Category: Medicaid

Don’t Let the Notary Public Skip a Step

On: By: Bill Gatesman

Many legal documents, such as deeds, trusts, powers of attorney, and contracts, either require, or are made more legitimate, by having a notary public sign the document. This is referred to as “notarizing” the document.

In Maryland, a person who is a Notary Public must obtain a license, must be sworn in by an officer of the Circuit Court, and must follow certain rules in the exercise of the Notary Public’s powers. A Notary Public must ensure that she knows the person who is signing the document. This usually is accomplished by the Notary Public reviewing that person’s driver’s license or passport.

Then, after witnessing the individual sign the document, the Notary Public will complete what is known as a Notary Jurat, which is a section of the legal document in which the Notary Public enters certain information, including the expiration date of the Notary Public’s license, signs the document, and affixes his or her seal to the document, which seal often takes the form of a special ink stamp on the document page.

In addition to those actions, the rules governing the actions of a Notary Public require that the Notary Public maintain a “fair register” of all of the acts undertaken by the Notary Public. This is one step that often is overlooked. There are lawyers who also are licensed Notary Publics who will witness a client’s signature to a document but might overlook recording the action in a Notary Public fair register. Indeed, I have encountered some lawyer-Notary Publics who were unaware of the requirement to maintain a contemporaneous fair register.

The fair register is an important record because, if a client ever requested it, the Notary Public has an obligation to provide such client with a certified copy of the record of the act that was notarized. For example, some years after a legal document is signed, if there is a question as to the legitimacy of the signature, a party to the legal document may seek out the Notary Public to request a certified copy of the fair register entry memorializing the execution of such legal document. If the notary public did not make an entry in a fair register and did not maintain that fair register as required under the law and regulations governing Notary Publics, then it would be impossible to obtain such a certified copy at some future time.

Knowing these rules, a client who signs a document requiring notarization could make an appropriate inquiry with the Notary Public if the Notary Public did not ask the client to sign Notary Public’s fair register.

William M. Gatesman is both a lawyer and a licensed Notary Public, and is available to assist clients in both capacities.

Medicaid Updates Transfer Penalty Rule

On: By: Bill Gatesman

If one applies for Medicaid to pay for long term care in a nursing home, the state will look to see if the applicant made any gifts in the five years preceding the Medicaid application. If so, then (with some exceptions addressed in various articles on this website) a period of Medicaid ineligibility will be imposed.

For many years before 2014, the period of ineligibility was determined by dividing the amount of the gift by $6,800, which amount was supposed to be the average monthly cost of care in a nursing home. In July, 2014, that number was changed to $7,940. Medicaid has again updated the divisor to take into account Nursing Home care cost inflation.

Effective July 1, 2016, the divisor to determine the number of months of Medicaid ineligibility for gift transfers is $8,684, which means that one would be ineligible for one month for every $8,684 in gifts made during the five years preceding the Medicaid application. Please be aware that this number is revised from time to time. Please contact us to find out the current divisor amount.

Bear in mind that the term “gift” means any transfer of resources with respect to which the transferor did not receive full value. Thus, if a person sold her house for less than it’s fair market value (Medicaid uses assessed value or an appraisal to determine fair market value), then Medicaid will treat the difference between the sales price and the deemed fair market value to be a gift transfer even if such sale was made to a third party in a bona fide arms length transaction.

We at the Gatesman Law Office endeavor to stay at the cutting edge of new developments in Medicaid law and policy.

Should you have any questions as to how this new policy might affect you or a loved one, please contact us by clicking the Contact link on this website.

Bill Gatesman

A People’s Lawyer

On: By: Bill Gatesman

A client recently posted a review of my services on AVVO, the independent legal resource website. You may CLICK HERE to read the review.

This client referred to me as “A People’s Lawyer,” and wrote the following:

William Gatesman assisted me in having my father’s trust terminated and the trust assets distributed to me and the other beneficiaries of the trust before the time that those assets were supposed to be distributed. We did this with a petition to the circuit court and the court allowed the distribution without holding a hearing based upon Mr. Gatesman’s written petition. And, while I engaged Mr. Gatesman to obtain this result, he went a step further and negotiated with the Trustee’s attorney to get the trustee to reimburse me for expenses I had paid relating to my father’s death, something I had been trying to do without success. Finally, Mr. Gatesman proposed and worked out an arrangement whereby the other trust beneficiaries agreed to reimburse me for a portion of my legal fees.

I am very pleased with Mr. Gatesman’s representation. He was easy to work with, he got me the result I had requested, and he made suggestions for other ways I could benefit from the representation and succeeded in obtaining those results. I highly recommend William M. Gatesman.

When a Parent Dies Owning a House with a Mortgage, May the Children Inherit the House Without Getting a New Mortgage?

