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Been there. When my late spouse became disabled, after trying in-home care for a while, I placed her into an Assisted Living facility. I paid $6500 a month out-of-pocket. She had been denied any sort of Life or LTC insurance due to her condition being considered pre-existing. Her SSDI was deposited into our joint checking account, which is what I paid the bills out of.
This happened right after the recession hit, around 2008, so I also was also providing housing for my parents and two unemployed siblings, none of whom had a place to live otherwise.
I was still working so she was covered under my health insurance policy for medical care and under Medicare Part B for prescriptions, although one had a monthly co-pay of $1000 that I had to pay out-of-pocket. I took a second part-time job delivering newspapers for some extra income.
As I burned through everything we had, all of our savings and her 401K, I had to start cutting expenses to afford the out-of-pocket expenses. I stopped paying the mortgage and car payment. I cut all of the utilities to the bare minimum, eventually cutting the cable/internet and electricity.
I had to retain an attorney to help get her qualified for Medicaid. Just as we received the approval for Medicaid, I was forced out of the house due to foreclosure, and the car was repossessed.
My parents were able to move into an apartment, so I moved in with them. With the attorney's approval, I stopped paying for the Assisted Living. It took over a year for suitable Nursing Home facility to be located in a completely different part of the state. She moved over in late 2009. I was immediately sued for the outstanding balance from the Assisted Living facility of around $150,000. In 2010, I lost my job due to a lay-off.
Cases like this make the "less Socialist" American system appear foul compared with Northwestern European systems.
He is already getting $1,640/month from the VA for assistance with his ALF.
No mention of any health insurance from either one of their employers.
I can't help thinking that, while they are in a bind, this is a bit sensationalized.
I did not read the article but from these two excerpts you posted, if this woman's husband is receiving $1640/month from the VA which is utilized to help fund his ALF, that money either comes from an Aid & Attendance stipend or a service connected disability pension. Either case, if he receives money from the VA than he is an eligible Veteran and can also receive all this healthcare from the VA. And being a Veteran service connected disabled or not, he would be eligible to obtain residency in a state funded federally subsidized Veteran's long term care facility, and if no beds available often times Veterans are placed in private facilities under indefinite VA contracts.
Additionally, several years back the VA began a very aggressive homelessness reduction initiative and I work with the physician who started this program. Each VA now has a walk-in clinic for just this purpose that provides all kinds of services including food and stipends for food, clothing, and other necessities. And although those who staff these clinics do outreach in the communities, most Veterans and their families have to take the initiative to access these services at the clinic which is far easier than jumping into a dumpster to source your next meal.
Again I admit I did not read the article, but what you shared is most definitely sensationalized which no doubt was the intent of the writer but he/she really dropped the BS bomb when they chose to include the VA in it. And I might add, unless this woman lives in the middle of nowhere were there is limited access to services; with so many food banks, soup kitchens, meal sites, churches, etc. that provide no cost or low cost food to those in need there is no reason for this woman to be eating out of a dumpster. And I have no doubt that the ALF where this woman's husband resides knew she was eating out of a dumpster they would feed her too!!
There are many gaps in the story. Not saying she's not in hardship, but it didn't all jibe with me.
Then use it as a "thought piece". Do you really think there isn't SOMEONE in the entire country that's not essentially in this kind of situation. Whether or not you can discount this particular case is irrelevant.
I did not read the article but from these two excerpts you posted, if this woman's husband is receiving $1640/month from the VA which is utilized to help fund his ALF, that money either comes from an Aid & Attendance stipend or a service connected disability pension. Either case, if he receives money from the VA than he is an eligible Veteran and can also receive all this healthcare from the VA. And being a Veteran service connected disabled or not, he would be eligible to obtain residency in a state funded federally subsidized Veteran's long term care facility, and if no beds available often times Veterans are placed in private facilities under indefinite VA contracts.
Additionally, several years back the VA began a very aggressive homelessness reduction initiative and I work with the physician who started this program. Each VA now has a walk-in clinic for just this purpose that provides all kinds of services including food and stipends for food, clothing, and other necessities. And although those who staff these clinics do outreach in the communities, most Veterans and their families have to take the initiative to access these services at the clinic which is far easier than jumping into a dumpster to source your next meal.
Again I admit I did not read the article, but what you shared is most definitely sensationalized which no doubt was the intent of the writer but he/she really dropped the BS bomb when they chose to include the VA in it. And I might add, unless this woman lives in the middle of nowhere were there is limited access to services; with so many food banks, soup kitchens, meal sites, churches, etc. that provide no cost or low cost food to those in need there is no reason for this woman to be eating out of a dumpster. And I have no doubt that the ALF where this woman's husband resides knew she was eating out of a dumpster they would feed her too!!
I was thinking the same thing. She does get Aid and Attendance. Here in Texas the state has several veterans homes that are very reasonable and very nice. Heck - that is where I will go if that day ever gets here. And they don't take all of your money either. Maybe with this article she will get on the right path.
But then, maybe she doesn't really want help? Reminds me of the story they had about a homeless guy waiting out the hurricane under a bridge. They made it sound like he was stuck there, but he finally said he didn't want to go to the shelters cuz he couldn't smoke or drink there.
In the picture there is a cart next to the dumpster. It seems like the store puts out the veggies that they can't sell on the cart and let people go through them.
She takes the items she finds to the food bank.
I help distribute at our monthly food bank. Sometimes the vegetables we get have to be discarded because they are moldy. Not a lot but some.
In the picture there is a cart next to the dumpster. It seems like the store puts out the veggies that they can't sell on the cart and let people go through them.
She takes the items she finds to the food bank.
I help distribute at our monthly food bank. Sometimes the vegetables we get have to be discarded because they are moldy. Not a lot but some.
even the caption under the dumpster eating picture says "dumpster area". Sure maybe not the ideal place, but heck, there are groups in NYC that eat like this and they are not in need. They just do it to make a point about all the waste that goes on. I forget what they call themselves - maybe Freegans?
freegan
a person who rejects consumerism and seeks to help the environment by reducing waste, especially by retrieving and using discarded food and other goods
This was posted on Bernie Sanders' Facebook page, so take it with a grain salt. With that said, it is a bit misleading as well, as the woman does have surplus income she is saving up for the husband's eventual transition into more intensive treatment as the severity of his Alzheimer's increases.
Currently, the man is in an ALF, although will have to go to a nursing home as the illness progresses. Medicaid does not pay for this care, and they are way above the income threshold for Medicaid currently. Idaho did not expand Medicaid. He is already getting $1,640/month from the VA for assistance with his ALF, and $4,300/month between his pensions, disability, and SS. She sold her business at a loss to care for the husband - presumably at home at the time.
I read over the finance portion of this article a few times, and there are more gaps appearing. There is no mention of any private savings. No mention of Medicare - only Medicaid. She did have a business - sold at a loss. Provided the business was profitable, it sounds like she'd have been better off keeping it. No mention of any health insurance from either one of their employers. It appears they have other debt.
I can't help thinking that, while they are in a bind, this is a bit sensationalized.
idaho has some medicaid benefits for alf . in fact 43 states offer some medicaid benefit for alf . some medicaid planning could get them down to a level that may work .
Idaho
Idaho Medicaid provides two programs that pay for participants' personal care regardless of the location in which they reside (at home or in assisted living) provided they do not live in a nursing home. These programs are the
HCBS Aged & Disabled Waiver and the Personal Care Services Program.
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