How to Qualify for ALTCS
If you are wondering how to qualify for ALTCS, you have come to the right place. Signing up and qualifying for ALTCS can seem extremely difficult, but it doesn’t have to be. There are a lot of factors that go into the decision for the state to offer benefits. It is in their best financial interest to not qualify you so you need to be sure you have everything in order before you begin the application process.
Both health and finances affect whether or not you qualify. The health scale is based on a 60-point scale, in which we are extremely familiar with. To qualify financially, you need to have income and assets lower than the state’s cutoff.
This changes year-to-year, sometimes even mid-year, and we are happy to let you know the exact numbers if you give us a call. Once you start the application, a case manager will be assigned to you to review your finances. Once you pass the financial part of the review, a state worker will come out to do a health assessment.
This process can take up to 60 days. We realize that you may need a solution before the 60 day time period and we can help with that. If you need to find a care facility while you are pending and have limited cash available, one of our agents can point you in the right direction and make sure you are extremely informed. Being informed will help you make a decision you are satisfied with.
Once you get the application started it is important to start looking for care. If you are pending and find a facility you like, the best option is to move in quickly. Pending facilities fill up quickly, especially the higher quality ones. We perform background checks on all of the facilities before recommending them.
When you’re preoccupied figuring out how to qualify for ALTCS, doing a background check might be the last thing on your mind, but it is extremely important. We know that facilities and ownership are constantly changing and this makes it important to background check the owners, caregivers, and the group home. The state does evaluations as well. Since we have access to all this information, we can provide you with it to make a much more informed decision.
There are a couple of questions to ask when you are learning about how to qualify for ALTCS. You have to ask if location is important. If it is, make sure to specify the location when you are speaking with us. Also, if there are any special dietary requirements, we should probably know those as well.
Most people think that skilled nursing is the only way to go. The only reason a patient would need skilled nursing over any of the other 24 hour care facilities is if they require care that can only be performed by a nurse (if they have an I.V., etc.). If the patient has diabetes, this can also affect the places that will take them. One of our skilled agents at Senior Planning can go through a 5-10 minute assessment to get you the information you need.
