The Public Health Emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has upended our lives in ways we could never have imagined. It has also had significant implications for Medicaid benefits in Indiana for those Indiana residents receiving Medicaid coverage at home, assisted living, and nursing homes. It is essential to consider how the end of the Public Health Emergency will affect Indiana Medicaid and its beneficiaries. One of the most significant ramifications of the end of
Many times, couples come to see me, and while one spouse is in relatively good health; the other is what I would describe as the “sick spouse”. Their situations vary tremendously depending on their age, years married, children from each side, assets, and income. However, many times the trigger that causes someone to contact the office is the declining health of one of the spouses. The cause could be natural aging or could be a
One common misconception for those who have entered a nursing home is that the home must be sold before one can attain Medicaid eligibility. This is simply not true. The home is exempt from counting as a resource for Medicaid eligibility purposes if it is the principal residence of the following: • The applicant/recipient; • The spouse of the applicant/recipient; • The parent of an applicant/recipient under age 18; • The biological or adoptive child under
Early in my legal career a person’s Last Will and Testament dictated where a person’s estate would go to and who was in charge. Today, a Last Will and Testament is still important for many issues, but the common use and practice of beneficiary designations for almost any type of property interest in Indiana can control who receives much of their estate, and not their Last Will and Testament. In Indiana, you can name a
There are different ways to handle bank accounts for estate planning purposes. If a client merely adds a Payable on Death (“POD”) designation on a bank/credit union account titled solely in the name of the client, then the beneficiary has no right to access funds or information on this account during the life of the client; however, upon the death of the client, the money will transfer automatically to the listed named beneficiary(ies) and avoids