If you have an Individual Retirement Account (“IRA”) and you are applying for Medicaid there are certain rules and circumstances which affect your IRA. Your IRA cannot be transferred if you are married. The only way to transfer an IRA between a husband and a wife is to have them enter into a separation agreement or get divorced. If you are in an institution and Medicaid is paying for your care, your spouse is entitled to the monthly maintenance needs allowance. The monthly maintenance needs allowance is currently $2,980.50 per month. This is the total you can receive from Social Security and from the IRA or other sources of assets which are in your spouse’s name. It should be noted the funds you receive from an IRA are pre-taxed assets and federal and state income taxes may need to be paid with regard to the funds distributed.
If you have an IRA custodian account you should request your custodian withhold taxes from payments and therefore your spouse can receive the entire $2,980.50 and not have any taxes removed from these funds. The $2,980.50 stipend used for your spouse’s expenses in New York State is the highest in the United States. Unfortunately, this may not be sufficient to live on in the State of New York. A legal proceeding can be brought to obtain a larger allowance, but this is difficult to be successful in these proceedings. The fact that the standard of living in New York State is high is not a valid reason for obtaining a higher monthly stipend.
Conclusion
It may be necessary for Medicaid to pay expenses for you or your spouse, either for private nursing care at your residence or in a nursing home facility. You should meet with an elder care attorney early on and develop a plan to help you qualify for Medicaid should you need it to pay your expenses for nursing home care.
