Families preparing for the Arizona Long Term Care System (ALTCS) often look for the most affordable way of getting help. Many incorrectly believe that a document preparer is cheaper than an attorney. While we strongly agree that cost is an important factor to consider, there are many additional factors to think about when looking for assistance with the ALTCS program. The Arizona Code of Judicial Administration § 7-208 (A) defines a legal document preparer as “an individual or business entity certified to prepare or provide legal documents, without the supervision of an attorney, for an entity or a member of
Archive for the ‘Right to the Point’ Category
Why Use an Arizona Attorney Over a Document Preparer?
14 May 2012 by admin | ALTCS, Right to the Point | Comments offReverse Mortgages & ALTCS
6 April 2012 by admin | ALTCS, Right to the Point | Comments offWhat is a Reverse Mortgage? A reverse mortgage is a special type of mortgage which allows a homeowner (aged 62 or over) to borrow against the value of their home. Loan proceeds are received according to the payment plan selected. This can vary significantly from policy to policy. Unlike traditional mortgages or home equity loans, no repayment of the reverse mortgage is required until the owner no longer occupies the home as a principal residence. At the time, the loan, including interests and all costs is due and payable, usually by the sale of the home. Reverse Mortgage impact on
Screening Your ALTCS Patients Before Applying
9 March 2012 by admin | Right to the Point | Comments offHas your client been DENIED ALTCS? Currently over 73% of all ALTCS applications are denied. Many of these denials mean serious revenue lost to families and facilities. Are you doing enough to help your clients properly prepare for their ALTCS application? The Elder Care Advisors at JacksonWhite talk a lot about proper “prescreening.” Making a point to prescreen ALL ALTCS applications prior to submitting them to ALTCS would help uncover a lot of issues that can be resolved prior to application- saving you a lot of time, energy and money. We have found that many of the prescreens we do,
Avoid Medicaid Fraud in Arizona
9 February 2012 by admin | ALTCS, Right to the Point | Comments offAs responsible stewards of the ALTCS dollars, it is all of our responsibility to make sure that the program dollars are being utilized correctly. It is also important that we are advocates, and give correct information and access to services to our clients utilizing the ALTCS program. Understanding and watching for Medicaid Fraud is an important part of our responsibility. The False Claim Act is a federal statute which prohibits the defrauding of federally funded programs. Under the False Claim Act severe civil penalties are given to anybody who commits Medicaid fraud. Any person who makes a false claim to
New 2012 ALTCS Numbers
10 January 2012 by admin | ALTCS, Right to the Point | Comments offThe ALTCS financial requirements are quite complex and it is not uncommon for applicants to struggle with this portion of the eligibility process. Many applicants reach out to professionals, like the JacksonWhite Elder Law Department to help them arrange their financial affairs. Every 6 months the ALTCS financial requirements are evaluated. Effective January 1, 2012, there have been a few changes to note. ALTCS Financial Requirements*: Monthly Income Limit for an Individual $2,094 Resource Limit for an Individual $2,000 Maximum Community Spouse Resource Allowance $113,640 Minimum Community Spouse Resource Allowance $22,728 Maximum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance $2,841 Minimum Monthly Maintenance
Coordinating ALTCS and VA Income
1 December 2011 by admin | ALTCS, Right to the Point, Veterans | Comments offWhen applying for ALTCS, the state mandates that an applicant must apply for any benefit they may be entitled to, in order to ensure that ALTCS is always payor of last resort. This means veterans or widowed spouses of veterans, are told they must also apply for VA benefits when they go through the ALTCS application process. Oftentimes, three to four months after eligibility for ALTCS occurs, recipients start receiving new income from newly acquired VA Wartime Pension and/or Aid & Attendance. If an ALTCS recipient is awarded Wartime Pension, plus Aid & Attendance, and as a result is over
Passing the Arizona Medicaid PAS
7 September 2011 by twhite | ALTCS, Right to the Point | No CommentsALTCS Blog 13 Qualifying for ALTCS, the branch of Arizona Medicaid that provides long-term healthcare coverage, can be a difficult task, particularly if you have to arrange your finances to prepare for the application. If you have to engage in ALTCS planning to bring your assets or income below the allowable threshold, for instance, it can take months or even years to prepare yourself for ALTCS Medicaid. Wouldn’t it be disappointing if after this ALTCS planning, you still did not qualify for ALTCS Medicaid because you did not meet the medical requirements? As important as the ALTCS medical requirements
True or False: AHCCCS No Longer Covers Medicare Part B Premiums
19 August 2011 by admin | ALTCS, Medicare, Right to the Point | Comments offUpdate on Medicare Part B Premiums You may have heard that as of October 1, 2011, AHCCCS will no longer cover Medicare Part B Premiums for certain ALTCS members. Once this goes into effect, approximately 10,000 ALTCS members will be affected. It is important to anticipate the fact that these members will receive a notice at the end of September advising them that AHCCCS will no longer pay for their Medicare Part B premiums. As you can see, this notification letter will raise some questions and concerns for your patients and/or residents. If the recipient is eligible for another AHCCCS
Spend down refresher
31 July 2011 by twhite | ALTCS, Right to the Point | No CommentsAlthough you must meet strict resource requirements to qualify for Arizona Medicaid, an ALTCS attorney might be able to help. If you are single, this means that you can have no more than $2,000 in countable assets. If you are married and applying for Arizona Medicaid with your spouse you can have no more than $3,000 in countable assets. And, if you are married, but applying for Arizona Medicaid alone, then specific rules apply, under which your spouse is allowed to keep at least a portion of the marital assets. If your assets exceed the resource limit then you might
Medicaid Home & Community Based Services
11 July 2011 by twhite | ALTCS, Alzheimer's and Memory Care, Right to the Point, Senior News | No CommentsThe ALTCS benefit provides a continuum of benefits to those who qualify. And contrary to common misconception, the benefit covers services beyond those offered in a nursing facility or assisted living center. Rather, through the ALTCS program, Arizona Medicaid provides Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) to individuals right in their home. The idea here is that by receiving care in the home, people can stay healthy longer and perhaps even avoid nursing home care altogether. One issue that sometimes arises with HCBS recipients, however, is that their well spouse becomes overwhelmed with caregiving responsibilities. As much as a well
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