Charles and Esther Haase have been through a lot together. Married 45-years with children and grandchildren, the couple recently faced their biggest challenge; finding affordable long-term care for Esther. “I was caring for Esther at home, full time, but then I reached a point where I couldn’t lift her,” Charles said. “I couldn’t take the chance she would fall and hurt herself.”
Charles knew Esther needed quality long-term care in a residential facility, but the steep cost of assisted living or a nursing home with fees in excess of $90,000 a year was out of reach for the couple. Since health insurance and Medicare generally don’t cover long-term care and, like most Americans, the Haase’s did not have long-term care insurance, they turned to Medicaid Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS), the leading safety net for those who need long-term care that they cannot afford privately. Statewide, nearly 300,000 aged, blind and disabled adults rely on MLTSS, including nearly 15,000 people in Monmouth Country. MLTSS offers a full range of long-term care options, from nursing homes to in-home services and supports, depending on the needs of the individual Medicaid recipient. This may include:
- Care Management
- Respite Care
- Home and Vehicle Modification
- Home Delivered Meals
- A Personal Emergency Response System
- Assisted Living
- Nursing Home Care
- Community Residential Services
- Adult Day Health care
- Personal Care Assistance or a Certified Home Health Aide
- Transportation
Unfortunately, qualifying for MLTSS can be an arduous process. Eligibility requirements differ from state to state. In New Jersey, residents must:
- Be 65 years or older, or under 65 and determined blind and disabled
- A U.S. Citizen
- Need assistance with three or more activities of daily living (adls) including bathing, dressing, toileting or mobility
- Meet the financial requirements with regard to monthly income and total liquid assets
- And produce all necessary documentation for the past five years to insure that application guidelines have been met.
It’s #5, the lengthy application process, that can discourage even the most determined individuals from applying. Fortunately, we are here to help. Our Medicaid Application Assistance Program, or MAAP, aims to simplify the application process by providing assistance to eligible applicants. For a fee, our MAAP coordinator will: start the application process; obtain all necessary documentation, including birth certificates, marriage licenses, property deeds, life insurance policies and bank statement; liaise with government and financial institutions on your behalf and follow through until final determination.
Enrolling in MAAP allowed Charles to continue caring for Esther while we took care of the application. In short time, Esther’s MLTSS was approved and she was moved to a care facility close to home so Charles could visit every day.
“I don’t know where we would be without FCS,” Charles explains. “We are so grateful to our MAAP coordinator.”
Don’t give up on the assistance you need and deserve! Schedule a free, confidential appointment with our MAPP Coordinator today by calling 732-222-9111 to see if we can help.