You can make a Medicaid application yourself. But why do that?Many times, people handling the affairs for a parent may think they can make the Medicaid application themselves. But, there is usually no reason to do that, and you are usually better off hiring an attorney to do it instead.
First, people think that they will “save money” by not hiring an attorney. But, they forget, any money they “save” just goes to the nursing home anyway for the spend down. But, any fee for the attorney to do the Medicaid applicaiton come out of the parent’s money. Thus, in most cases, making the Medicaid application yourself just means that you are doing if for free, with no real benefit for doing so.
Second, the Medicaid application process can be a mess. Think of all the jokes out there about the DMV, and that’s Medicaid. Just today, I went to drop off some additional material that the State had requested for a Medicaid application. But, the case number the State put on their own letter didn’t show up in their system! Because I know the caseworkers and they know I am an attorney, they tried to quickly help solve the problem. If I had been a regular applicant, I would probably have been there for hours for them to straighten it out. So, doing it yourself means you have to navigate all the bureaucracy and mess. (And related to the first point, you get to put up with all of that for free!)
So for most people, there is no reason not to hire an attorney to make their Medicaid application. Since the fee comes out of money that has to be spent anyway, it’s like getting help for free. Otherwise, you are battling the system yourself, and losing your time and energy in the process.
At Brightwell Elder and Probate Law, we are experienced at making Medicaid applications, and you can contact us to see if there is any reason not to hire us to make your Medicaid application for you.
