Qualifying for Mass Health | 10 Tips from a Massachusetts Medicaid Attorney Part 1

Qualifying for long term care under the Mass Health Medicaid program requires a certain commitment to detail, and also some understanding of pitfalls in the process. At our office, we frequently counsel clients hoping to minimize the extent to which Medicaid will reduce the family’s assets. What follows are some mistakes and myths to avoid […]

What is the 5 Year Medicaid Lookback Rule? | MassHealth Eligibility for Medicaid

During the process of applying for Medicaid, Massachusetts (or whatever state applied within) will look at all of the applicant’s assets including any major transfers occurring in the past five years. If the assets are deemed countable, and if owning them would have disqualified the individual from Medicaid benefits, then the state may require the […]

Protecting the Community Spouse | Eligibility for Medicaid Pt. 2

Whenever a married individual applies for MassHealth (Medicaid), the Office of Medicaid will take a snapshot of the couple’s “countable” assets on the date the individual entered long term care. Of those assets, the non-applicant spouse (called the “Community Spouse”) is entitled to keep a portion. That portion is known as the community spouse resource […]

Spend Down Assets | Eligibility for Medicaid Pt. 1

After you have calculated how much your countable assets exceed the Medicaid allowance it is time to review with counsel some of the available spend down options. Below is a summary of some options you should expect to discuss. Purchasing Non-countable Assets One of the most useful spend down options available for couples who rent, […]