Medicaid Planning Attorney in Ravenna, MI
Helping West Michigan Families With Medicaid Planning for 30+ Years
Understanding Medicaid Planning in West Michigan
A Medicaid application doesn't have to wait until every other option is gone, but it isn't too late just because a loved one is already receiving care either. The Law Office of David E. Waterstradt has represented Ravenna families and the rest of West Michigan for more than 30 years, building Medicaid strategies around whatever stage of care a family is actually in. Whether planning starts today or after a loved one has already moved into a nursing home, real options are usually still on the table.
Understanding Michigan's Medicaid Asset Rules
Michigan Medicaid draws a hard line between what you're allowed to keep and what has to be spent down first. Exempt assets, the ones that don't count against eligibility, include your primary home, one vehicle, personal belongings, a prepaid irrevocable funeral contract, and life insurance with a combined face value of $1,500 or less. A single applicant can hold onto up to $9,660 in cash or other countable assets before the spend-down requirement kicks in on everything above it. Converting non-exempt assets into exempt ones, or protecting them through a trust or annuity, is where most of the actual planning work happens, and it's rarely as simple as reading a list of what counts and what doesn't.
Is It Too Late If a Loved One Is Already in Care?
Earlier planning gives you more flexibility, but a loved one already living in a nursing home is not out of options. Crisis planning tools, including certain trusts and Medicaid-compliant annuities, can still protect a meaningful portion of assets even after admission has already happened. The strategies available narrow somewhat compared to planning years in advance, but too late is rarely the accurate way to describe the situation. What matters most at this stage is moving quickly, since some options depend on timing relative to when care started. A consultation early in a nursing home stay often uncovers strategies a family assumed were already off the table.
Protecting Assets for a Married Couple
Marriage changes the math considerably. The spouse who stays at home, referred to as the community spouse, is allowed to keep one-half of the couple's countable assets under Michigan law, capped at $162,660 in 2026. When the couple's assets run higher than that cap, tools like a Medicaid-compliant annuity or a sole benefit trust convert the excess into income for the community spouse instead of requiring it to be spent down first. The right tool depends on the type of assets involved and how quickly the community spouse needs access to that income.
A Medicaid Strategy Built Around Your Family
David Waterstradt has served as a Certified Elder Law Attorney for more than 30 years, working with Ravenna families and communities throughout West Michigan on Medicaid strategies built around their specific circumstances rather than a generic checklist. That experience covers both early planning and the kind of crisis situations where a family needs answers quickly. Every situation looks different once the actual assets and family circumstances are on the table, which is why the first conversation matters more than any general estimate. Schedule a consultation to find out what options are actually available for your family.