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Thanks for all the good info about ramps, stairlifters, etc. for my mom. The problem is I have 13 stairs inside, then outside there is another eight steps of concrete. She already lost her balance on the outside steps in 2019, and head her head on the the concrete sidewalk, she needed stitches and a hospital stay of a few days (she's on blood thinners).
I figured if a deck and ramp worked, it would eliminate the outside steps for her, and she would definitely need assistance wherever she walked, on even ground or inclines. I would have no problem paying for the deck and have her chip in for the ramp, if it's feasible.
I have an elder care attorney, he's on vacation now.
Great info on this thread about Medicare/Medicaid and the like, thanks!
You can get a stairlift for the outside stairs too (we get lots of patients with raised beach houses who have stairlifts on outside stairs) BUT it would be fairly easy and much cheaper and much more attractive IMO (180 feet of ramp, a lot of it up in the air, is going to be quite an eyesore I think as well as I walkable for her) to put a stairlift on the inside stairs and a ramp on the outside stairs. How high up is the bedroom? It seems like she could come downstairs more easily and independently with a stairlift, while the deck with ramp will get her outside to a car but not downstairs in the house.
Now I remember I asked my accountant what was going on with the 401k's in case I had something to worry about, he responded talking about legislation being sneaked in last year regarding children getting less in inheritance. That part of the changes to 401k's doesn't pertain to me if it's passed or passes, so I have no reason to call him about it. Other parts of it pertain to me, like raising the RMD age, so I'll have to keep up on what changes take place.
Yes, the RMD age was raised to 72 and RMDs were waived for 2020. There will also be a new actuarial table for RMS calculations beginning in 2022, with most people having to withdraw a 5-7% lesserer amount than the current tables.
The changes to inherited IRAs and 401ks, etc. was that anyone who inherits one of the tax deferred retirement accounts has to take the balance within 10 years after death of the decedent. Withdrawals were previously based on the age of the beneficiary.
Yes, the RMD age was raised to 72 and RMDs were waived for 2020. There will also be a new actuarial table for RMS calculations beginning in 2022, with most people having to withdraw a 5-7% lesserer amount than the current tables.
The changes to inherited IRAs and 401ks, etc. was that anyone who inherits one of the tax deferred retirement accounts has to take the balance within 10 years after death of the decedent. Withdrawals were previously based on the age of the beneficiary.
Withdrawal rules for inherited accounts are different if the beneficiary is the spouse.
Thanks for all the good info about ramps, stairlifters, etc. for my mom. The problem is I have 13 stairs inside, then outside there is another eight steps of concrete. She already lost her balance on the outside steps in 2019, and head her head on the the concrete sidewalk, she needed stitches and a hospital stay of a few days (she's on blood thinners).
I figured if a deck and ramp worked, it would eliminate the outside steps for her, and she would definitely need assistance wherever she walked, on even ground or inclines. I would have no problem paying for the deck and have her chip in for the ramp, if it's feasible.
I have an elder care attorney, he's on vacation now.
Great info on this thread about Medicare/Medicaid and the like, thanks!
Get a doctor to write a note ordering your mother to get an accommodation.
The doctors note should make it acceptable to Medicaid - outside lift- as in example.
There are different manufacturers and different solutions- find an engineer to recommend a safe solution based on your home structure as well as installer/contractor and get a quote.
It does not have to look ugly- just figure out what solution looks good for your home within reason and helps you Mom to live in your home safely without jeopardizing the Medicaid requirements.
Get a doctor to write a note ordering your mother to get an accommodation.
The doctors note should make it acceptable to Medicaid - outside lift- as in example.
There are different manufacturers and different solutions- find an engineer to recommend a safe solution based on your home structure as well as installer/contractor and get a quote.
It does not have to look ugly- just figure out what solution looks good for your home within reason and helps you Mom to live in your home safely without jeopardizing the Medicaid requirements.
Her mom isn't on Medicaid yet. She still has funds. OP is asking whether they'll get dinged in the 5 year look back when they do apply one day, if Mom gives OP however many tens of thousands for a 2nd story deck with ramp attached. They don't need a doctor's prescription for anything they are paying for privately. I personally don't think they would look keenly on OP's mom paying for a second floor deck off the bedroom, but I think they'd be fine if Mom paid for 2 stairlifts. They don't need an engineer, there are therapists and even contractors certified in this, but even so I don't see Medicaid being okay with gifting a deck and 180 or so foot ramp when they can just use stairlifts. If I were going to proceed with the deck and ramp, I'd consult an elder care attorney first who is familiar with/specializes in Medicaid look backs and estate planning.
