Grimaldi & Yeung

Grimaldi & Yeung LLP alerts you to the following updated Medicaid Levels for 2021

Community-Based Medicaid-for Home Care, Adult Day Program, Hospital Stay, Outpatient Rehab:

Monthly Income for 1 person: $884*

Monthly Income for 2 people: $1,300*

Resource Level for 1 person household: $15,900

Resource Level for 2 person household: $23,400

Married Couple Monthly Income: $3,259.50

Maximum Community Spouse Resource Allowance: $130,380**

 

Institutional-Based Medicaid-Nursing Home & Hospital Stays:

Individual Monthly Income: $50

Resource Level for Individual: $15,900

Non-Institutional Community Spouse Monthly Income: $3,259.50

Maximum Non-Institutional Community Spouse Resource Allowance: $130,380**

Maximum Home Equity Limit: $906,000

 

NYS Medicaid Regional Rates for average cost of nursing home care to be used in determining transfer penalty period as of 2021:

a. Central $10,857                     

b. Long Island $13,834          

c. New York City $13,037           

d. Northeastern $11,689

e. Northern Metropolitan $13,206

f.  Rochester $13,020

g. Western $11,054

 

Medicare Facts:

a. The Medicare Part B premium deducted from monthly social security benefits. Based on following income levels for new enrollees in the system:

- Up to $88,000                       $148.50***       - $138,000 to $165,000          $386.10

- $88,000 to $111,000            $207.90           - $165,000 to $500,000          $475.20

- $111,000 to $138,000          $297.00           - $500,000 and over               $504.90            

b. Medicare co-payment for Skilled Nursing Facility is $185.50

c. Medicare hospital deductible per benefit period is $1,484.00

 

*Plus a $20 disregard.

**Higher amounts may be kept under the “Spousal Refusal” provisions. 

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Making the Most of Exemptions and Flexibility in Gifting

“Federal estate, gift and GST tax exemptions are currently at historic highs ($11.58 million per individual in 2021). These higher exemptions are scheduled to return to $5 million, adjusted for inflation, after December 31, 2025, but they could be reduced before then, as a result of political or policy changes.”

The time period available to take advantage of the high transfer tax exemption has driven many to make or give more serious thought to making large gifts, while exemptions are certain. However, not everyone is ready or able to give away large amounts of wealth, in case they may be needed in the future. For those who are concerned about needing these assets, there are some strategies that can build flexibility into gift planning, reports the article “Five Ways to Build Flexibility Into Your Gift Planning” from Financial Advisor Magazine.

Spousal Lifetime Access Trust, or SLAT, is one option for married couplies. This is a type of irrevocable trust that includes the grantor’s spouse as one of the beneficiaries. The couple can enjoy the gift tax exemption, because the trust is funded while one spouse is living, but they can also have access to the trust’s assets because the grantor’s spouse may receive both income and principal distributions. A few things to keep in mind when discussing this with your estate planning attorney:

• If both spouses want to create a SLAT, be careful not to make the trusts identical to one another. If they are created at the same time, funded with the same amount of assets and contain the same terms, it is possible they will not withstand scrutiny.
• The term “spouse” has some flexibility. The spouse could be the current spouse, the current spouse and a future spouse, or a future spouse for someone who is not yet married.

Special Power of Appointment is a power granted to a person to direct trust assets to a specified person or class of people (other than the power holder, the estate of the power holder or the creditors of either one). The power holder may direct distributions to one or more people, change the beneficiaries of the trust and/or change the terms of the trust, as long as the changes are consistent with the power of appointment. Note the following:

• The permissible appointees of a power of appointment can be broad or narrow, and the grantor may even be a permissible appointee for outright distributions.
• If the grantor is a permissible appointee, special care must be taken when naming the power holder(s) to avoid any challenge that the trust was always intended for the grantor. The trust may need to have multiple power holders, or a third party, to agree to any distributions.

A Trust Protector is a person who has powers over the trust but is not a trustee. This is an increasingly popular option, as the trust protector has the ability to address issues and solve problems that were not anticipated when the trust was created. The Trust Protector may often remove or replace trustees, make changes to beneficiaries, divide the trust, change administrative provisions, or change trust situs.

A Disclaimer is used when a gift recipient renounces part or all of a gift transferred to them. When a gift is made to a trust, the trust instrument is used to specify how the assets are to pass, in the event of a disclaimer. If the grantor makes a gift to the trust but is then concerned that the gift is unnecessary or the grantor might need the assets back, the trust can provide that the assets revert to the grantor in the event of the disclaimer.

Planning with Promissory Notes is another way to include flexibility in the timing, implementation and amount of gift planning. An asset is sold by the grantor to a grantor trust in exchange for a promissory note. There are no income tax consequences, as the sale is to a grantor trust. If the sale is for full market value, there is no gift. The grantor gets to decide when, and if, to make a gift with the promissory note.

Schedule an estate planning consultation with our firm in the New Year to determine which, if any, of these strategies is the right fit for you and your family. While it is impossible to know exactly when and how the federal exemptions will change, there are many different tools that can be used while waiting for any changes. Make 2021 the year you begin your plan to address your Estate Planning or family concerns.

Reference: Financial Advisor Magazine (Sep. 10, 2020) “Five Ways to Build Flexibility Into Your Gift Planning”

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