N.J. To Allow Medicaid For In-Home Elder Care
This newest amendment to the
Any income an elderly or disabled person receives above the
The change is a response to years of lobbying from advocates who said old
"With these trusts, the individual who wants to live at home and age in place will have the capability of being able to live at home or remain in their communities while getting the long-term services and support they need," said
The state has set aside 75 percent of
The measure follows the state's revamp of its
Less costly at home
"It's less expensive to keep people in the community than in a nursing home," said
Still, some advocates and elder-care attorneys are concerned that the trusts might be too confusing and unwieldy for the elderly and their harried caregivers. "They are adding this entirely new layer of complexity," said
Qualifying for
"It's a pretty big responsibility, and what if the trustee is the person's 90-year-old spouse who might have health struggles of her own? Or what if it's a family member who lives out of town?" Romano said.
The elder-care law section of the
Elder-care attorneys are concerned that lawyers' fees, or any type of professional fees for things like tax filing services, are not included among the allowable expenses to be paid out of the trust accounts.
The state, however, believes that it will be possible for people to set up these trusts without legal assistance, and the
Other advocates point out that such trusts have been used by
"There will be some stumbling blocks for some people, but these challenges have been worked out in the many, many other states that have been using these trusts for many years," said
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