Ask the Expert: Can vet's ex get financial help?

My sister was married for 14 years and then divorced. Her husband was a veteran. She's now ready to go to an assisted-living facility. Is she eligible for any financial help from the government?

Not as a veteran's ex-wife. But she may qualify for Medicaid, the only government program aside from the Veterans Affairs to pay for long-term care. (In limited circumstances, Medicare covers skilled nursing care in a nursing home -- but not custodial care, such as help with tasks such as eating, dressing and bathing.)

If you're poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, it pays for your long-term care -- including custodial care -- in a nursing home or in your own home, which can be an assisted-

living residence. If you're in a nursing home, Medicaid also pays for your room and board; it doesn't pay those expenses if you're in your own home or in an assisted-living residence.

This year, an unmarried person qualifies for home care benefits only if her monthly income doesn't exceed $767, and she has no more than $13,800 of assets. You may wonder how someone poor enough to qualify for Medicaid custodial care benefits can afford room and board in an assisted-living facility.

A common strategy is for her to qualify for Medicaid by transferring her money to her adult children. They then pay for her room and board, while Medicaid pays for her custodial care. This asset transfer doesn't delay one's eligibility for home care benefits, as it would for nursing home benefits, says Bernard J. Krooks, former president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

The bottom line Anyone who hopes to qualify for Medicaid long-term-care benefits should consult an elder law attorney. Eligibility rules are complex and subject to change.

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