Medicaid services are often vital to people who have disabling conditions. A person who has a serious disability may be unable to work. Without a job or income, getting standard health insurance could be impossible. Medicaid is available to provide coverage so the costs of managing the disabling condition are covered. Medicaid, unlike most types of insurance, can also pay for nursing home care if it is needed due to the disability. 
When a person with a disability needs Medicaid services, the disabled person and his or her family members must know the rules for getting covered. Medicaid has strict eligibility requirements in Connecticut, and you should make certain you follow the rules and help your disabled loved one to do so. This can be especially important in situations where an inheritance is being left to a person with a disability or in situations when a person with a disabling condition is going to come into any money or property through a gift or an injury settlement.
Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates knows the rules for Connecticut Medicaid and can provide assistance in helping you to ensure that you protect access to benefits for a disabled loved one in your life. Give us a call today to find out more about how a Medicaid planning lawyer can help to obtain and protect access to Medicaid services.
Helping a Loved One to Get Medicaid Services
In Connecticut, Medicaid is called Husky Healthcare. There are different kinds of Husky Healthcare. Husky C is Medicaid for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled and may be the type of Medicaid that a disabled person is eligible to receive.
To help your loved one get access to Medicaid, you should know the eligibility rules. The Connecticut Government explains how to qualify on the Husky Healthcare website. There are income limits and there are also asset limits for those who hope to qualify for Medicaid for the Aging, Blind and Disabled. If a single person has more than $1,600 in countable resources or a married couple has more than $2,400 in countable resources, the individual could be disqualified from getting covered.
The asset limits can pose a problem for disabled people who need Medicaid benefits. Sometimes, people will become disabled through an injury and will receive a substantial personal injury settlement. In other situations, parents or other relatives may want to give money or property to someone who is disabled. Such a gift could be made in a will or through estate planning, or could be made during the giver’s lifetime. In any of these situations, or if the disabled person has significant assets for any other reason, it could become impossible to get Medicaid services due to the asset limit. This would be a big problem since the disabled person may have no other access to health insurance and could have to spend a fortune each month on nursing home care and other medical care.
There are ways to make certain a disabled person can still get Medicaid services, even with a gift or an influx of money or property. If you want to help your loved one with a disability to either obtain benefits or to preserve access to benefits, you can work with a Medicaid planning lawyer at Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates to create a special needs trust.
A special needs trust allows for money and property to be owned by a trust, managed by a trustee, and used to provide for the special needs of the person who is disabled. This means that the creation of this type of trust not only makes it possible for a disabled person to get Medicaid services but the trust also helps to ensure money is managed appropriately to be used to enhance quality of life for the person with the disability.
Getting Help from A Connecticut Medicaid Planning Lawyer
Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates can provide assistance with the creation of a special needs trust and with other steps necessary to help a person with a disability to qualify for Medicaid coverage. There are strict rules for the creation of a legally valid special needs trust and strict rules regarding what the trust can be used for. You should be aware of what the limitations are regarding spending of money in special needs trust and should also follow the rules for trust creation.
To find out more, give us a call at 860-548-1000 or contact us online today. You can also download our free estate planning worksheet to learn about Medicaid planning and about how you can plan to ensure a disabled loved one is provided for.
Mr. Horowitz was awarded his Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. While attending law school, Mr. Horowitz received the American Jurisprudence Award in Legal Ethics and the Nathan Burkan Award.
After graduation from law school, Mr. Horowitz continued his legal education at New York University School of Law where he received a Post Doctorate Law Degree in Taxation. He has also recently received a national achievement award.
Mr. Horowitz is admitted to practice before all the state courts in the State of Connecticut and the United States District Court.
Mr. Horowitz was selected for Super Lawyers in 2021.
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