Wishing Everyone Well During this Crisis

**A Few Important Updates**

First and foremost, we wish all of our clients, friends, families and neighbors good health and well-being throughout this very unprecedented crisis.  We will be monitoring our phones and emails remotely and will do our very best to stay in touch with those who need us.

This week, we have filed as many Medicaid applications as we were able to electronically in order to preserve pick-up dates for those in facilities, so that there won’t be any delay in coverage. With respect to home care, however, we have been advised that no evaluations by the state(Maximus) or the Managed Long Term Care companies (MLTCs) are being scheduled for the moment. We are awaiting clarification as to whether the Medicaid agencies will be processing Immediate Needs applications in order to work around this problem. We will be dealing with these issues on a case-by-case basis. Some guidance has been given by the Department of Health, and we are awaiting further clarification.

MEDICAID CUTS

On another note, while New York has been one of the most generous states in the country with respect to Medicaid benefits, the legislature is about to pass a set of draconian cuts to benefits that will be very harmful to vulnerable seniors and their families.  Some of the changes include:

1. Imposing a 5-year look back period on home care Medicaid., and
2. Eliminating spousal refusal

Please call your state legislators and ask them to vote against these cuts.

Additionally, if you or your loved one needs home care, now would be the time to contact us and get started on the process. We expect these cuts to pass and the governor to sign off on them. As of today, we can still protect your assets and get home care in place through Medicaid. If you need this service, act right away.