What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a needs-based medical insurance option created by the government for people 65 and older or those declared disabled. Medicaid can be used to cover the costs of general health care as well as long-term care. For older adults, Medicaid can help pay for long-term care in the home, a nursing home, or assisted living facility.
Because Medicaid is a needs-based benefit, many middle-income people don’t consider it. They don’t believe that they will qualify. It’s true that to be eligible for the Medicaid program, you must meet strict financial requirements. But, with the right planning, Medicaid can be a viable payment source for long-term care – without unnecessary impoverishment of either the older adult who needs care or the spouse.
Crisis Care Planning
While being proactive offers more options, it is never too late to do Medicaid or veterans planning. Even in a medical crisis, when a spouse or parent is entering a nursing home immediately, we can help reduce the time it takes to qualify and minimize the financial burden with compassionate advice during an emotional time. Many Medicaid and Veterans Administration-approved paths can be employed in a crisis to qualify applicants for long-term care while preserving assets.
Crisis Care Planning helps with the following circumstances:
A Medical Emergency
- Heart attack
- Stroke
- Aneurism
An Accident
- Fall
- Car wreck
- Fire in the home
- Medication mistake
A Discovery
Your Loved One is …
- Wandering
- Malnourished
- Unable to provide self-care
- Becoming agitated or aggressive
How to Get Started
Get help today. Find out how Nugen Law’s Medicaid planning attorneys, Elder Care Coordinator (geriatric care managers), and Crisis Care Planning can benefit you and your loved ones in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida. Call 260 925-3738 or email us to schedule your consultation. Ask us about our Renewal Care Planning Program.
Crisis Care Planning with Elder Care Coordination and Advocacy in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida
What is an Elder Care Coordinator?
Care coordination in a crisis
A Life Care Plan from Nugen Law includes the services of an Elder Care Coordinator who oversees the management of your loved one’s health and long-term care, serves as your advocate for quality care, and helps you make good decisions for your loved one every step of the way. Think of your Elder Care Coordinator as the general care manager of the team of providers dedicated to making your loved one’s life safe and their surroundings comfortable and familiar.
An Elder Care Coordinator:
- Conducts care assessments to uncover potential problems and find solutions
- Helps you locate and hire in-home help or other services
- Coordinates with medical and health care providers
- Reviews medical issues and offers referrals to other geriatric case managers in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, or Florida to provide appropriate care in a way that conserves financial resources
- Helps you plan for the possibility of incapacity or disability
- Provides support, guidance, and advocacy during a crisis
- Assists with housing decisions and transitions, including moves to or from a long-term care facility
- Provides education, counseling, and support
- Works in collaboration with other members of the support team serving your loved one, including long-term care administrators, accountants, physicians, and financial planners, to ensure that the right professionals are helping you at the right time
- Serves as an advocate for quality of care in long-term care facilities, including helping plan for care conferences
- Empowers you to be an advocate for your loved one
- Serves as a liaison for family decision-making, obtaining accurate and detailed information from health care providers, and communicating it to the entire family
Medicare & Insurance Support in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida
The Right Help at the Right Time
An annual drug plan review pays off in massive prescription cost savings.
Expert Help with Medicare and Insurance Plans
When you or your loved one have a Life Care Plan, you no longer have to deal with unexplained bills, confusing forms, and complicated health insurance decisions on your own. Your Life Care Plan gives you access to Nugen Law’s in-house Medicare and insurance expert. This service includes assistance evaluating your health and prescription drug coverage options during Medicare open enrollment each year.
No matter what challenge you face, our Medicare experts will help you understand your options and work to resolve every issue, including eligibility, benefits coverage, appeals, and changes resulting from legislation.
Nugen Law is more than a traditional estate planning and elder law firm. We are a Life Care Planning law firm focusing on Legacy Care Planning, Pre-Care Planning, Assisted Care Planning, Crisis Care Planning, and Probate. Our team has over 30 years of experience as reputable and respected attorneys serving clients in Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, and Florida.
Protecting Families for a Lifetime with Legal & Care Resources
A Crisis Care Plan created by the elder law attorneys and Elder Care Coordinator at Nugen Law is your path to peace of mind. Don’t wait – get help today. Call 260 925-3738 or email us. Ask us about our Renewal Care Planning Program.
Frequently Asked Questions
Crisis Care Planning is Nugen Law’s emergency elder law service for individuals and families facing immediate or near-immediate long-term care needs with no prior legal or financial plan in place. It is for families in the middle of a medical emergency who need fast, expert legal help to protect assets and qualify for Medicaid or VA benefits as quickly as possible. Nugen Law’s attorneys and Elder Care Coordinators work quickly and compassionately to help families find stability.
No. It is rarely too late. Even after a nursing home admission, legal strategies may still protect a meaningful portion of your assets. Married couples typically have the most options, but strategies exist for single individuals as well. The most important step is calling an elder law attorney before making any financial decisions. Many costly mistakes happen in the first 48 hours when families act on instinct rather than legal strategy.
Call an elder law attorney before doing anything else. Do not pay the nursing home from personal accounts, and do not transfer assets to family members without legal guidance. Both actions can create Medicaid eligibility problems that are difficult to undo. Nugen Law’s first job is to stop the most common and costly mistakes before they happen, then identify every available strategy to protect what is left.
Medicaid spend-down is the process of reducing countable assets below eligibility thresholds so benefits can begin. It does not have to mean handing everything to the nursing home. Legal strategies can redirect spend-down toward exempt assets such as home repairs, a vehicle for the community spouse, or prepaid funeral expenses. Medicaid-compliant annuities and spousal protection allowances can also preserve significant assets. Nugen Law’s attorneys identify and implement every available strategy quickly.
Indiana Medicaid long-term care eligibility requires both medical and financial qualification. Medically, you must need a nursing home level of care. Financially, a single applicant generally must have $2,000 or less in countable assets. For married couples, the community spouse is entitled to a protected resource allowance. Certain assets are exempt, including the primary home under some conditions, one vehicle, and prepaid funeral plans. An elder law attorney will identify all applicable exemptions for your situation.
Yes. Veterans and surviving spouses who need immediate long-term care may qualify for the VA Pension with Aid and Attendance benefit, which can provide up to approximately $2,700 per month for a veteran with a spouse. Unlike Medicaid, VA benefits do not have a look-back period on asset transfers, making them more accessible in a crisis. Nugen Law evaluates VA eligibility alongside Medicaid planning so clients access every available resource simultaneously.
If an incapacitated person has no legal documents, a family member may need to petition the court for guardianship and conservatorship to legally manage their affairs. This is more costly and time-consuming than a power of attorney but it is manageable with experienced legal guidance. Nugen Law handles urgent guardianship proceedings and moves as quickly as Indiana law allows while coordinating care planning in parallel so nothing is delayed.
Your first call should be to an elder law attorney before making any financial decisions, writing checks to the nursing home, or transferring assets. Call Nugen Law at 260-925-3738. The attorneys will assess your situation immediately and tell you exactly what to do and what to avoid from the very first conversation. There is no obligation, just clear, experienced guidance when your family needs it most.
The Elder Care Coordinator assesses the quality of the care setting, advocates for the dignity and rights of the person receiving care, helps families navigate difficult transitions, and coordinates with medical providers, facility administrators, and attorneys. Families in a care crisis face grief, fear, and confusion all at once. The Elder Care Coordinator provides practical guidance and compassionate support, attending care conferences, evaluating facilities, and ensuring the care plan truly matches the resident’s needs.