As you may be enjoying sweet treats this week in honor of Valentine’s Day, the day we take time out of our busy schedules to celebrate the love we have for our significant others, it is also a good time to remember the spouses of our residents.

I know many of you have witnessed the emotional struggles of many spouses coming to the realization that they are no longer able to provide the level of care their beloved requires. We seek to do everything in our power to make this transition easy for them, however, navigating the labyrinth of Medicaid regulations affecting community spouses can cause additional stress.

In our continued effort to make a spouse’s transition easier, offer the following reminders:

1. Be sure to provide all resource information to the caseworker during the application process. A common denial of a Medicaid application is not due to the resident having excess resources, but instead a failure to provide necessary resource information.

2. You usually have a right to appeal the spousal resource assessment. In determining Medicaid eligibility, the caseworker will issue a form dictating the amount of resources the spouse is allowed to retain. When this assessment is filed with an application for benefits both the resident and spouse will usually have appeal rights.

3. There are community outreach programs to help with this transition. Many communities have support groups for caregivers and family members.

I still believe that love conquers all, and hope you do too! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Julie works out of our Canfield, OH office.