn’t know this, when I moved my mom from her AL in another state , my mom was just short of having a year self pay . The memory care I moved her to , had a business relationship and agreed she could stay when she went on Medicaid …
You have some tough decisions to work thru. Downsizing so your dads money can work for him. My parents sold their home and moved into a mobile home …
The way my mom paid for her care is by selling her mobile home , using that and her savings .. yes would have been my inheritance…
I am 66 and how am I going to pay for my care ? It’s by using the assets I’ve worked for, since I was 15… I would love to give my assets to my children. But even more so, I don’t want them to be in the boat I was, trying to keep my mom afloat..
Ummmm - no. Why? There's no free lunch, Santa doesn't exist, and the tooth fairy has left the building.
I babysat from the time I was 13, worked summer jobs starting at 16, paid for 5 college educations including my own, worked in a factory, in a bank, in a department store, and at career jobs. Worked from age 13 and am still earning from the business I started and continue to this day. I'm caregiving my 4th loved one (5th if you count a friend I helped) with no financial compensation except what was left after my parents died. I've worked and saved all my life so that I'll have the resources I need to survive as I age. I'm old now, past the usual age of retirement, and I don't know who will physically take care of me when I need it. I'm not eligible for handouts and don't expect one. Also, I don't consider myself that unusual. But "I worked my rear off all of my life and should qualify for some sort of assistance?????" (Excuse me, I'm laughing so hard I couldn't stop hitting the question mark!) Jamers, this is the real world. You and your dad, welcome here. You have lots to learn!
My parents also worked their entire lives and had to sell their home & cash out their stocks to be able to afford Assisted Living when it became required. All elders would 'rather not pay for ALL' of their care costs, but that's why they get Social Security and Medicare benefits: to offset the costs they're paying out of pocket. #Truth
In reality, assets are what we all use to pay for what we need in life. Whether it's a vacation, stuff on Amazon, food and heat, or caregivers to come into our homes later on in life when we need help. If we don't have enough money to fund our own care, and we qualify for Medicaid, then we wind up complaining how poor the care IS with Medicaid and 'why oh why do I have to suffer THIS level of care' in the first place? And "Boy I wish I had money to pay for my OWN good care!" The continuous Catch-22 complaints of life, huh?
The best solution is to set up a consultation with a Certified Elder Care attorney which is what I did when my father broke his hip and was headed off to rehab. The advice the CELA gave me was worth its weight in gold. He had ideas I'd never even heard of.
Good luck to you.
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