Activities of Daily Living (ADLs):
Activities of Daily Living for a tax-qualified long term care policy include bathing, continence, dressing, eating, toileting and transferring.

Adult Day Care:
A program of services provided during the day in a community group setting through an adult day care center that provides social and/or health-related services and maintenance or personal care services.

APS:
Attending Physicians Statement, may be required when an application is underwritten.

Assisted Living Facility:
Provides continuous room and board in an independent living facility licensed by the state. It also provides maintenance or personal care services required by residents due to their inability to perform the Activities of Daily Living or due to severe cognitive impairment.

Benefit Period:
The period of time that your long term care policy will pay benefits. This is usually represented by years of coverage, i.e., three years, six years or lifetime.

Chronically Ill:
You are chronically ill if you have had a Licensed Health Care Practitioner certify that you are unable to perform two out of six Activities of Daily Living for a period of at least 90 days or have a severe cognitive impairment.

Cognitive Impairment:
A deterioration or loss of intellectual capacity. Examples are Alzheimer's or other forms of irreversible dementia.

Comprehensive Policy:
A policy that pays long term care expenses in a home setting, an assisted living facility or nursing home facility.

Daily Benefit:
The dollar amount you want to have the policy cover toward your long term care expenses.

Elimination Period:
This can be thought of as the deductible period. This is the period of time you must cover your expenses before your policy will begin paying.

Home Health Care:
Licensed care in your home in the form of services and therapists.

Homemaker Services:
These services usually include housekeeping, cooking, and grocery and shopping services.

Hands-On Assistance:
The physical assistance of another person without which you would be unable to perform the Activities of Daily Living.

Hospice Care:
A qualified long term care service that provides a program of care to meet your needs in the event you become terminally ill.

Licensed Health Care Practitioner:
A physician, registered nurse or a licensed social worker.

Inflation Protection:
An option that allows the daily benefit amount to increase by a specified increment. Can be simple or compound.

Plan of Care:
A written plan prescribed by a Licensed Health Care Practitioner based upon an assessment indicating that you are Chronically Ill.

Medicaid:
A federal and state assistance program, also known as Title XIX of the Social Security Act, designed to provide medical and health-related services to the poorest of Americans.

Medicare:
A federal program for older Americans' health care benefits. Long term care benefits are limited under this program.

Non-Forfeiture Benefits:
An optional benefit that may be available where you can retain some or all of your long term care premium should you lapse your policy or die. Terms may vary by state.

Non-Tax Qualified Policy:
A policy that does not allow premiums to qualify as a medical deduction on your federal income tax return. Benefits received from this type of policy may be taxable.

Nursing Facility:
A facility or institution, other than a hospital, that is licensed or certified by the state and provides 24-hour per day skilled, intermediate or custodial nursing care under the supervision of an RN or physician.

Respite Care:
Qualified long term care services provided on a short-term basis to relieve family or friends who are your primary caregivers.

Tax Qualified:
A policy that may allow an individual or company to deduct a portion or all of the premiums paid for a long term care policy. Benefits received from a tax-qualified policy are generally not taxable income as long as they do not exceed the maximum amount established by the federal government. A tax professional should be consulted for each individual situation.

Stand-by Assistance:
The presence of another person within arm's reach of you that is necessary to prevent, by physical intervention, injury to you while you are performing the Activities of Daily Living.

30-Day Free Look:
The 30 days you are given to review an insurance policy that has been issued and return it for a full refund.

Waiver of Premium:
When you are no longer required to pay the premium during the period that your policy is paying benefits.