Medicaid Qualification

Today I’d like to talk about Medicaid Qualification. Most people when they think of qualifying for Medicaid assistance, they think about the financial aspect of it. Whether or not they have to spend down all of their assets or what things they can do to help protect their assets from the Medicaid spend-down. But really, before we can even talk about the financial aspect of Medicaid Application we need to look at does the person qualify functionally for Medicaid Assistance. What that means is, there are six Activities of Daily Living (ADL) that Medicaid looks at. Those are:
• Eating
• Dressing
• Bathing
• Transferring
• Mobility
• Toileting
Now, does a person need assistance in at least two of those Activities of Daily Living (ADL)? If they do, if they have a deficit and they need a certain level of care then they can qualify functionally for Medicaid. The other two aspects are:
1. Are there behavioral assistance that they need? Do they need supervision from someone because of the behaviors that they exhibit?
2. Also, if someone has a cognitive or mental deficiency then they can qualify as well, without any other need for any assistance with any of the other ADLs. So, cognition and behavior can trump everything when looking at qualifying functionally for Medicaid.

If you have more questions, grab our free report on our website title, “Setting The Stage for Medicaid Eligibility“, contact us!

Author Bio

Catherine Hammond is the CEO and founder of Hammond Law Group, a Colorado-based estate planning law firm she founded in 2005. With a strong focus on protecting families from the legal consequences of disability and death, she creates comprehensive estate plans that minimize taxes, costs, and government interference.

A native of Denver, Catherine completed her undergraduate studies at Coe College in Iowa, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver College of Law in 1993, concentrating on estate planning, tax, and mediation. Catherine is a member of various professional organizations, including WealthCounsel, ElderCounsel, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Colorado Springs Estate Planning Council, and the Purposeful Planning Institute. Beyond her legal expertise, Catherine provides transformational coaching to support clients and their families through life transitions.

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