Estate Planning

Nursing Home Residents May Keep $250 Stimulus Payment

By David M. Goldman

Most people who receive payments for Social Security, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or a Railroad Retirement or Veterans Administration disability pension, will receive $250 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The extra payment is scheduled to arrive by the end of May.

Those who live in a nursing home and receive SSI are not eligible for the payemnt.

Medicaid-eligible long-term care facility residents and their families should know that the stimulus payment is not considered income and will not be counted as a resource for 10 months (including the month of receipt) in calculating benefits under Medicaid (or any other federal program or state program with some federal financing). The $250 will also not count as gross income for tax purposes. Recipients can save the payment if they want to, but they should make sure that it will not put their savings over the asset limit for any program benefits they may receive as of February 2010.

Medicaid-eligible long-term care facility residents and their families should know that the stimulus payment is not considered income and will not be counted as a resource for 10 months (including the month of receipt) in calculating benefits under Medicaid (or any other federal program or state program with some federal financing). The $250 will also not count as gross income for tax purposes. Recipients can save the payment if they want to, but they should make sure that it will not put their savings over the asset limit for any program benefits they may receive as of February 2010.

Because the $250 payment will not be counted as income, it will not put a Medicaid-eligible resident over the state's income limit. In addition, a Medicaid nursing facility resident should not see an increase in his or her patient pay for the month the payment is received.

Full post as published by Florida Estate Planning Lawyer Blog on May 28, 2009 (boomark / email).