On: By: Bill Gatesman

When a parent dies owning a house that is subject to a mortgage, the question arises whether a child or other beneficiary of the parent’s estate can inherit the real property without obtaining a new mortgage by simply continuing to make the payments on the existing mortgage.

In general, mortgages are subject to a “due on sale clause,” which is a term in the mortgage agreement that allows the lender to accelerate the loan (that is, immediately collect the balance due) upon the transfer, or retitling of the real property to another person. However, under Federal law, there are a number of transfers that may be made without triggering a due on sale clause, including a transfer of the property to a relative of the deceased owner as a consequence of the owner’s death.

That Federal law is known as the “Garn-St Germain Depository Institutions Act of 1982”, which is codified at 12 USC 1701j-3.

Continue reading “When a Parent Dies Owning a House with a Mortgage, May the Children Inherit the House Without Getting a New Mortgage?” →

Beware the Revocable Trust Creditor Trap

On: By: Bill Gatesman

In Maryland, creditors may not make a claim against a deceased person’s estate once six months have passed since the person’s death. What that means is that a creditor seeking to assert a claim six months or more following someone’s death will not be allowed to collect the debt.

One exception to this rule is that a creditor who has a secured interest, for example, a bank that holds a mortgage on the deceased person’s real property, will still be able to collect against the proceeds of the sale of such real property, and retains the right to foreclose on the real property if the mortgage payments are not being made. However, such bank would be precluded from collecting more than the sales proceeds if the house sells for less than the mortgage loan balance if the bank did not make a claim in the estate of the deceased person within six months following that person’s death.

Continue reading “Beware the Revocable Trust Creditor Trap” →

Circuit Court Upholds Decision to Eliminate Exemption for Joint Assets

On: By: Bill Gatesman

On December 1, I wrote an article, Medicaid Exclusion for Joint Assets Under Attack. That article addresses an instance where the State of Maryland Medicaid authority reversed its long time practice of disregarding jointly owned stock where a co-owner who is not the Medicaid applicant refused to sell such stock.  This exclusion is based upon a provision of the Maryland Medicaid Manual that allows for such treatment.

The matter was appealed and an administrative law judge upheld the decision of the Medicaid regulator, so the individual appealed to the Circuit Court of Maryland.  That court has now issued its opinion upholding the decision of the Administrative Law Judge.

My December 1, article concluded that: “This is not the proper way for the Medicaid authorities to change their policy. The proper way is to propose rule changes, either by changing the Code of Maryland Regulations, or by changing the Maryland Medicaid manual. Simply leaving a rule in place that exempts joint assets from consideration, but then attacking such an arrangement by imposing Medicaid ineligibility on a case-by-case basis on unsuspecting Medicaid applicants is bad public policy.”

Now that the Circuit Court has upheld the Administrative Law Judge’s decision, there is great uncertainty as to how jointly owned assets will be treated if one of the joint owners refuses to participate in a sale of such property.  If the Circuit Court ruling were to be treated as binding, then such exemption may no longer be in force, however, there still is a rule in the Medicaid Manual that allows such exemption.

William M. Gatesman stands ready to assist clients in navigating the troubled waters of the Medicaid rules in light of rapidly changing currents, the most recent being the Circuit Court decision eliminating the exemption for joint property where there is a refusal to sell by a co-owner.

Medicaid Exclusion for Joint Assets Under Attack

On: By: Bill Gatesman

It is a well established principle of the Maryland Medicaid rules that certain jointly owned assets such as stocks or real property will not be counted as available resources to a nursing home resident who applies for Medicaid benefits if the other joint owner refuses to participate in a sale of the property.

For decades, such assets have been disclosed by nursing home residents on their Medicaid applications and such assets have been valued at zero for purposes of determining Medicaid eligibility.

Recently, however, a Medicaid applicant was denied Medicaid coverage for nursing home care because the applicant owned stock, in certificate form, with her son in joint ownership, even though the son had refused to participate in a sale of the stock. Ordinarily, such a denial by a Medicaid caseworker would be overturned when the case was appealed to an Administrative Law Judge, but in this case, the Administrative Law Judge ignored the specific regulation in the Maryland Medicaid Manual that explicitly states that jointly owned stock should not be a countable asset where the joint owner refuses to sell.

Such denial has implications, not only for the particular individual whose Medicaid application was denied, but for Medicaid applicants statewide. Indeed, this case has been appealed to the Circuit Court of Maryland where a senior Assistant Attorney General, representing Maryland’s Medicaid authority, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, essentially has requested the Circuit Court to issue a decision that radically revises the long standing Medicaid policy concerning such jointly owned assets.

If the Circuit Court were to uphold the decision of the Administrative Law Judge in this particular case, then it would shroud the process of dealing with jointly owned assets in a cloud of uncertainty. No longer would Medicaid applicants and their advisers be able to act with certainty regarding jointly owned assets, as there would exist the possibility that Medicaid caseworkers could arbitrarily ignore the applicable rule on the strength of judicial precedent.

