Dear John: I am 82 years old and live on a fixed income.

I also have a few medical problems. I have gotten so many different stories about applying for Medicaid, so I’m hoping you can help me.

If in the near future I have to go into a home and/or have to apply Medicaid:

Does Medicaid check my financial status?

If I want to give my daughter some money, would I be questioned about why I did so?

And would my daughter have to give the money back?

I know that as a parent I am allowed to give my daughter $13,000 as a gift. Would she have to give this back to Medicaid?

And if I am on Medicaid and do go into a nursing home, would Medicaid take my house?

Any information that could be helpful would be appreciated. F.P.

Dear F.P. I called the folks at Medicaid in New York, where you live, and here’s what they said about how a person’s assets may affect their use of Medicaid to pay for nursing home care.

First question: Of course Medicaid checks your assets. If it didn’t, everyone would apply.

Now to the question of a home. I’m going to quote verbatim what the people at Medicaid said, to avoid misinterpretation.

“A home is not counted as an asset while the homeowner resides there,” said a Medicaid spokesman.

“A home will also not count while the spouse of the homeowner, a minor or disabled child is living in the home.”

He said Medicaid will not take a lien on the house while the homeowner lives there — meaning it won’t make a claim like a bank or other lender would.

But if you leave the home to enter a nursing home and do not intend to return — and there is no spouse, minor or disabled child living there — the house would then become an asset and affect eligibility.

If the homeowner leaves the home and intends to return, a lien is placed on the property, but the house is not counted in determining Medicaid eligibility.

If the gift of $13,000 — or any amount — is made within five years of needing nursing-home care, it would affect eligibility.

And the money would need to be returned to avoid a penalty period — which is the period of time during which Medicaid would not pay for nursing-home care.

In other words, Medicaid does not want you parking money in someone else’s account so that you look destitute enough to qualify for coverage.

At $13,000, the penalty would mean you’d lose six weeks of Medicaid eligibility.

I hope that helps answer your questions.

Send your questions to Dear John, The N.Y. Post, 1211 Ave. of the Americas, N.Y., N.Y., 10036, or john.crudele@nypost.com.