This series highlights the eligibility rules for Maine Medicaid (MaineCare) nursing home benefits and dispels certain myths the families that work with our office often hear.
Myth 5: If I Enter a Nursing Home as a Private Pay Resident, I Must Spend All of My Assets on My Medical Care and Nursing Home Bills Before I Can Get Medicaid.
The Truth: It is true that MaineCare nursing home benefits are only available to applicants who are financially eligible. But there are legitimate strategies for preserving assets, particularly for the community spouse, even after an individual has entered a nursing home. Please note, there are also strategies to qualify a married applicant for MaineCare residential care benefits and Home and Community-Based Services waiver (in-home nursing services). These strategies are different from the strategies to qualify a married applicant for MaineCare nursing home benefits.
Myth 6: I Can Hide My Assets and Become Eligible for Medicaid.The Truth: Intentional misrepresentation in a Medicaid application is a crime. Generally, an applicant for MaineCare long-term care benefits must produce financial information dating back five years. A DHHS caseworker will carefully scrutinize those