Medicaid is a needs-based, means-tested, medical insurance program that benefits millions of Americans.
Whether you should complete an application by yourself, or hire an experienced attorney depends on the answers to some of the following questions:
- What is the age of the person you are applying for?
- How complex is the applicant’s portfolio of accounts (currently and over the past five years)?
- How busy are you?
Generally speaking, for those who are under the age of 65 and do not need some form of long-term care (whether it be a nursing home or in-home care), but are rather seeking health benefits, eligibility is mostly based on income. This type of Medicaid is commonly referred to as “New Jersey Family Care.” Most applicants applying for New Jersey Family Care do not need assistance with applications.
However, for those who are above the age of 65, or are blind or disabled, and need nursing home care, eligibility is based on meeting stringent medical and financial qualifications. To determine eligibility, the county agency will look at resources, income, and all transfers over the last five (5) years.
Most of the time, submitting an application without an attorney’s assistance is not a good idea. This is because these applications are highly scrutinized and take a long time to process. By the time a decision is made on your loved one’s case, months may go by. As such, one mistake may cost months of eligibility.
At Hynes Law Group, we offer assistance with all types of Medicaid applications. We can also help to create a plan to qualify your loved one for Medicaid as soon as possible, and strive to save assets along the way when possible.
To schedule a free 15-20 minute consult to determine if we can help you or a loved one plan for or apply for Medicaid, please click on the “contact us” tab or call the number above.