Our law firm not only does Medicaid planning, we also complete Medicaid applications. Not all attorneys do this. At Dutton Casey & Mesoloras, we understand the complexities of the application, follow-ups, and denial appeals.

As this article highlights, there are many reasons one should hire an elder law attorney to complete their Medicaid application. For example, Illinois Medicaid applications for nursing home or supportive living care are subject to enhanced scrutiny. An elder law attorney will review the 60-month transaction period for issues that may affect the approval of the application. From there, the attorney will either advise corrective action or, if it should not affect eligibility, present the transaction in such a way that it will not disqualify the applicant.

Do you know what to do if your application is denied?

To learn if we can help you with Medicaid planning and/or an application, call us at 312-899-0950.

Reversing a lower court, an Ohio appeals court holds that a nursing home’s lawsuit against the spouse of a resident who signed a promissory note agreeing to pay his wife’s unpaid balance does not violate federal and state law prohibitions against third-party liability because the payment agreement was not related to his wife’s admission to the nursing home. Laurels of Huber Hts. v. Taylor (Ohio Ct. App., 2nd Dist., No. 29223, April 29, 2022).

After Ms. Taylor died, the nursing home sued Mr. Taylor for breach of contract.... Continue reading here.

May is Older Americans Month. The history of this month is outlined by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, History of Older Americans Month: “When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs. Interest in older Americans and their concerns was growing. A meeting in April 1963 between President John F. Kennedy and members of the National Council of Senior Citizens led to designating May as ‘Senior Citizens Month,’ the prelude to ‘Older Americans Month.’

Read the rest here.

During this month, you can support this campaign by using the hashtag #OlderAmericansMonth in social media posts. To learn more, visit the ACL website here.

For 2022’s Mental Health Awareness Month, NAMI will amplify the message of “Together for Mental Health.” They will use this time to bring voices together to advocate for mental health and access to care through NAMI’s blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events.

Mental health is vital at all ages, including older adults. To learn more about this month and how you can support the movement, visit NAMI's webpage dedicated to resources and awareness for Mental Health Awareness Month.