WAEstate

Estate Planning | Making a Difference One Family at a Time

An Estate Planning Law Firm
Making a Difference One Family at a Time

Call Now: (860) 548-1000

Attend a Free Seminar
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Meet Our Team
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Loss of a Loved One
    • Pet Planning
    • Powers of Attorney
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration and Probate
    • Veterans Benefits
  • Elder Law
    • Alzheimer’s Disease
    • Caregiver Information
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Glastonbury Elder Law Resources
    • Estate Planning Articles
    • Estate Planning Checkup
    • Estate Planning Definitions
    • Estate Planning Presentations
    • Estate Planning Seminars
    • Estate Planning Techniques
    • FREE Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Elder Law & Medicaid
      • Estate Planning FAQs
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Legacy Wealth Planning FAQs
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning FAQs
      • Medicaid Planning FAQs
      • Probate FAQs
      • Trust Administration & Probate FAQs
    • Newsletters
    • Probate Resources
      • Probate Resources
    • Published Books
    • Reports
      • Advanced Estate Planning
      • Basic Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning for Niches
      • Trust Administration
  • Seminars
  • Communities We Serve
    • Fairfield County
      • Darien
      • Stamford
    • Hartford County
      • Avon
      • Hartford
      • Simsbury
      • West Hartford
    • Litchfield County
      • Watertown
    • Middlesex County
      • Middletown
      • Old Saybrook
    • New Haven County
      • Middlebury
      • New Haven
    • New London County
      • Groton
      • Old Lyme
      • Stonington
    • Tolland County
      • Mansfield
    • Windham County
      • Woodstock
  • REVIEW US
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

What is Custodial Care and Why Does it Matter?

September 19, 2017 by Jeffrey A. Nirenstein

Glastonbury Medicaid attorneys will help you to take steps to make certain that you can get essential healthcare services covered. For many people who are getting older or who are affected by illness or disability, the need for medical services and caregiving help is substantial. Unfortunately, the costs of many important types of care can be very high and not all care that you may need is covered by insurance, even if you have Medicare. Glastonbury Medicaid Attorney

Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates will assist you in understanding coverage rules for the different kinds of care that you may come to require as you get older, if you get sick or if you get hurt.

In particular, our Glastonbury Medicaid attorneys will help you to understand a specific kind of care – called custodial care – and will assist you in making sure you can get this important care paid for. Give us a call if you want help getting your care costs covered, or if you have concerns about the kinds of care that you may need as you get older.

What is Custodial Care?

Custodial care is a specific kind of care that is provided in a nursing home or that is provided by long-term care providers who come to your home, such as nursing aides. Custodial care is defined by Medicare to include help with routine activities of daily living. Some examples that Medicare gives include caregivers helping with things like showering, bathing, or getting dressed. If you cannot do these basic life activities on your own, then you need custodial care.

Custodial care also encompasses basic healthcare needs which most people handle on their own. For example, Medicare explains that putting in eye drops is a type of custodial care. This kind of care is considered custodial care because people don’t go to the doctor or get a skilled nurse to put in eye drops; they simply do it on their own.

Custodial care is distinct from skilled nursing care. Skilled nursing care is care which must be provided by someone with some medical training, like a doctor or a registered nurse. Changing surgical bandages following a medical procedure is an example of skilled nursing care because not anyone can do this task and because changing surgical bandages isn’t a routine activity that most people do in their daily lives.

Why Does it Matter if Care is Considered to be Custodial Care?

It is important to understand the difference between skilled nursing care and custodial care because Medicare – and most insurance policies – cover one type of care but not the other. Under appropriate circumstances, Medicare will pay for you to receive skilled nursing care for a limited period of time. However, Medicare will never pay for custodial care under any circumstances, or for any length of time, if custodial care is the only kind of care that is required.

