Testimonials Sandy Matteson Thanks to S.A.F.E. Planning, Inc., I am now SAVING $3,125.00 A MONTH of my parents' assets. In October 1996, my parents moved to the Garden Apartments at Live Oak from their home of over 50 years in Lufkin, Texas. Daddy wanted to make sure that Mother was taken care of, in an environment she was familiar with, should he die first. Mother was in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's at that time. They continued to live there until the first of January 1999 when Mother moved to the Total Care (Nursing Home) section, as Daddy could no longer take care of her. Up to that time, they were able to live comfortably on the $2,000.00 a month that they had coming in. At the same time, Daddy moved into an interior apartment. This increased their expenses from roughly $1,750.00 a month to $3,600.00 a month, which included both rents, medicine and groceries for Daddy. At this point, they were going into savings $1,600.00 a month or about $20,000.00 a year. This continued from January 1999 until January 2000, when Daddy fell and was hospitalized for forty-nine (49) days. When he was released, he was transferred to the Nursing Home section where Mother was. So beginning March 9, 2000, their expenses jumped drastically and about the same time the rent increased at Live Oak $160.00 a month each and the State canceled the $130.00 a month they send each self-funded patient. So their expenses went to between $5,800.00 and $6,000.00, depending on medicines, and their income was still the same $2,000.00 a month. Consequently, their expenses now exceeded their income roughly $4,000.00 a month or $50,000.00 a year. All the while, I had been told there was nothing that could be done until they had spent down to $2,000.00 total assets. A lawyer and our financial investment counselor said nothing could be done. How totally frustrating to see every dime your parents were able to save being used up so quickly for "NURSING HOME CARE." In early June 2001, I saw the ad in the Sunday Times for S.A.F.E. Planning, Inc. and decided to give them a call. It sure couldn't hurt to talk to them. WOW!!!! There is help. If only I had known sooner, maybe we could have protected more of their assets. Since both of my parents are in the nursing home now, there was no way to save in either of their names for the other one's expenses. However, we were able to put the balance of my parents' assets in an ANNUITY in Mother's name to be paid out over a seven (7) year period. This is the life expectancy of Mother based on Medicaid's actuary table. This increased the life of their assets by 5½ to 6 years. S.A.F.E. Planning walked me though the entire process. They advised and helped me through the entire Medicaid application process and accompanied me to fill out the application. With their help, I knew exactly what I needed to take with me, and since my Daddy had kept a hand ledger for years and I kept it up the same way since his fall, Medicaid did not ask for one other thing after the application was filed. Apparently the ledger answered any more questions they might have. Within one month of the application being filed on 6/25/2001, we were approved and it was retroactive to July 1, 2001. We now go out-of-pocket $875.00 a month rather than the $4,000.00. A savings of $3,125.00 per month or $37,500 a year. If only I had known earlier. There is help out there. Let S.A.F.E. Planning, Inc. help you too!!!!!!!!! Sandy Matteson Bossier City, LA

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