Does being on Medicaid hurt?

[dgray623]

I have been reading the forums and need to see if I am understanding some thing correctly.

If the veteran is on Medicaid and needs to go into an assisted living facility does this acually hurt his chances or decrease the income that he could receive from the Aids and Attendance program?
If so, why?

[VictoriaC]

A person who is not on Medicaid but is getting VA A&A will get from $0 to the maximum allowable based on their own income and health care expenses.  When the person goes on Medicaid, the VA A&A is generally reduced to $90.  The typical reason was that the A&A replaced the personal needs allowance a person was permitted to keep when on Medicaid (usually between $25-50 depending on what state you are in) when living in nursing homes.  I have heard that in some states the amount is not reduced to $90 but the attorney could not explain to me why (either the nursing homes weren't reporting the Medicaid to the VA or the state has an agreement with the VA).

Not all states allow people to get Medicaid in assisted living facilities.  Thus, you would want to check with your state specific rules.  Also, if the veteran has a spouse, they can usually keep more than $90 if the spouse is dependant on the veteran.

[friend]

Assisted Living and Nursing Home are two different animals in many states,  Medicaid reimburses differently for each,  a rest home is also different,  you may want to talk to an elder law attorney.