What is the ALTCS Medical Evaluation Test?
One of the main components of the ALTCS application is the medical evaluation. If a person cannot qualify medically, they will not qualify for benefits regardless of whether or not they qualify financially. Although seemingly straight forward, a lot of ALTCS applicants wind up failing the medical portion of the application by extremely slim margins.
How is the ALTCS Medical Application Scored?
The test is done in person and the applicant is scored out of sixty points. If the person undergoing the ALTCS medical evaluation test receives enough points, they qualify for ALTCS. When an ALTCS medical evaluator is conducting the test, they are looking to see whether the person can effectively perform activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs include, but are not limited to, making meals, eating, shopping for food, walking without falling, getting dressed, showering/bathing, incontinence, and using the restroom. Additionally, an official dementia or Alzheimer’s diagnosis will count for about 30% of the points needed.
What is Included in the Medical Review?
Along with the in-person evaluation, ALTCS medical caseworkers review doctors’ notes, diagnoses notes, caregiver logs, and medical records. If a person is exhibiting signs of dementia, but does not have an official diagnosis, the dementia will not count towards their application. If you are not properly prepared for the medical evaluation it can lead to extreme frustration. This is why we always recommend having up-to-date medical records before beginning any application.
How does Senior Planning help?
As part of Senior Planning’s ALTCS application service, we help you every step of the way– with both the financial application and the medical application. You will be assigned a financial team as well as a medical team of Senior Planning agents when you sign up for Senior Planning’s application service. We will help gather medical records and will even contact doctors on your behalf. We contact long-term care facilities and caregivers too, in order to get a complete picture of the applicant’s health.
For those who need an official diagnosis of memory issues, or for those who simply need updated medical records, we will help you schedule doctor’s appointments before proceeding with the application. We make sure everything is squared away before we schedule the medical assessment, give each applicant the best chance of approval. For those who are right on the cusp of failing or passing, having the help of a Senior Planning agent is sometimes all it takes. Give us a call today for a free consultation.
What makes Senior Planning Different?
Many other Medicaid agencies and/or law firms will only take on clients if they have already passed the medical portion of the application on their own. Elder law firms often refuse clients who have failed the medical test, but Senior Planning is willing to help regardless of whether or not this is your first time applying or you third.
