In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson discusses the most common reason for Illinois Medicaid application denial.
Transcript:
What do you think is the single most common reason for the denial of a Medicaid application in Illinois? I’ll be whatever you’re thinking, you’re probably wrong, because what it actually is, is failure to provide necessary information.
Medicaid application process, particularly in Illinois, is all about assembling and providing lots and lots of paperwork : bank records, cancelled checks, transnational records, receipts for purchases, things of that sort. And, quite often when people are handling an application, especially if they are doing that without some professional assistance, they’ll misread what is required of them or say, “well, I don’t have it so I won’t send it,” and if you haven’t sent them everything that they’ve asked for, you will get a denial for failure to provide necessary information.
Mind you, I didn’t say anything about, as a matter of underlying substance, the person not meeting the requirements for eligibility. So make no mistake, you can be broke and you can still get a denial for failure to provide necessary information.
Moral of the story – Get some professional help with the process. It’ll cost a little bit, but it is much less painful than getting a denial and having to deal with a nursing home that’s going to say, “ok, now you us $60k or $80k, how are you going to pay us?” You really don’t want to go to that place.
Also looking for information about Medicaid and Asset Preservation? Visit these articles:
“Your Trusted Advisor on the Elder Care Journey”
Dent-Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to providing families in the St. Louis area with their Elder Law needs. Our practice areas include Asset Preservation Planning, Veterans Benefits, Medicaid Eligibility, Alzheimer’s Planning, Special Needs Planning, Estate Planning and more. We understand the financial challenges you may face as you and your loved ones grow older. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, our clients’ well-being is our number one priority. For immediate help, call (618) 632-7000 (IL) or (314) 567-9292 (MO), or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.