When Tom came to see me, he was already in trouble. His mom had been admitted to a nursing home, and he’d drained her savings trying to keep up with the bills. “I thought I was doing the right thing,” he said. Turns out, he wasn’t alone. Many families make well-meaning mistakes that end up costing them thousands—or delaying Medicaid approval when they need it most.
Let’s start with one of the biggest blunders: giving away assets. Tom thought transferring his mom’s savings to his sister was a smart move to “hide” the money from Medicaid. What he didn’t know was that Medicaid’s five-year look-back period flags those transfers. The result? A penalty period that delayed his mom’s eligibility for months. Had he consulted me first, we could’ve handled her savings in a way that met Medicaid’s rules without triggering penalties.
Another mistake I see all the time is waiting too long to plan. Families wait until the crisis hits—Mom’s in the hospital, or Dad’s moving into a facility—and then scramble to figure it all out. The truth is, the earlier you start planning, the more options you have. That doesn’t mean it’s too late if you’re already in a crisis; it just means the road ahead might be bumpier.
Then there’s the DIY approach. Look, I get it—nobody wants to spend money on an attorney if they think they can handle it themselves. But Medicaid planning is like trying to perform your own root canal. Sure, you can try, but odds are you’ll end up in a world of pain. Medicaid rules are complicated, and a simple mistake can derail the whole process.
Here’s the bottom line: Medicaid planning doesn’t have to be a disaster. If you’re ready to avoid these costly mistakes and make sure your loved ones get the care they need, Request a Consultation today. Don’t wait until you’re in over your head—get ahead of the game now.