FAQs

	My father was a Veteran of World War II and passed away in 1986. My mother, who is almost 84 and suffering from moderate to the beginning of severe Alzheimer's/Dementia, is going to have to come live with my husband and me. This will require us to purchase a different home to accommodate her and I will also probably have to quit my job to care for her. I have heard from different people that there may be some type of benefit that my mother may be eligible for since my father is a Veteran and I don't know where to start searching for this type of information. Any type of assistance you may be able to provide will be greatly appreciated.
	Quality Life Services is taking the liberty of mailing your family a complimentary booklet on federal veterans' benefits. It is rather lengthy at 120 pages, but it should provide you with some helpful information. In the meantime, we encourage you to contact the PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Veterans Affairs by mail at: Bureau for Veterans Affairs Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Annville, PA 17003 by telephone at: 1-800-54 PA VET or by e-mail at: bfoster@state.pa.us Our Board of Directors feels that your mother should at the very least be eligible for Aid & Attendance benefits. We also encourage you to contact your local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. They can be of great assistance in many different aspects of caring for someone with Alzheimer's disease. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. Good luck to you and your family. God bless. Mary Susan Tack-Yurek, N.H.A. Director of Research and Development Quality Life Services
	MY FATHER WAS A VETERAN & HE DIED 18 YEARS AGO. HOW DO I GO ABOUT APPLYING FOR SSI.

	Once I receive medical assistance to enter a nursing home will the nursing home take all my savings right away?

	My mother, Christine Reed, is already a patient at CMC. Your activity newsletter requesting family member emails did not give an online means to reply. Please add me to the "Family E-Mail Tree."

