It can be stressful to place a loved one in a long-term facility or nursing home. And no family wants to discover that the facility in charge of your loved one’s care is trying to scam them of their stimulus check.
In the wake of COVID-19, the government has issued stimulus checks, which is part of the CARES Act designed to help mitigate financial stresses brought on by the effects of COVID-19. People received checks for as much as $1,200 if they meet the financial requirements.
Recently in a report by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), they discovered some care facilities were trying to take residents stimulus checks because they were already receiving Medicaid.
Stimulus checks are considered a tax credit and do not count as income by law; therefore, care facilities cannot legally take resident stimulus checks just because they are on Medicaid. Also, these checks do not account for Medicaid resources for the year.
Medicare and Medicaid eligibility protect residents living in a long-term care facility or nursing home that receives a stimulus check.
Stimulus checks should continue to be managed just like any other payment they receive. Residents do have the choice of deciding how they would like to spend or use that money.
If you suspect a care facility took your loved one’s stimulus check, call your local state attorney general’s office to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. They are aware of the situation and will work to hold these facilities that have wrongfully taken residents’ stimulus checks accountable.
