A Qualified Income Trust based on Florida law, often times referred to as a Miller Trust, is a vital document a Medicaid applicant must have in order to qualify for Medicaid benefits, assuming their gross income is in excess of $2,022.
It is only the Medicaid applicants income that is of concern. The community spouse (the spouse of the Medicaid applicant) may have unlimited income. Therefore, we simply look to the gross income of the Medicaid applicant. If their income is in excess of the income cap of $2,022 then we must craft a Qualified Income Trust and properly fund it in order to qualify for Medicaids Institutionalized Care Program.
The first step in satisfying this requirement is to have a qualified attorney craft a Qualified Income Trust based on Florida law on your behalf. The next step is to open a checking account in the name of the Qualified Income Trust in Florida and to properly fund it. The amount you must place in the QIT account is dependent on how much the applicant is over the income cap. Any income in excess of the $2,022 cap must be placed in the QIT account each and every month the applicant intends to receive care program benefits.
Once qualified for assistance, the applicant’s income will be used to satisfy the applicants monthly patient responsibility. The patient responsibility is typically equal to the applicants income minus the $35 personal needs allowance and any income diverted to the applicants spouse to meet the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance.
If you or a loved one is in need of a Qualified Income Trust in Florida, please contact us at Upchurch Law at (386) 272-7445 or e-mail tupchurch@upchurchlaw.com.
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