In Massachusetts, Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program are run under the program of MassHealth. MassHealth is an important service for older residents as it provides them with support for their healthcare and long-term care needs. This post will address how older Massachusetts residents may qualify and apply for MassHealth services, but all readers should seek their own legal support before they begin their own MassHealth applications.
Individuals who apply to MassHealth for healthcare and long-term care support must be residents of the state. Individuals who visit the state or who only vacation within Massachusetts for short periods of time may not qualify. This helps to ensure that Massachusetts residents are able to get the support that they need.
Additionally, applicants for MassHealth must be U.S. citizens or qualifying immigrants. Many applicants for MassHealth are at least 65 years of age or older; depending upon if they are working, their financial situations may be assessed to determine if they qualify for support. Individuals younger than 65 years of age can seek support from MassHealth if they require long-term care and are in need of benefits to get the support they require.
A lot of information and documentation may be needed to demonstrate an applicant’s need for MassHealth benefits, and a denial of benefits based on an inadequate application may delay an applicant’s receipt of needed help. It can therefore benefit individuals who want to apply for MassHealth to work with elder law and long-term care planning attorneys from the start of their MassHealth applications to avoid the mistakes and pitfalls that can cause their applications to be rejected.