Can Mrs. Smith qualify for Medi-Cal owning a home worth $350,000.00?
Under current Medi-Cal regulations, a family residence is considered an “exempt asset” for purposes of qualifying an owner for long term care assistance. In other words Medi-Cal treats the home as having a zero value for qualification. Mrs. Smith can qualify for State Aid even if she owns a home (see: www.canhr.org).Mrs. Smith has “income” of $1,700.00 from social security and a pension plan – can she qualify for Medi-Cal? The answer is yes. Under Medi-Cal, Mrs. Smith is allowed to keep $35 per month in income. The difference of $1,665 (her “monthly income of $1,700.00 less $35.00) is Mrs. Smith’s “share of cost”, which will go toward to her care. If the Medi-Cal facility charges, $4,500.00/month, the state (Department of Health Service) pays $2,825/month – Mrs. Smith pays $1,665.00/month (a total of $4,500.00/month).Can the State file a lien to reimburse for Long Term Care Costs? If Mrs. Smith resides in long term care facility for 10 months and then dies, the state has a right to see
