Family Resources

Veterans Benefits

The Veteran Affairs Aid & Attendance Pension program offers families and individuals an additional method of meeting or reducing vital assisted living costs. For qualifying veterans and their spouses, the A&A Pension provides up to $1,758 per month to a veteran, $1,130 per month to a surviving spouse or $2,085 per month to a couple.

Whether or not you or your family member qualifies for the A&A program, the VA allows households to deduct the annual cost of paying for assisted living when calculating their regular pension benefit. This annual cost is then used to calculate the benefit based on a new “countable income” and allows families earning more than the pension benefit to receive a disability income from VA. This income can be a welcomed supplement for families struggling to provide home-based elder care for their loved ones. Contact your local VA office today to see what Frontier can do for you or your loved one.

Long-Term Care Insurance

Having a long-term care insurance policy in place prior to any major changes in the health and mobility of your loved one may be a good option for assistance paying for additional care if and when they need it. However, availability and affordability of long term care insurance has changed in recent years. If you’re not sure about the status of your loved one’s long-term care coverage, contact Frontier today and we will evaluate his or her plan free of charge.

Medicaid Waiver

Frontier is a licensed Medicaid provider with the state of Alaska. The Medicaid program will pay for the care portion of Assisted Living and Memory Care for those that qualify. Residents who receive Medicaid are required to pay for room and board out of pocket but this typically represents only about 1/5 of the total monthly cost and Medicaid pays the rest. Many residents use Medicaid after Private Pay resources are exhausted. Going through the process to get approved for Medicaid can be confusing and lengthy but we are here to help. Below is an outline of the steps necessary to qualify and about how long it takes.

How to qualify to use Medicaid Waiver to pay for Assisted Living in Alaska

1. Determine Preliminary Eligibility (Up to 30 days). Call Aging and Disability Resource Center at 1-877-6AK-ADRC or Senior & Disabilities Services at 907-269-3666 to request an appointment to determine preliminary eligibility for a Medicaid Waiver for Residential Supported Living (RSL). They will get you an appointment for an over the phone assessment within 30 days. You and the representative will discuss your situation to verify:
   1. Assets & Income – Remaining assets of less than $2,000 and income levels less than $1,396 per month.
   2. Care needs – Most people will be eligible if they are deemed to need assistance with 3 or more activities of daily living.
2. Hire a Care Coordinator (Private agencies not affiliated with Frontier). Care Coordinators are authorized to complete Medicaid applications. You can hire one before getting prelim approval but run the risk of denial and then still having to pay the care coordinator.
3. Submit Medicaid Application (Up to 6 months) Care Coordinator will develop a Plan of Care and send in your application for an RSL Waiver. In order to do this they need medical records from all Health Care providers. Time will depend on how fast your Care Coordinator completes your Plan of Care and how long it takes health care providers to provide the records.
4. Get Appointment for In Home Assessment (Up to 30 days) – The State Nurse reviews the paperwork and will respond within 30 days of application submission to set up an appointment to do an In-Home Assessment.
5. Receive an In-Home Care Assessment (Up to 60 days) – Your appointment will usually be within 60 days of when they call you. The in-home assessment will take about ½ an hour and they will assess your medical and functional needs. The State Nurse then adds the completed assessment to the Medicaid application and sends in paperwork to the state who will approve or deny.
6. Receive approval letter from Medicaid (30 days – 6 months, but usually 45 days). Approval letter for RSL Waiver will contains a service authorization code and the allowable amount of hours for care.