Elder Law / Arizona Medicaid

It is very expensive to pay for long term care. Long term care may be in the form of day programs, in-home care, assisted living centers, group homes, memory care centers, or nursing homes. The ALTCS program is a welfare program designed to reduce the expenses of this kind of care.

The general eligibility criteria are:

Medical—the person is at “immediate risk of institutionalization.” The person must obtain a score equal to 60 or greater as determined by ALTCS through the Preadmission Screening Criteria (PAS). The PAS screen will include a: functional assessment, emotional and cognitive function assessment, and a medical assessment.

Income—gross income of the applicant of equal to or less than the income cap ($2523 for the year 2022) or gross income of the applicant and the spouse of equal to or less than $5046 for the year 2022.

Resource—the applicant cannot have assets that exceed $2,000; the spouse is entitled to retain one half of the countable assets up to a maximum of $137,400 for the year 2022.

The ALTCS rules are complicated. We are here to help you understand the basics of eligibility and ensure you have estate planning documents to allow for later planning.