On average, twice per month we receive a phone call from a potential client who says, “the nursing home told me that all I need is a ……” Most often, all they think they need is a QIT. Many qualified Elder Law Attorneys resist performing this service “by itself” or “as a stand-alone service” for the simple reason that some nursing homes think about getting a patient qualified for Medicaid so they can get paid, they do not understand, or perhaps care, about whether the family will wind up losing the entire estate to Medicaid Estate Recovery.
The other reason we resist this is because we know that Medicaid eligibility forms are deceptively simple to fill out and the personnel who review them are paid to find reasons to deny eligibility. So, we usually want to provide a thorough review of the financial standing and history, going back five years, of both the applicant and their spouse to make sure that eligibility can be achieved and all potential issues are dealt with in the best interest of the applicant/client.
So, when looking for help with obtaining Medicaid eligibility for nursing home care for a loved one, it is a best practice to use a qualified Elder Law Attorney with specific experience and a track record of obtaining Medicaid eligibility approvals and preventing loss of an estate to Medicaid Estate Recovery.