Who Should Get Elder Law Help?
Elder law addresses issues that arise as you age, so you should seek elder law help as you move forward in the aging process. If you are getting older and begin thinking about end-of-life issues, about mortality, and about your legacy, you need to talk with a lawyer to address the issues that matter for your future.
Seniors, however, are not the only ones who can benefit from the services that elder law attorneys provide. Elder law attorneys offer assistance in building and protecting assets; in avoiding unwanted medical care; in maintaining autonomy in the event of incapacity; and in determining what happens after your death. A person could become sick or badly injured at any time and that individual and his family could face significant hardship if no advanced plans have been made.
The need to protect yourself, your wealth, and your loved ones is universal and spans all age groups. As a result, everyone should talk with an elder law attorney about retirement and financial planning; nursing home planning; asset protection; incapacity planning; and estate planning. Whether you want to ensure your young kids are cared for in the event of your untimely death or want to spare your family the pain of discontinuing care when you become severely hurt or terminally ill, you need to address the issues which matter to protecting your future. An elder law attorney will help you to do that.
How Does Medicaid Planning Help Prepare for the Future?
Elder law attorneys provide many different services, including assistance with asset protection. A big part of protecting your assets involves making sure nursing home costs and medical bills do not cripple your finances or eat through your entire life savings. Often, the best way to do that is to engage in Medicaid planning.
Medicaid is usually the only source of insurance that pays for nursing home care, except in limited circumstances when skilled medical services are necessary. Medicaid can also provide you with low-cost or no-cost medical services when other insurers would require a higher co-pay or substantial co-insurance expenses. This means if you need nursing home care or have to get expensive medical treatment, Medicaid may be the best or only answer for your coverage.
Unfortunately, Medicaid is means-tested so you may be unable to qualify for coverage if you have acquired assets over the course of your life. Medicaid planning involves taking steps to protect the assets you have acquired and to get coverage for your care without needing to spend down your nest egg. The planning process can also be helpful in protecting assets from estate recovery, which can sometimes be triggered after your death if you received Medicaid benefits after aged 55 or while a full-time resident in a medical care setting.
How can Clark Peshkin Help?
Clark Peshkin can provide assistance with all aspects of Medicaid planning and with a wide variety of other elder law issues. Those in Rochester, Buffalo and Syracuse should give us a call as soon as possible at 888-222-4996 so we can begin to put together a plan for your future that will keep you secure in case of incapacity and throughout the aging process. Contact us now to learn more about how we can help.