This is not the proper way for the Medicaid authorities to change their policy. The proper way is to propose rule changes, either by changing the Code of Maryland Regulations, or by changing the Maryland Medicaid manual. Simply leaving a rule in place that exempts joint assets from consideration, but then attacking such an arrangement by imposing Medicaid ineligibility on a case-by-case basis on unsuspecting Medicaid applicants is bad public policy.

The State’s efforts to deny benefits in the case under discussion in this article is an example of such bad public policy.

William M. Gatesman is following the progress of this case closely and will inform the readers of this website of any new developments as they arise.

In the meantime, Mr. Gatesman stands ready to assist clients with prudent Medicaid eligibility and asset protection planning in the context of a changing landscape.

Protecting Property After Death

On: By: Bill Gatesman

Mother dies with a will leaving all of her assets to her three children in equal shares. One of her adult daughters receives Medicaid benefits because her assets are less than $2,000 and she has a very low income due to a disability. Such daughter is expected to receive a distribution of $25,000 from mother’s estate. This will cause daughter to lose her public benefits, which will be disastrous for daughter given the very high costs of her medications.

While daughter could petition a court to create a special type of Supplemental Needs Trust, known as a “d4a trust” and once she receives the distribution from the estate, deposit the funds into such trust, there are significant costs to establishing such a d4a trust, and there are administrative burdens associated with such trust, including annual reporting to the State Medicaid authority. Moreover, a d4a trust requires payback to the state for any Medicaid benefits if there are funds remaining in the trust when the trust beneficiary dies. Given the amount to be distributed, one must weigh whether it is worth the cost of setting up a d4a trust if there are other less costly alternatives.

Fortunately, Maryland law provides an opportunity for a trust to be created in a simpler way. Under the Maryland Discretionary Trust Act, a trust may be established for a beneficiary, and the assets in the trust will not be considered to be available resources for Medicaid purposes. Moreover, unlike a d4a trust, there is no requirement to pay back Medicaid for benefits received during lifetime after the beneficiary dies.

While Mother in her will could have provided for a Maryland Discretionary Act trust for daughter, she failed to do so. Nevertheless, the Maryland Discretionary Trust Act provides that “any person having a right to transfer property to another person may create a trust as a transferor under [the Maryland Discretionary Trust Act].” Under this law, the term “person” includes any legal entity, and a probate estate is a legal entity.

William M. Gatesman presently is working with clients to come up with creative solutions to allow estate beneficiaries to retain their essential public benefits where the decedent’s will did not provide for asset protection in light of those public benefits. Establishing a Maryland Discretionary Trust Act trust is one of the tools in Mr. Gatesman’s tool kit to achieve the objective of protecting a beneficiary’s eligibility for public benefits.

Income Deposits and Permanent Medicaid Ineligibility

On: By: Bill Gatesman

In order to get Medicaid to pay for one’s long term care costs in a nursing home, one can have no more than $2,500 in assets.  While social security and pension income is deposited into one’s account each month, as long as that money is spent before the end of the month, bringing the account balance below $2,500, then Medicaid benefits will not be affected.   One routinely spends such income each month because Medicaid requires that the bulk of the Medicaid recipient’s monthly income be paid to the nursing home as a contribution to the individual’s cost of care.

A problem arises, however, when one’s income deposit is made on the last day of the month, as some pension payments are structured, because Medicaid will look at the account balance as of the first moment of the first day of the following month to determine whether the individual has more than $2,500.

Continue reading “Income Deposits and Permanent Medicaid Ineligibility” →

How Much House is Too Much?

On: By: Bill Gatesman

Many of the articles on this website discuss obtaining Medicaid benefits to pay for long term care in a nursing home.  Medicaid benefits also may be available to pay the costs at other care environments, such as assisted living.  Some of these articles address the financial eligibility rules for Medicaid, discussing what one can and cannot keep and still qualify for Medicaid benefits.

One significant asset is one’s home property.  One is allowed to keep his or her home and still qualify for Medicaid as long as that person resided in the home property prior to entering the long term care facility and states (on the Medicaid application) an intent to return home (even if such intent is highly unlikely ever to be fulfilled).

Given the high value of even a modest home in some parts of Maryland, it is important to be aware that Medicaid imposes equity value limitations on an exempt home property.  Currently, one is allowed to keep as an exempt home property a residence with an equity value of $543,000 or less (which amount is adjusted annually to take into account inflation).  Market value is reduced by any liens or encumbrances (such as a mortgage) on the property to determine equity value.

Moreover, the equity value limits do not apply where the Medicaid applicant’s spouse, disabled child, or child under 21 resides in the home property, and the  equity limit also will not apply to a home property titled solely in the spouse’s name.

Given the very high value of homes in some parts of Maryland, it is important to keep in mind this equity value limitation on home property in the event you or a loved one should require Medicaid benefits for long term care.