Plan To Be 100

Thursday, January 12, the Michigan Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in several combined matters all relating to the issue of Medicaid estate recovery. The main issue in these cases is whether the manner in which the State implemented the estate recovery program gave those Medicaid beneficiaries who were subject to recovery sufficient notice of their rights and responsibilities – i.e. Was it fair? To read the briefs that have been filed in this matter, click here and follow the links.

This hearing is the culmination of years of litigation in local courts throughout Michigan, followed by several of those cases being appealed to the Michigan Court of Appeals.   While many local judges ruled in favor of the elder law attorneys who fought these cases, to date, as readers of this blogsite know, the appellate courts have not been nearly as friendly.  But those have all been COA cases. Perhaps the MSC will be kinder.

The State Bar Elder Law and Disability Rights Section has funded the Appellant’s case. They’ve invested a lot and have a quality product to show for it.  But one wonders what they expect to come of it.  While it’s possible the MSC could decide that every case in which the State has collected money under the estate recovery program was defective and the money should be refunded, that seems highly unlikely.  At best, perhaps, relief for the named plaintiffs and some instruction to the State to do better in the future. At worst, a stamp of approval on the process as it was followed.

In any event, one can’t knock the advocates for pushing back. The implementation of estate recovery in Michigan has been a long and curious process.

And in other news: dower is dead. The lame duck session of the Michigan legislature passed laws abolishing this relic of the common law.  No surprise here.  To read more on dower, click here.