How to Apply for Delaware Medicaid Home Care Without a Lawyer

You can apply for Delaware Medicaid home care (DSHP Plus) without hiring an elder law attorney, and thousands of Delaware families do exactly that. The process is administrative — clinical assessment, financial documentation, and portal filing — not adversarial. If your parent's financial situation is straightforward (home, Social Security, maybe a pension, savings near or below $2,000), the application is entirely manageable with the right step-by-step guidance.

The one exception: if anyone is contesting your parent's care decisions, disputing asset transfers, or you need to appear in Court of Chancery for a guardianship proceeding, you need legal representation.

The Five Steps to DSHP Plus Approval

Step 1: Establish Legal Authority

Before filing any Medicaid paperwork on your parent's behalf, you need legal authority to act. Delaware's Durable Personal Power of Attorney under Title 12, Chapter 49A is the standard instrument. It requires:

• The statutory form (not a generic online template)
• Notarization
• One disinterested witness
• The specific agent certification language Delaware mandates

If your parent still has decision-making capacity, execute the power of attorney now. If capacity is already compromised, you're looking at guardianship through the Court of Chancery — the one scenario where an attorney becomes necessary.

Step 2: Determine Financial Eligibility

Delaware Medicaid for long-term care has two hard thresholds:

• Asset limit: $2,000 in countable assets (excludes the primary home, one vehicle, personal belongings, and irrevocable prepaid burial trusts)
• Income limit: $2,982/month gross income for institutional-level care

If your parent's assets exceed $2,000, you need to spend down to the limit using allowable expenses (medical bills, home repairs, prepaid funeral). The 60-month look-back rule applies — uncompensated gifts or below-market transfers within 5 years of the application date can trigger a penalty period.

If your parent's income exceeds $2,982/month, Delaware is an income-cap state with zero spend-down flexibility. You must establish a Qualified Income Trust (Miller Trust) before filing. This trust routes excess income through a dedicated account with the State of Delaware named as remainder beneficiary.

Step 3: Get the Clinical Assessment

Your parent must meet Nursing Facility Level of Care (NFLOC) — meaning they need the level of assistance that would otherwise require nursing home placement. The state evaluates this using the Uniform Assessment Instrument, which scores deficits in Activities of Daily Living (bathing, dressing, toileting, transferring, eating) and cognitive function.

Contact the Delaware ADRC at 1-800-223-9074 to initiate the clinical assessment referral. If your parent is currently hospitalized, request the assessment before discharge — hospital records provide immediate clinical documentation.

Step 4: File Through ASSIST

Delaware's online ASSIST portal is where you submit the Medicaid application. You'll need:

• 60 months of bank statements for every account
• Income verification (Social Security award letter, pension statements)
• Property deeds
• Vehicle titles
• Insurance policies (life, burial)
• The Miller Trust documentation (if applicable)

The single biggest cause of delays: incomplete documentation that triggers an "information request" from the Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance. Each request can delay processing. Filing with every document the first time is critical.

Step 5: Choose Your MCO

Once approved, your parent is assigned to one of three Managed Care Organizations: Highmark Health Options, AmeriHealth Caritas, or Delaware First Health. This choice matters more than most families realize — the MCO determines the care coordinator, the provider network, and how many home care hours your parent receives.

Ask each MCO about their home care hour authorization process, their provider availability in your parent's county (particularly in Kent and Sussex), and their member satisfaction metrics before committing.

What Trips Up DIY Applicants

The Miller Trust timing. The trust must be established and the bank account opened before the Medicaid application is filed. Filing first and adding the trust later doesn't work — Delaware will deny the application for over-income status.

The look-back audit. Families who helped a parent financially in the past 5 years often don't realize that birthday gifts, paying a grandchild's tuition, or loaning money to a sibling all show up as disqualifying transfers. Review 60 months of statements before filing and be prepared to document the purpose of every large withdrawal.

The MCO auto-assignment. If you don't actively choose an MCO, Delaware assigns one. The assigned MCO may not have providers in your parent's area or may authorize fewer home care hours than alternatives. Make the choice yourself.

The Aging in Place in Delaware guide covers all of these traps in detail, with the Document Preparation Checklist, Miller Trust setup instructions, and MCO Comparison Worksheet designed specifically for self-directed applicants.

Who This Is For

• Adult children comfortable with administrative processes who want to handle the Medicaid application themselves
• Families with a straightforward financial situation (home + Social Security + limited savings)
• Caregivers who want to save $3,000–$15,000 in attorney fees and invest the time instead

Who This Is NOT For

• Families whose parent has complex business assets, rental properties, or multi-state holdings
• Situations where a family member is contesting the power of attorney or care decisions
• Cases where the parent lacks decision-making capacity and no POA exists (guardianship requires an attorney)

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to set up a Miller Trust without an attorney in Delaware?

Yes. A Miller Trust (Qualified Income Trust) is a standard administrative requirement, not a contested legal instrument. Delaware expects families to establish these trusts when income exceeds the cap. The trust language, bank account requirements, and allowable uses of trust funds must meet Delaware and Medicaid requirements. An attorney can prepare it faster, and should review the document before it is established.

How long does the Delaware Medicaid application take without a lawyer?

DMMA has up to 45 days to issue a determination once a complete packet is received. Information requests or other missing items can delay the process, regardless of who filed the application.

What if my application is denied — do I need a lawyer then?

Not necessarily. For an MCO adverse benefit determination, file an internal appeal within 60 calendar days; if the MCO upholds it, request a Division of Medicaid and Medical Assistance State Fair Hearing within 120 calendar days of the internal appeal resolution notice. If services are being reduced or terminated, request continuation by the later of 10 calendar days from the postmark date or the proposed effective date; losing the appeal can make you liable for services received during the appeal. The most common denial reasons — missing documentation, Miller Trust not established, countable assets over $2,000 — may be fixable without legal representation. If the denial involves a disputed asset transfer or penalty period you believe was calculated incorrectly, a one-hour attorney consultation ($475) to review the specific issue is more cost-effective than a full retainer.

Can I switch from DIY to an attorney partway through?

Absolutely, and the preparation work isn't wasted. The document gathering, financial inventory, and Miller Trust research you've done is exactly what an attorney needs to begin work. Most families who switch report that their organized file cut the attorney's billable hours significantly — turning a $10,000 engagement into a $3,000 one.

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