Craig Riffel was constantly being asked for written information about Medicaid and the planning his Law Firm was performing for clients. In response, Craig has written and published a book titled, “Medicaid and Other Benefits You Don’t Know You Have” as show below:

The cost of the book is $20.00 for hard copies and $10.00 for electronic copies.

You can purchase a hard copy of the book from Senior Resources & Benefits, LLC (“SRB”). To purchase the book from SRB, contact SRB by calling Jessica Goodman toll free at 1-800-407-9302 or emailing her at jgoodman@SRBLLC.com.

You can also purchase either a hard copy or electronic copy of the book from either Barnes & Noble or Amazon. Simply go to their respective websites, search “Craig Riffel” and follow the prompts. The book’s Table of Contents is as follows:

  1. General Background
    1. Definitions
    2. Individual's Objectives
    3. Estate Planning Defined
    4. Long-Term Care Problem
    5. Four Guiding Questions
    6. Long-Term Care Payment Options
    7. Types of Care
  2. Estate Planning and Creditor Protection Planning
    1. Wills and Probate
    2. Types of Trusts; Estate Planning Trust Defined
    3. Parties to a Trust
    4. Taxes
    5. Powers of Attorney
    6. Advance Directives for Health Care
    7. Joint Tenancy and Transfer-On-Death
    8. Creditor Protection Planning
  3. Background to Medicaid
    1. Origins of Medicaid
    2. Funding of Medicaid
    3. Medicaid is Not Welfare
    4. The Real Problem With Medicaid Funding
    5. Medicaid v. Medicare
    6. Limited Custodial Care Under Medicare
    7. Administration and Participation
  4. Medicaid Planning
    1. Medicaid Planning Defined; Not Self-Help
    2. Reasons for Medicaid Planning
    3. Specialized Advice
    4. Medicaid Living
    5. Two Most Misunderstood Rules in Medicaid
    6. Medicaid Myths and Misconceptions*
    7. Two Types of Medicaid Planning
    8. Two Types of Advance Planning
  5. Medicaid Eligibility Rules
    1. Four Medicaid Eligibility Tests
    2. Medical Eligibility
    3. Income Eligibility
    4. Vendor Payment Issues
    5. Transfer Eligibility
    6. Transfer Eceptions
      1. Fair Market Value Exception
      2. Excluded Resource Exception
      3. Penalty Amortization Exception
      4. Annuity Exceptions (5)
      5. Promissory Notes, Loans and Mortgages Exceptions (3)
      6. Life Estate Exception
      7. Home Exceptions (5)
      8. Spousal Exceptions (4)
      9. Disabled Individual Exceptions (2)
      10. Purpose Exceptions (3)
    7. Resource Eligibility and Spenddown
    8. Bank or Investment Accounts
    9. Stock and Bonds
    10. Promissory Notes, Loans and Mortgages
    11. Life Insurance and Burial Accounts
    12. Burial Spaces or Plots
    13. Annuities
    14. Retirement Accounts
    15. Automobiles, Pickups and Trucks
    16. Household Goods and Personal Effects
    17. Income-Producing Property
    18. Trade or Business Property
    19. Real Property; Home
    20. Trusts
  6. Medicaid Recovery
    1. Introduction
    2. TEFRA Liens
    3. State Enforcement of Liens
    4. OBRA Recovery
    5. TEFRA v. OBRA
    6. Estates and Non-Probate Property Defined
  7. Medicaid Applications and Appeals
    1. Introduction
    2. Applications and Annual Reviews
    3. Notice of Denial and Request for Hearing
    4. Administrative Appeals
    5. Judicial Appeals Following Administrative Appeals
    6. Judicial Appeals Without Administrative Appeals
  8. Veterans' Long-Term Care Benefits
    1. Eligibility for Veterans' Benefits
    2. Wartime Defined
    3. Types of Discharge
    4. Spouse and Children
    5. Disability Benefits
    6. Pension Eligibility
    7. Aid and Attendance
      1. Income Eligibility
      2. Resource Eligibility
    8. Medical Benefits
    9. Pharmaceutical Benefits
    10. Long-Term Care Benefits
    11. Nursing Homes
    12. Burial Expenses
    13. Enrollment
  9. Long-Term Care Insurance
    1. Introduction
    2. Purchasers of Long-Term Care Insurance
    3. Factors Affecting Cost of Long-Term Care Insurance
    4. Barrier to Purchasing Long-Term Care Insurance
    5. Considerations in Purchasing Long-Term Care Insurance
      1. Age
      2. Coverage
      3. Elimination Period
      4. Daily Benefit
      5. Length of Coverage
      6. Home Health Care and Respite Care
      7. Inflation Provisions
      8. Preexisting Conditions
      9. Premiums
      10. Guaranteed Renewability
      11. Quality of Insurance Company
    6. Types of Long-Term Care Insurance
    7. Tax Consequences of Long-Term Care Insurance

* The following questions are discussed under Chapter IV, Subchapter F:

  1. Are Long-Term Care Costs a Threat to Most People?
  2. Don't Most People Pay for Long-Term Care Themselves?
  3. Doesn't Medicare Pay for Long-Term Care Costs?
  4. Isn't All Long-Term Care Insurance the Same?
  5. Isn't Medicaid considered Welfare?
  6. What is Medicaid Planning?
  7. Is Medicaid Planning Legal?
  8. Why Do People do Medicaid Planning?
  9. Is Medicaid Planning Only Beneficial if I Am in a Nursing Facility?
  10. Can Anything Be Done if I Am Already in a Nursing Facility?
  11. If I Qualify for Medicaid, Do I Lose Control of Where I Live?
  12. If I Qualify for Medicaid, Do I Lose Control of My Case?
  13. If I Receive Medicaid and Live in a Nursing Facility, Do I Have to Stay in a Semi-Private Room?
  14. Won’t the Nursing Facility File My Medicaid Application for Me?
  15. Can I and My Advisors Rely on Advice from the Medicaid Agency?
  16. Does Medicaid Planning Need to be Considered When Doing Estate Planning?
  17. Why Didn’t My Attorney Discuss Medicaid Planning With Me?
  18. Don’t I Qualified for Medicaid if I Have a Trust?
  19. If I Have to Spenddown Assets to Qualify for Medicaid, Do I Have to Do So By Paying for Care?
  20. Can’t I Give Each Person $18,000 (2024) Per Year to Protect Assets?
  21. Do I Have to Do My Medicaid Planning At Least Five Years Before Applying for Medicaid?
  22. Can I Qualify for Medicaid if I Have More Than $2,000?