Medicaid Standard Utility Decrease | Cooper, Adel & Associates

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By Heather Chapman

Effective April 1, 2012, the Ohio standard utility allowance applied for determining benefits for Medicaid and Food Assistance will decrease from $599 to $533 per month. This applies mostly for determining the monthly allowance for the community spouse when the other is institutionalized. This change will affect current and future eligibility for food assistance, nursing home and waiver cases, but will mainly just mean an increase in the patient liability that the institutionalized person must pay each month. For anyone that has a case affected by this change, a notice should have already been sent out for those that the mass automatic change caught, all others will go through a manual desk audit and have notices sent out no later than March 14, 2012. Food assistance cases should only experience a decrease in the amount that is received for the Ohio Direction Card.

The utility allowance was originally increased when the the cost of utilities was high and people were struggling to keep their bills paid. Even though gas prices and utility fees have steadily increased since 2009, the decrease was passed to help tax payers and not the individuals needing the assistance.

As of January 1, 2012, the Social Security cost of living increase of 3.6 percent was a long awaited relief for the more than 60 million Americans struggling to make ends meet. The first automatic increase since 2009. Now for Ohio residents receiving Social Security, the much needed income will be offset by the decrease in the utility standard providing little help in today's economy.

The requirements and standards for eligibility continue to change and will become a long term point of contention with politicians in ways to balance the budgets. Their solutions for the future is leaning towards massive Medicaid cuts. In order to help your long term care and planning for yourself or your loved ones, seek the advice of a legal professional, particularly one with elder law experience, who is equipped with the knowledge and updated requirements for Medicare eligibility.

Source: http://cooperelderlaw.com/medicaid/medicaid-standard-utility-decrease/

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