Must an applicants home be sold to qualify for ALTCS/Medicaid?
No. An ALTCS recipient is entitled to retain his or her home, so long as he or she intends to return home. The intent to return home is established by simply checking the appropriate space on the ALTCS application, so only the uninformed are confronted with having to dispose of their homes in order to receive benefits. And if the ALTCS recipient has a spouse or disabled child living in the home, it is not even necessary to check the appropriate box on the application form. None of this guarantees the security of the home; the ALTCS beneficiary may not be permitted to retain enough income to pay for upkeep, repairs or even taxes on the home, and the state may have a claim for reimbursement after his or her death. Still, it can be of considerable comfort to an ALTCS applicant (and his or her spouse) to know that neither ALTCS nor the nursing home can compel the sale of the recipients home in order to qualify for benefits.
Related Questions
- If a client is entering a nursing home, can they transfer assets in order to qualify for Medicaid? Can they gift a home to a child or must they sell it?
- Can an ALTCS/Medicaid applicant purchase a new home, car, home furnishings or prepaid burial arrangements?
- Must an applicants home be sold to qualify for ALTCS/Medicaid?
