Medicaid and spend down/ insurance policies

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Medicaid and spend down/ insurance policies Expand / Collapse
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Posted 8/23/2008 2:20:29 PM
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When my father went in the nursing home, we went into a spend down mode for eventual conversion to Medicaid.  The nursing home told me that i could keep all my receipts with documentation of expenses incurred for the times that I traveled To NC to take care of my father's affairs.  I live in the state of Louisiana.  I was told that my plane tickets, rental cars, gas etc could be considered okay for spend down requirements because they were directly related to taking care of my father's business (going to banks, lawyer, moving all items out of apartment, etc)  I subsequently kept detailed records and just put plane tickets, rental cars, etc on my father's debit card from his checking account ( it is a joint account with the two of us so that I can write checks for his expenses).  Now that he is ready to make application for Medicaid the caseworker tells me that these expenditures are not allowable.  She actually said that if I had had something in writing (a contract) between my father and myself that it might be allowable.  I only have the POA and am not sure if this would suffice.  Also, if such a document could be drafted NOW "after the fact' would it be a problem that these expenses have already been taken care of with the debit care/or would it have to be a total check written to me for all expenses. 

Also my father has three whole  life insurance policies (1) ~9,000 face/~8,000 cash (2) face 5000/cash ~ 4500 (3) ~4500 face/!4500 cash.  I know that I must report these to Medicaid and that the face value on the three policies totals over $10,000.  I am the sole beneficiary listed on all policies as  I am the only child.  The cash value on these policies will leave my father with countable assets greater than the $2,000 limit for Medicaid.  What should I do.  Should I cash the two smaller policies in; liquidate them, and pay the nursing home fees.  Then there will only be one policy left, face value less than $10,000 so will I be able to keep that one?    Am not sure how I should handle this with Medicaid.  Thank you so much for your help!  I am truly list since I reside so far away. 

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