Medigap, Medicare Advantage policies, and private policies also typically won’t pay for custodial care. If you want an insurance policy that covers this kind of care, you would have to buy long-term care insurance. And, unfortunately, many of the long-term care policies that are sold are prohibitively costly and have limitations on coverage – such as restrictions on eligibility and capped daily payment rates for services – which make the policies ineffective at actually covering the costs of custodial care.

Since most insurers won’t cover custodial care, either provided at home or provided in a nursing home, those who need this kind of care could be in a difficult position. If you can qualify for Medicaid, Medicaid will pay for your custodial care when you need it. However, Medicaid has strict limits on the amount of assets you are allowed to own while becoming eligible for benefits. This forces many people to spend their own money on nursing home, thus losing the chance to leave a legacy. Only after you’ve become impoverished will Medicare kick in to pay for custodial care.

Getting Help from Glastonbury Medicaid Attorneys

It is important to understand the problems associated with getting custodial care covered, because there is something you can do to solve the problem. You can work with Glastonbury Medicaid attorneys at Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates to make a Medicaid plan so you can get Medicaid coverage when you need it without having to impoverish yourself first.

You should join us for a free seminar to find out about how Medicaid planning works and about what making a Medicaid plan involves. When you are ready to make your personalized plan to keep your assets safe, you can reach out to Nirenstein, Horowitz & Associates for help. Just give us a call at 860-548-1000 or contact us online to talk with a member of our legal team and put your plan in place.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Hartford veterans aid planning
Are You Getting All the Benefits You Deserve as a Veteran?
irrevocable trust
Why Do You Need an Irrevocable Trust?
protect assets from nursing home
How Can I Protect My Assets From Nursing Home Care?
medicaid attorneys
What Can Medicaid Attorneys Do To Help You Cover Healthcare Costs as a Senior?
Westport estate planning lawyers
Why Parents Need Help from Westport Estate Planning Lawyers
Glastonbury estate planning attorneys
Glastonbury Estate Planning Attorneys Explain Common Types of Estate Planning Tools

Download our free estate planning worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Testimonials

All of the staff were extremely professional & attentive and helped us navigate through the estate planning process with ease. As a result, we have piece of mind, as well as a clear step by step process to follow in the future. The take-home binder is an added bonus, and I know we will use it as a resource.
MS
We are very pleased with the service we have received. The staff has been very helpful, professional & cordial. It has given us peace of mind to work on the estate planning. All of the information received has been very helpful.
ERM
Process was clear and concise. An important factor was to attend the seminar. The Review was thorough with detailed information, punctuated by reassurances that the firm can always be contacted. We would recommend this firm.
MM
This is a very difficult problem to face.- These people were a great help to us. They explained these matters clearly, professionally and kindly- My family will have an easier time dealing with this stuff. Now I can die in peace. The less of my estate the government gets, the better.
-B.C. & M.C.
Very satisfied from the day of the seminar to when the trust took effect. All our questions were answered and any further questions we might have are only a phone call away. We will recommend this to all our family and friends.
B. T.
Efficient, clear and helpful communication; clearly knowledgeable and an expert in estate planning and assisting clients; hospitable office staff; easy location to access; would definitely recommend to others interested in exploring and establishing trusts.
S.J.B.

Blog Subscription

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Upcoming Seminars

  • ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR
    • Figaro Restaurant
    • Enfield
    • Tuesday, December 10, 2019
  • ESTATE PLANNING SEMINAR
    • Aqua Turf Country Club
    • SOUTHINGTON
    • Wednesday, December 11, 2019

See all seminars

Sign up for Newsletter

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

WESTPORT OFFICE

191 Post Road West
Westport, CT 06880
Phone: (860) 548-1000
Fax: (860) 761-1070
preserveyourestate_sidbr_map

Somerset Square

200 Glastonbury Boulevard, Suite 202
Glastonbury, CT 06033-4418
Phone: (860) 548-1000
Fax: (860) 761-1070
preserveyourestate_sidbr1_map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
footer-logo
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. The information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys

© 2019 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.