Elder Law Answers
Can I Transfer Mom's Life Insurance to Help Her Qualify for Medicaid?
The nursing home has initiated a Medicaid application for my mother but I have not yet been contacted. Her life insurance...
Read moreDoes Nursing Home Need to Know How I Spend Mom's Check?
- May 14th, 2024
Q
After my mother has been living in a nursing home for a year, the nursing home just asked me to provide receipts for how I spend my mother's $60 a month allotment from her Social Security check. They say it has always been a government requirement. I am her guardian and have never heard of this in the state of Texas. Has anyone heard of this or is this a rule this facility has made up?
A
You are asking about your mother’s "personal needs allowance," one of the allowable exceptions to the basic Medicaid rule that all income must be paid to the nursing home (the amount a nursing home resident may keep may be somewhat higher or lower than $60 a month, depending on the state). You may be required to account for how this money is spent.
As guardian, state guardianship law requires you to account for your spending. Also, if you are representative payee for your mother, the Social Security Administration may also require an accounting. It is not clear how either would relate to the nursing home or Medicaid coverage of your mother’s care there. But, of course, every state is different.
Find more information about guardianship in this article.
Read more about how Medicaid treats income.
You also can look up the personal needs allowance in your state here.
Last Modified: 05/14/2024