By Mark Harvey

I think today is a good day for a bit of this and that, so let’s jump right into a “this.”

An alert reader, who not only reads my ramblings but actually reads Medicare paperwork, reacted to a recent column about the new Medicare cards, which many of us have already received, or will be receiving shortly. In that column, I made the statement that we really didn’t need to do anything.

I can’t say it any better than she did, so here’s what she said:

“I’m just a kid, 59 1/2, but I watch out for my husband and in-laws. One thing that I thought of after reading your article about the arrival of the new cards is that if you pay your Medicare premiums with your online bill pay service, you’ll need to update your account to use your new Medicare number. If you pay by check or money order, you’ll need to write your new Medicare number on your check or money order.”

Smart lady. Thank you!

Ready for a “that”? Now that we’re actually in the Medicare Part D “open enrollment” period, there seems to be some confusion about, so let’s back up.

If you already have a Part D plan, you are not required to find and purchase different one; in fact, you are not required to do anything. I always advise shopping because, as previously noted, premiums and formularies can (and do!) change, and most of us aren’t pleased by discovering that fact when it’s too late to do anything about it; however, you are not required to do anything.

If you do nothing, your current plan will continue into 2019 and, hopefully, all will be well.

Remember, too, that if you are signing up for Medicare for the first time, you are always eligible to purchase a Part D plan, regardless of when in the year that is. Also, anytime you move to a new area (like, a different state/county), you are eligible to purchase a new Part D plan.

Here’s another “this,” having to do with Veterans Administration benefits — but allow me to confess that I am not a pro when it comes to the VA. There are a number of reasons for that lack of expertise, none of which are sufficiently entertaining to articulate here. But here’s what I know; and if you have questions about any of it, you’ll get much further, much faster, by addressing them to someone who knows what they’re talking about.

Apparently, way back in 2012, the VA began a process to stop financial companies from offering free assistance to veterans seeking benefits in order to sell financial services and products; thus, eight years later, we see the culmination of said process, effective Sept. 18, 2018:

• The “gifting provision,” allowing gifts of property to be made, has been eliminated entirely.

• A “bright line” of $123,600 in total net worth has been implemented. For pension purposes, any amount of assets less than that figure will be automatically allowed; any amount above it will make the claimant ineligible until the assets are spent down below that figure. “Assets” generally include bank accounts, retirement accounts, investment accounts, property other than the home, etc.

• A three-year “look back” has been implemented. This means assets over $123,600 cannot be given away or reduced to meet eligibility for the 36-month period prior to filing a pension claim.

• A penalty period has been created. “Any funds improperly transferred to reduce net worth to $123,600 are referred to as ‘covered assets.’ Any covered asset transfers discovered by VA will be divided by $1,830. This equals the number of months a claimant will be ineligible to receive benefits up to a maximum of five years.”

You now know what I know.

Here’s the last one for today, so I guess it’s a “that.”

In response to several questions: Yes, Medicare covers Home Health services, but a Medicare beneficiary still has to meet Home Health criteria. That means (a) you need skilled services (i.e. nursing, therapies, etc.), and (b) it has to be difficult for you to get to a clinic or provider to receive said skilled services. The simple fact that you have Medicare isn’t enough.

Had enough? Me, too.

Mark Harvey is the director of information and assistance for the Olympic Area Agency on Aging. He can be reached by email at harvemb@dshs.wa.gov; by phone at 360-532-0520 in Aberdeen, 360-942-2177 in Raymond, or 360-642-3634; or through Facebook at Olympic Area Agency on Aging-Information & Assistance.