Her mom isn't on Medicaid yet. She still has funds. OP is asking whether they'll get dinged in the 5 year look back when they do apply one day, if Mom gives OP however many tens of thousands for a 2nd story deck with ramp attached. They don't need a doctor's prescription for anything they are paying for privately. I personally don't think they would look keenly on OP's mom paying for a second floor deck off the bedroom, but I think they'd be fine if Mom paid for 2 stairlifts. They don't need an engineer, there are therapists and even contractors certified in this, but even so I don't see Medicaid being okay with gifting a deck and 180 or so foot ramp when they can just use stairlifts. If I were going to proceed with the deck and ramp, I'd consult an elder care attorney first who is familiar with/specializes in Medicaid look backs and estate planning.
Excellent post, ocnjgirl. I sure wouldn't press my luck on such an expensive outlay of funds -- and if I were so inclined, I might get more than just 1 elder care attorney's opinion.
Her mom isn't on Medicaid yet. She still has funds. OP is asking whether they'll get dinged in the 5 year look back when they do apply one day, if Mom gives OP however many tens of thousands for a 2nd story deck with ramp attached. They don't need a doctor's prescription for anything they are paying for privately. I personally don't think they would look keenly on OP's mom paying for a second floor deck off the bedroom, but I think they'd be fine if Mom paid for 2 stairlifts. They don't need an engineer, there are therapists and even contractors certified in this, but even so I don't see Medicaid being okay with gifting a deck and 180 or so foot ramp when they can just use stairlifts. If I were going to proceed with the deck and ramp, I'd consult an elder care attorney first who is familiar with/specializes in Medicaid look backs and estate planning.
A stairlift is a home improvement. You can spend whatever you want on home improvement. What the audit is looking for is gifts and fraud.
I just went through a 2 year lookback in Connecticut. My mother had finally run out of money and she needed to be shifted to a state cash assistance program that has a 2 year lookback. They wanted an explanation for any expense over $500 that wasn’t an obvious monthly check written to the memory care facility. I’d been reimbursing myself monthly for incidental expenses like adult diapers, bathroom items, and clothing but stayed under $500. The state didn’t care about that since it was small money. If she has to move to skilled nursing, I’ll have the same process again for a 5 year lookback. I had private cash employees at ~ $20k/year looking in on my mother when she was in assisted living. She’s now been in memory care for 3 years, 3 months so the incredible hassle of explaining that is quickly aging out.
I feel people need spend their own assets before taking Social Security since it's an insurance program funded by taxpayers. Just because it's legal, doesn't make it right
I feel those with kids should pay out of pocket for their kids education before using the free Public School system at taxpayer expense too. Just because it's legal doesn't make it right (borrowed from another poster)
Maybe we should all be respectful to the OP and start a new thread instead of hyjacking this one with all of our personal hangups and grips.
You clearly have absolutely no understanding of how social security works or the purpose of public education, from that ^^^ post. To suggest that either program is REMOTELY similar to Medicaid -- which is meant to cover the poorest among us -- is breathtakingly stupid. (Note, I am NOT calling you stupid -- just your comparison.)
Clearly you are disappointed that you may not get an inheritance because, g-d forbid, your parents have to spend their own money on their own care, leaving less for you. OR you may GET an inheritance but actually have to pay taxes on it, since your parent(s) did not have to pay taxes on the money when they set it aside. Again: the sense of entitlement is rather breathtaking.
A stairlift is a home improvement. You can spend whatever you want on home improvement. What the audit is looking for is gifts and fraud.
I just went through a 2 year lookback in Connecticut. My mother had finally run out of money and she needed to be shifted to a state cash assistance program that has a 2 year lookback. They wanted an explanation for any expense over $500 that wasn’t an obvious monthly check written to the memory care facility. I’d been reimbursing myself monthly for incidental expenses like adult diapers, bathroom items, and clothing but stayed under $500. The state didn’t care about that since it was small money. If she has to move to skilled nursing, I’ll have the same process again for a 5 year lookback. I had private cash employees at ~ $20k/year looking in on my mother when she was in assisted living. She’s now been in memory care for 3 years, 3 months so the incredible hassle of explaining that is quickly aging out.
It's home improvement if it's her home, but it's not, it's daughter's home. Paying for home improvements in someone else's home even if you live there is giving them a gift. I said in every post the stairlift would be fine. But OP doesn't want a stairlift, she wants to put a deck off the second story bedroom where mom stays, then put in a ramp connecting that second story deck to the ground so they can get her to a car I guess. But because of the ratio required, a ramp for a 15-foot high deck would need to be 180 feet long. Between the deck and ramp she is looking at $30,000 to over $50,000 (or more with the lumber shortage right now), which mom offered to pay for. While the stairlifts combined (one inside/one outside) would be $5000-$10,000 at most. THAT I think Medicaid would be fine with, and it makes the most sense since the deck/ramp combo can only get mom outside, not to the first floor of the house, while the stairlifts would do both. I don't think you can tell Medicaid it was medically necessary to have mom pay for a deck outside the bedroom of daughter's house.
I understand the process, my mother was in her ALF on Medicaid for the last 6 of the 9 years she was there.
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