	Mrs. K. writes: My husband is 62 and has just been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It has been a fast decline over the past four months. He is already having difficulty finding words, is quick t anger and is showing much confusion. Currently, he is the sole breadwinner in our family - I do not work right now. Although he is not yet ready for a nursing home, I am afraid it won't be long. My concern is that we still have 3 children under 18 - 12, 14 and 16. I know that we cannot afford a nursing home on our own, but I am wondering how Medicaid would work in our situation. Would all of his income, SSI, pension benefits, have to go to the nursing home to support him? Would we be entitled to anything to support our children? Are there any special rules for Medicaid recipients with young, dependent children.
	"First, let me say how sorry we are to learn of your very difficult situation. Our hearts and prayers go out to your entire family. The answer to your question is rather difficult but we will make a good faith effort. We have obtained much of this information from an employee of the PA Department of Public Welfare who serves as an instructor to Medical Assistance Case Workers in the County offices. We are assuming that your family is receiving two social security checks a month. One for you and the children; the other is your husband's. If this is the case, then most if not all of his social security check (not the one that is yours and your children's) along with his pension check would need to be used to pay for his care. Any savings or other assets would directly affect the amount of money you might be able to keep from your husband's portion of his social security income and pension. If you are not receiving a second social security check each month, you would be able to keep some of the one check you are now receiving. The exact amount would be based on what social security has allotted for your minor children and for you as their caregiver. I know this is a very confusing answer but because it is critical that you have the correct information as you plan for your family's future, I have done my best to be accurate and complete. Good luck to you and please do not hesitate to contact us or one of our facilities if you have any further questions. Take care and God bless." Ken Tack, N.H.A. Chief Executive Officer Quality Life Services
	Mr. C. asks, My wife currently is living in a nursing facility in Columbus, OH. Since I work for Slippery Rock University and live in Grove City, I would like her in a care center nearer to me. She has Medicaid in Ohio - do you accept it? I understand it would need to be re-applied for in PA, but obviously the length of time needed to do it and how to best approach it, would be critical. Please let me know.
	Below is our "Ask the Expert" response to your Medicaid question. We hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to contact us with any further questions. Both our corporate office and Trinity Living Center would be glad to help. - The Medicaid program is a Federal program that originated at the same time as Medicare (1966). The manner in which it is carried out is the principal difference. While Medicare remained as a Federal program, the Medicaid program was turned over to the individual states to implement with the Federal Government providing approximately 50% of the funding. Each state plan is required to meet Federal regulations to qualify for their matching share. For this reason, the basic qualifications are very similar. Therefore, if your wife qualifies for Ohio Medicaid participation, she will probably qualify in Pennsylvania. It also means that there is no need to apply in advance of her transfer from one state to another. Once the accepting nursing home has received adequate information from the nursing home in Ohio to assure for a smooth transition, the transfer can occur. After admission to the Pennsylvania nursing home has occurred, the paperwork for enrollment in the Pennsylvania Medicaid program (Medical Assistance) can begin. Much of the information is supplied by the admitting nursing home and the financial information would need to be supplied by you. This financial application process will probably require one trip to the Sharon area where the Mercer County Assistance Office is located. This would be a scheduled trip and should only require a one hour meeting. As you can see, the entire process is rather painless and should result in a seamless delivery of care for your wife, which is everyone's desire. Kenneth Tack Jr. CEO Quality Life Services
	Mrs. F from Scottsdale, Arizona asks: My husband was in Korea in the late 70's (Army). We just received a printed-out "notice" of a refund of GI insurance. It asks you to send personal info (ostensibly to receive your "refund" )to: Veterans center/ PO Box 8079, Phil. Pa. 19101. Is this legit? It says on this paper that the info appeared in the Navy Times/ July but I'm not a subscriber so I can't verify. It states " a bill was passed by Congress entitling Veterans to a dividend refund" Seems suspicious... Would appreciate your take on this. Thanks, so much!
	Thank you for your "Ask the Experts" question. I apologize for taking a few days to get back to you. We have been in contact with two different veteran benefits experts, including the Veterans Administration. According to both sources, this offer does not sound legit. Both experts noted that "scams", similar to the offer you have been given, happen every two to three years. Neither expert is aware of "a bill passed by Congress entitling veterans to a dividend refund." However, there are refunds available from time to time through the National Service Life Insurance based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This, however, is a World War II Program and, if your husband served in the 1970's, would likely not affect your family. You may want to contact them anyway to ensure this, in fact, is not an offer through their insurance. Their toll-free Life Insurance number is 1-800-669-8477 and their toll-free line for Other Benefits is 1-800-827-1000. Their website is http://www.insurance.va.gov/inForceGliSite/generalinfo/brief/nsli.htm In the meantime, Quality Life Services is going to take the liberty of contacting the United States Postal Service to notify them of the P.O. Box 8079. If this offer is not legit, this would also be considered mail fraud against the Postal Service. I hope we have been of some assistance to you. Please feel free to notify us with any further questions. Good luck. Mary Susan Tack-Yurek, N.H.A. Director of Research & Development Quality Life Services This response is offered as a public service. The response to your inquiry is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice on any specific facts or circumstances. These responses do not, and are not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice. We do not represent that the response is applicable to your specific circumstances. You should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.
	Mrs. D asks, What is the difference between dementia and Alzheimer's Disease?
	Dementia refers to a condition where there is memory loss, generally with personality changes, and eventually physical decline. There are various diseases that cause dementia. Alzheimer's Disease is one of those diseases. Jean Dobay Facility Administrator Trinity Living center This response is offered as a public service. The response to your inquiry is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice on any specific facts or circumstances. These responses do not, and are not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice. We do not represent that the response is applicable to your specific circumstances. You should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.
	I have been told that I should buy Long Term Care Insurance. But isn't that what Medicare is for?
	Most people believe that Medicare, the Federal health insurance program, will pay for long term care in-home, a personal care facility and a nursing home. The reason this is believed, is because Medicare does pay for some short term care and medical equipment in a person's home or personal care home and for up to 100 days in a skilled nursing facility. However, long term care such as a caretaker in the home or the cost of personal or custodial care in a nursing home is not covered by Medicare. Medicaid, the State operated health insurance program is for the indigent and you must spend down to $2500 in total assets to qualify. There are many excellent Long Term Care (LTC) Insurance programs available. The cost can become prohibitive if purchased late in life or after a chronic medical condition has been diagnosed. The best time to consider LTC Insurance is after the children have left the home or graduated from college and you are preparing for retirement. Your financial planner or insurance agent can help also. The only people who may not need LTC insurance are those with no assets or the very wealthy with assets of $1,000,000 or more. I am sending you a copy of our publication "How to Pay for Long Term Care" that provides a lot of great information to get you started. Thank you for your question. Phil Tack, Administrator Sugar Creek Rest
	Do personal care homes have to accept the State Personal Care Home Boarding Supplement?
	No. It is the personal care home's choice. Some will accept it, and some will not. Your local Area Aging on Aging can provide you a list of homes in your area that do accept the supplement. Michael Ligo Countryside Assistant Administrator & Assisted Living Unit Director Emlenton's Laurel Manor This response is offered as a public service. The response to your inquiry is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice on any specific facts or circumstances. These responses do not, and are not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice. We do not represent that the response is applicable to your specific circumstances. You should not act upon this information without seeking professional counsel.