About the Project This project is a specialized digital tool designed to help Indiana residents estimate the financial implications of transferring assets before applying for Medicaid. I am an estate planning and elder law attorney with a STEM PhD, and I put this calculator on my website. The calculator is free to use, does not store sensitive data, and would be beneficial to not only my prospective legal clients, but to anyone who is having difficulty navigating end-of-life planning and has questions about Medicaid.
The calculator focuses on a possible Medicaid "penalty period", which is the amount of time an individual must pay for nursing home care out of pocket because they gave away money or property within five years before applying for benefits. By providing a clear interface for entering transfer history and applying current state-specific financial data, the tool turns a complex legal calculation into a manageable estimate for families and individuals.
The tool is not meant to be about hype, or vibe-coding, or AI-anything. Many potential clients looking to work with an elder law attorney don't care about the underlying tech. They want something to help them today. Because I am an attorney and have this on my own law firm website, I am trying to show this tool can be trusted. It's meant to look non-flashy and be extremely useful.
Inspiration Navigating the rules for Indiana Medicaid is often overwhelming for families who are already dealing with the stress of a loved one entering long-term care. My inspiration for this calculator came from seeing a consistent need for transparency in how asset transfers impact Medicaid eligibility. Many people do not realize that even small gifts or transfers can result in months of denied coverage. This tool was built to bridge the gap between dense legal statutes and complicated process and the practical need for families to understand their financial timeline. Plus, as a former professor, I still enjoy the educational aspect of making a complex situation understandable..
What It Does The calculator computes the length of a Medicaid penalty period based on the total value of non-exempt asset transfers made during the sixty-month look-back window. Users input the dates and amounts of various transfers along with the Indiana's current monthly divisor, which represents the average cost of nursing home care in Indiana per month. The system then aggregates these transfers and determines exactly how many months and days the applicant will be ineligible for Medicaid coverage, providing a projected start date for when benefits might finally begin.
Challenges One of the primary challenges was making sure the logic accounted for the specific way Indiana calculates partial months. Another challenge was creating a user interface that could handle multiple asset transfer entries while maintaining a simple, one-page experience required. The tool also had to be designed with clear disclaimers to make sure users understand that the result is an estimate and not a guarantee of state approval.
I also created a walk-through video to explain how to use the calculator, and, again, talk about the calculator being for educational purposes. This area of law is very complicated and there are legal exceptions that are not covered within the calculator.
Accomplishments The project and it's corresponding walkthrough YouTube video translate complex Indiana Medicaid rules into a straightforward, interactive format. The calculator should help individuals and families better understand the potential timeline for their Medicaid benefits. It provides a clear starting point for those navigating the application process, making it easier to visualize how specific financial decisions might affect future eligibility.
What's Next The plan is to keep the tool updated as the state of Indiana adjusts the official monthly divisor and Medicaid regulations. The goal is to make sure the calculator remains a helpful and accurate resource for anyone beginning the long-term care planning process. A second calculator has also been created that addresses possible allowances for the community spouse, which is another complicated area in elder law and asset protection planning.