George and Carol had shared a lifetime of memories in their small-town Arkansas home. George, a retired mechanic, and Carol, a former nurse, had worked hard to save for their golden years. But when George’s health began to decline, requiring nursing home care, they faced a financial challenge they never anticipated: they were over the resource limit for Arkansas Long-Term Care Medicaid.

The nursing home bills started arriving—$7,000 a month. Carol, still living at home, worried about how they would manage. Together, they had about $120,000 in savings, a modest home, and an old truck George refused to part with.

Carol knew Medicaid could help cover George’s care, but when she learned the couple could only have $148,620 in countable assets to qualify, she panicked. With their savings and other assets, they were about $40,000 over the limit.

“We worked hard for this,” Carol told her daughter, Sarah, during a tearful phone call. “I don’t want to lose everything just to get help for your dad.”

Sarah urged her parents to meet with a Medicaid Planner. Carol was skeptical at first. Could anyone really help? But with George’s health declining and their savings dwindling, she agreed.

The Medicaid Planner explained that while George and Carol were technically “over-resourced,” they didn’t have to spend down all their savings on nursing home bills. Instead, there were legal strategies to protect their assets while qualifying George for Medicaid.