Question about Medicaid in NY state?

Question

My family lives in NY state. My grandmother is currently recieving Medicare and Medicaid. We want to all move in to one place together but we are concerned Gram will lose her assistance if we do. Mom says Medicare will be fine but we just wanted to find out what will happen. Thanks for any info :)

Answer 1

Whose house are you going to move in to? Are you all going to rent a house together? Does your Grandmother have Medicaid because she has SSI, or does she spend-down to have Medicaid? If she has SSI and gets roommates, the amount of SSI she is entitled to will be reduced. Sometimes this reduction is enough to disqualify someone for SSI if they have other income like Social Security or a pension. If she does have SSI and looses it because she gets roommates, she will loose her Medicaid but may be able to apply for a monthly spend down to keep Medicaid. If she is spending down part of her income every month to get Medicaid already, and she gets roommates, her monthly spend down may go UP (not a good thing) as having roommates puts her in a different living arrangement. If it is her house you want to move into, and she charges you rent, that rent counts as unearned income that will affect both SSI/Medicaid, or Medicaid with a spend down. The best bet would be to make an appointment with her Medicaid worker at the county your grandmother's Medicaid is managed through to talk about her specific situation BEFORE you make the move. Medicaid workers in most NYS county's Department of Social Services are VERY OVER WORKED, so it may take some time to get in touch with him/her. Be persistent when trying to contact them, but remember how busy they are and that you catch more flies with honey that you do with vinegar. Your mom is right about the Medicare. After you make the move make sure your grandmother reports her new living arrangement to both the Social Security Administration and her Medicaid worker at the county. If she has both Social Security AND SSI, she will want to make sure she notifies BOTH SSI and Social Security. Just because both programs are managed through the SSA it does not mean they talk to each other. The great people that work for the SSA are also very over worked and unless you see that the changes have been done with your own eyes, assume that the changes have not been done. Good Luck!!

Answer 2

Where do I find the MAS forms for Medicaid transportation refund for when I drive myself to my medical appointments? Even the Wayne County,N.Y. D.S.S. says that they know NOTHING of them and after 20 (yes twenty that I paid for out of MY POCKET!!!) TWENTY MINUTES the department called"MAS" says go on a website,but fools never gave me the site name.?? Please help? Thank you VERY MUCH!