Phil Marti wrote:

- quote -

Medicare HMOs don't send itemized or summary statements
adequate to reconstruct the benefit obtained.

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- quote -

I only get Medicare statements where there is an outstanding
balance. No statements for lab work, etc.

--
Don in Upstate NY

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- quote -

I can't speak to Medicaid, but Medicare certainly sends
benefit statements for every claim it pays. If Medicaid was
paying nursing home charges that would be easy to
reconstruct even if Medicaid didn't send statements.

--
Phil Marti
Clarksburg, MD

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Wayne Brasch wrote:

- quote -

Are you SURE Medicaid and/or Medicare benefits count as
"support". You don't receive a statement, so it would
be difficult to determine what the dollar amount is.

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jiggy wrote:

- quote -

Claiming your parents as dependents does not affect their
Medicaid benefits. They don't file tax returns if they have
no filing requirement. Assuming that they are living with
you here in the U.S., they would be your dependents as long
as you could show that you provided more than 50% of their
total support. Support that comes from all sources goes into
the formula. See IRS Pub 501 for a worksheet you can use to
calculate total support to see if you meet the > 50% test.
http://www.irs.gov/publications/index.html

--
Alan
http://taxtopics.net

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jdoshi[at]gmail.com (jiggy) posted:

- quote -

From the facts presented, you can claim them as dependents,
since they meet all five dependency tests (See 1040
Instructions or Pub 17).

Medicaid coverage is a state issue, as regulations vary, so
I would suggest you seek advice locally -- perhaps on a
state website with a link to Medicaid FAQs.

- quote -

They are not required to file unless they meet the minimum
income standards ($15,900 or $17,800 if both over 65 for
2004). It would needlessly clutter both the mails and IRS,
if you file when there is absolutely no income.

Bill

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Yes, you may claim two dependents (parents), as long as they
pass all five of the tests for dependents. It should not
affect the medicaid coverage, but that is a *mediciad*
question not a *tax* question. Why file a -0- tax return???

Missy Doyle

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"jiggy" <jdoshi[at]gmail.com> wrote:

- quote -

If, in fact, your parents have no income, they need not file
a tax return. Did they not get any pension income or Social
Security benefits? You may be able to claim them as
dependents if you furnished more than half of the TOTAL
support for 2004. That includes their benefits from
Medicaid and any other governmental programs or any other
form of assistance.

Wayne Brasch, CPA, M. S. Taxation

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I am supporting my parents. They have no source of Income.
They live with me and I support all their fiancial
requirements except Medical expenses. They use Medicaid
(Government Insurance Program). I have 2 questions here.

Can I claim them as a dependednt? If I claim will it affect
their Medicaid coverage?

Can they file Tax return showing no Income?

Thanks..

Jiggy

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