Ask Mike - Insufficient income to pay housing costs

Dear Mom's running out of funds

Thanks for writing. You write that your elderly mother currently resides in a "Sunrise House" and that she has almost spent all of the savings used to pay the cost. She has a pension of $17,000 per year and you have applied for additional Veterans Association benefits of $900 per month. You want to know if there is a list of Medicaid approved assisted living facilities in Northern Virginia.

While I do not know if there is such a list, I do think our website can be of assistance. Before I get started, though, I do want to point out that with an income of around $27,800 annually [$17,000 + ($900 x 12)], your mother is probably not going to qualify for Medicaid. Her income is too high. There is no harm in asking about Medicaid, however, or to see if there is some other program or funding stream that could assist with paying for your mother's assisted living facility bills. Perhaps the Virginia Medicaid program has some special income set asides which would allow your mother to become Medicaid eligible.

In any case, you should get in direct contact with Virginia Medicaid. If you do not know how to do that, then our website can assist you. On our State Information page select Agencies Related to PAS. Choose your state and then select Medicaid Agency.

I hope things work out for your Mom!

Mike Oxford