Most Americans have received their third economic stimulus check, including many individuals on Medicaid. We thought this would be a good time to remind you of two important items when it comes to facility-based, long-term care, and stimulus checks.
1. Similar to the first two stimulus checks, as a nursing home or assisted living facility resident, you do not have to provide your check to the facility. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has made it clear these stimulus checks are for you and not your facility.
2. If you are on Medicaid, you need to spend your stimulus payment within a year, if it puts you over the Medicaid resource limit. The Social Security Administration won’t consider the stimulus as income and will exclude the payment from a Medicaid recipient’s resources for 12 months. This means if this stimulus payment pushes you over the resource limit, you’ll want to spend your money before that time frame.
If you have stimulus money you need to spend, we have a few ways you can spend your stimulus that won’t impact your eligibility for Medicaid:
- Cell phone, telephone or internet for your room
- Paying off your debt
- Television or other electronic devices
- Household goods or personal comfort items
- Clothing
- Furniture
- Medical equipment or services not covered by insurance (such as dentist or ophthalmologist)
Be careful not to use your stimulus money to purchase items that can count as a resource – such as collectibles (coins, stamps, etc.) or investments. This could impact your Medicaid eligibility.
Long-term planning and care is an important topic to us. We are here to help you strategize how to pay for the cost of long-term care while still protecting your assets. If you need a strategic partner to help you customize a plan for your situation, contact us for a free consultation.
