SAFE PLANNING

Eva Reynolds was a stay-at-home mom while her four children were growing up. She went to work after her husband, RL Reynolds, died in 1976. After she was widowed, one of the places Eva was employed was Hibernia bank where she worked until she retired. Three years ago she was admitted to a nursing home and received Medicaid benefits. That meant, of course, she had to declare all assets and income. So it was a surprise and a potential legal problem when she got a letter last year reminding her that she was a Hibernia stockholder. The value of the forgotten shares made her ineligible for her Medicaid benefits.

One of Eva’s daughters, Libby Bullard, had retired from an assistant administrator position with a hospital pharmacy so she had some experience in dealing with Medicaid issues. But even with her experience, she was at a loss at how to work through the process. “John Q Public doesn’t understand all the loopholes and confusion involved with Medicaid. Thankfully, one of the nursing home employees gave me a S.A.F.E. Planning card, and I called them.”

Libby said, “We were prepared to relinquish her stockholder funds, but it galled me that my mother would have to give the money up. She had worked hard and been “thrifty” all her life trying to save up a little money, and now she was going to have it taken away!”
But once they got S.A.F.E. Planning involved, Eva and her family were pleased with the results. The finalized plan was better than they had hoped for, Libby especially liked the fact that once S.A.F.E. Planning takes somebody on as a client, and they take care of all the forms and paperwork. S.A.F.E. Planning became the family’s representative to Medicaid.

“It is just too bad that the people who can best benefit from what S.A.F.E. Planning can do, most of the time they are the ones who have no idea of the alternative available. All they know is what the official paperwork says. I wish there was a way to let them know other things can be done without devastating these people financially.

At 83 years, Eva still gets out with her family members for holidays and special events. She is a great-grandmother to 14 and a great-great-grandmother to twin girls just recently born.