By proceeding, I agree that I understand the following disclosures:
I. How We Work in Washington. Based on your preferences, we provide you with information about one or more of our contracted senior living providers ("Participating Communities") and provide your Senior Living Care Information to Participating Communities. The Participating Communities may contact you directly regarding their services. APFM does not endorse or recommend any provider. It is your sole responsibility to select the appropriate care for yourself or your loved one. We work with both you and the Participating Communities in your search. We do not permit our Advisors to have an ownership interest in Participating Communities.
II. How We Are Paid. We do not charge you any fee – we are paid by the Participating Communities. Some Participating Communities pay us a percentage of the first month's standard rate for the rent and care services you select. We invoice these fees after the senior moves in.
III. When We Tour. APFM tours certain Participating Communities in Washington (typically more in metropolitan areas than in rural areas.) During the 12 month period prior to December 31, 2017, we toured 86.2% of Participating Communities with capacity for 20 or more residents.
IV. No Obligation or Commitment. You have no obligation to use or to continue to use our services. Because you pay no fee to us, you will never need to ask for a refund.
V. Complaints. Please contact our Family Feedback Line at (866) 584-7340 or
[email protected] to report any complaint. Consumers have many avenues to address a dispute with any referral service company, including the right to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office at: Consumer Protection Division, 800 5th Avenue, Ste. 2000, Seattle, 98104 or 800-551-4636.
VI. No Waiver of Your Rights. APFM does not (and may not) require or even ask consumers seeking senior housing or care services in Washington State to sign waivers of liability for losses of personal property or injury or to sign waivers of any rights established under law.I agree that: A.I authorize A Place For Mom ("APFM") to collect certain personal and contact detail information, as well as relevant health care information about me or from me about the senior family member or relative I am assisting ("Senior Living Care Information"). B.APFM may provide information to me electronically. My electronic signature on agreements and documents has the same effect as if I signed them in ink. C.APFM may send all communications to me electronically via e-mail or by access to an APFM web site. D.If I want a paper copy, I can print a copy of the Disclosures or download the Disclosures for my records. E.This E-Sign Acknowledgement and Authorization applies to these Disclosures and all future Disclosures related to APFM's services, unless I revoke my authorization. You may revoke this authorization in writing at any time (except where we have already disclosed information before receiving your revocation.) This authorization will expire after one year. F.You consent to APFM's reaching out to you using a phone system than can auto-dial numbers (we miss rotary phones, too!), but this consent is not required to use our service.
*If I am consenting on behalf of someone else, I have the proper authorization to do so. By clicking Get My Results, you agree to our
Privacy Policy. You also consent to receive calls and texts, which may be autodialed, from us and our customer communities. Your consent is not a condition to using our service. Please visit our
Terms of Use. for information about our privacy practices.
As for transferring the house over now. I don't want to do that. Priority is that the parents get the care they need. So if it comes down to medicaid I don't want a gift in the past clouding qualification. A transfer on death deed or a child caregiver exemption happens either after death or at the time of the medicaid application so shouldn't be a factor. The child caregiver exemption at the very least is exempt from medicaid qualification or recovery.
Back to the topic of this thread. Regardless of those issues, I'm not seeing the benefit of a trust if your state has a TOD deed. Trust can be tricky I've found. Is there a clear advantage to a trust that I'm currently missing?
And whomever assets - house, land, stocks - transferred to has $$ to pay ALL costs of assets (taxes, insurance, maintenance, etc.) from that point on. With NO asset costs ever being paid directly by the old owner(s). So there is never the possibility of transfers being viewed as a “straw man” situation.
State laws and administrative codes can & are changed. And regularly. Life Estates were viewed as sacrosanct for medicaid planning but now some states place recovery action on LE’s. Just like with LEs, a state can remove TOD exclusion from MERP. Politically if little fallout & can be a sold to legislators as easy plus for state budget woes, it’s gonna happen. State doesn’t have to pass an actual law -which can mean pesky hearings- but just a new line into existing administrative code. Adios TOD as a way to avoid MERP.
Also regarding probate, in theory, yes MERP is done as probate court action. So in theory, no probate = no recovery. BUT some states allow a lien placed on property while the elder on Medicaid is alive. Liens cause “clouds” on title. To sell or borrow, clouds have to be lifted as otherwise no mortgage /no lending as no clean, clear title. Lien can also then become claim against the estate if that’s how your states laws run and probate gets opened.
WashHair - I’m assuming your concerns are all about your getting ownership of house that you live in with both your parents & grandmother. So 3 generations who provide income & assets that maintain household, right? Can you afford property costs? Whether house in a trust or TOD or outright transferred to just your name, there’s still property co$t$. Realistically Can you make it work? & likely make it work till whenever all 3 become Medicaid eligible? And then for however long you have house?
If your parents & grannie go into LTC Medicaid, their income (like SS) MUST be paid to the facility as the required copay unless a parent remains a CS. Once each go in a NH, they can no longer be paying you rental income, buying groceries, their share of utilities, paying you a personal needs contract. Can you swing realistically all $ needed? If so, get it transferred now to you & hope, pray, do whatever till past 5 yr look back in Spring 2023 for whichever former house owner hits Medicaid LTC application first.
Please keep in mind that each must qualify “at need” BOTH medically AND financially for Medicaid. Overwhelmingly on this site, folks are all about elders $$$$. But just as important they have to also be documented “at need” medically. For skilled nursing care, aka a NH, that can be a pretty high criteria to meet. Just being old, iffy on ADLs, having a doctors note, needing medication management.... may not be enough. Some states - CA - are now narrowing LTC eligibility to those coming from a hospitalization. From a health policy & planning perspective, with the oncoming tsunami of baby boomers hitting aging issues, this makes total sense. But it’s going to totally keep that 20% - 40% entering a NH without hospitalization from being easily eligible for Medicaid. Short of going all “Blanche & Baby Jane”, folks are going to end up caregiving at home or private paying for care as elders may not be “at need” medically till very much towards end of life in what my crystal ball shows.
Aging in America is not going to be pretty.