Community Spouse Planning

It is hard enough when a loved one has to enter a nursing home. The family dynamics change and the well spouse, (the community spouse), also has to adjust to living alone. When applying for Medicaid benefits, the “community spouse” is the spouse of the Medicaid applicant.

To qualify as a community spouse, you must be the husband or wife of a person who is going to be residing in a medical institution or nursing facility. The person residing in that institution should likely remain in such a facility for a period of at least 30 executive days.

When a married person applies for Medicaid, the government looks at the pooled resources of the two to determine whether one of the two spouses is eligible for Medicaid. The countable assets that are looked at to determine eligibility vary from state to state and year to year. It is important to make sure that you go to an attorney who is up to date with the changes in the law so you can be afforded the best possible help.

Since the well spouse is also going through a difficult time adjusting to a new living situation without his or her partner, it is important to keep in mind that with proper planning, the well spouse can maintain his or her standard of living.