Glossary
Aged: Descriptive of an individual age 65 or older.
Aid and Attendance: A special Veterans Administration allowance most often paid to persons in
a nursing home who require the constant assistance of another person to help with personal
needs.
Allocation of Income: The process to allow a portion of the institutionalized individual’s income
to be set aside to meet the needs of specific dependents in the community.
Applicant: An individual, who directly, or through an authorized or designated representative,
submits a signed and dated application, completes an interactive interview when required and
chooses to apply for benefits.
Application: The procedure by which an individual indicates that they wish to receive assistance
by submitting a signed and dated application.
Application Process: The process of determining eligibility or ineligibility for available benefits.
It begins with the date of application and ends with the determination of ineligibility or the
authorization of benefits.
Assets: Certain holdings, cash or property with a value that must be evaluated during the
eligibility determination (Formerly referred to as Resources).
CARES: The Department of Elder Affairs unit responsible for establishing levels of institutional
care criteria, assessing each individual’s physical and mental condition, and assigning a level of
care which indicates an appropriate placement to meet the individual’s needs.
Community Spouse: The non-institutionalized spouse (of a married couple) who continues to
live in the community when one spouse is in (or seeking) institutional care.
Cost of Care: The Department-established rate a facility may collect for services to an
individual.
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA): An across-the-board increase in benefits authorized by a
state or federal agency. The increase could affect the AG’s eligibility for benefits.
Date of Application: Date the Department or authorized community partner site receives the
signed and dated application from the customer.
Denial: Non-approval of requested benefits (called rejected or denied in the past).
Department of Children and Family Services: (Department of Children and Families, DCF
or Department): The state agency that determines eligibility for TCA, foods stamps, and
Medicaid and other services to eligible needy families.
Designated Representative: The individual (for Family and SSI-Related Medicaid only) who is
self-designated or has been designated by the individual applying for or receiving assistance to
act on the individual’s behalf in the application/eligibility review process.
Eligibility Test: The process of measuring the individual’s total income against the appropriate
income standard to determine if the individual meets the income eligibility criteria.
Fair Market Value: The amount of cash received by selling or converting an asset when both
parties (a willing seller and a willing buyer) have sufficient information about market conditions
and comparable properties.
Guardian: A legal representative appointed by the court to act on behalf of a minor or legally
incompetent adult.
Homestead: Any shelter or principal place of residence (for individual and family) and
surrounding property not separated from the residence by intervening property owned by others
in which the individual has an ownership interest.
ICP Income Standard: The maximum monthly income level used in determining eligibility for the
Institutional Care Program.
Income and Eligibility Verification System (IEVS): An automated system that compares
applicant/recipient data with income and eligibility data provided by various state and federal
agencies.
Institutional Care Program (ICP): A program that makes institutional benefits such as
institutional vendor payment and payment of Medicare coinsurance for skilled nursing care
available to Medicaid-eligible individuals.
Level of Care: The level of nursing home care that an individual needs.
Long Term Care: Maintenance care or care expected to last for a continuous period of time.
Medicaid: A state administered federal program of medical assistance that is available to groups
of specific individuals based on financial need as defined in policy.
Medicaid Cap (ICP Income Limit): The amount set by Title XIX Federal Medicaid regulations as
the maximum income limit (300 percent of the current SSI Federal Benefit Rate) the state may
use in determining eligibility for the Institutional Care Program.
Medicaid Providers: Hospitals, nursing homes, public health units, or other entities providing
services to individuals who may need assistance in paying for medical services.
Medicare: A federal insurance program that covers hospitalization, medical care and drugs for
aged and disabled individuals who have sufficient work history.
Medicare Coinsurance: The amount Medicare determines the individual owes to the facility for
those days for which Medicare makes partial payment.
Patient Responsibility: The amount of income the Department determines the individual must
pay toward their cost of care.
Periodic Eligibility Income Report (PEIR): The form generated periodically to collect
information needed to determine continued eligibility for transitional Medicaid.
Personal Needs Allowance: The portion of the individual’s income protected to meet the
individual’s personal needs while in an institution.
Posthumous Benefit: A determination of eligibility after an individual dies for a benefit period
prior to the time of his death.
Power of Attorney: A legal document used for one person to designate another to act on his
behalf.
Spouse (as defined in Section 741.212(3) F.S.): A member of a legal union (marriage) between
one man and one woman as husband and wife.
Thomas Upchurch serves the entire Central and North Florida Areas including Daytona Beach, Port Orange, Deland, Ormond Beach, Jacksonville, Palm Coast, Orlando, Saint Augustine and New Smyrna Beach. . If you have any questions regarding estate planning, we urge you to contact us at (386) 255-1925 to schedule a free 30 minute telephone consultation. In the alternative, you can email us at tupchurch@upchurchlaw.com and we’ll gladly respond to your inquires. Home and Hospital visits are also available.
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In February 2011, Ann contacted us about her mother, Judy, a long time estate planning clien...
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Daytona Beach
Phone: 386.255.1925
Fax: 386.255.9118
444 Seabreeze Blvd. Suite 1003
Daytona Beach, FL 32118