Long Term Care Planning

Medicare’s Limited Nursing Home Coverage

Many people believe that Medicare covers nursing home stays. In fact, Medicare’s coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. Medicare covers up to 100 days of “skilled nursing care” per illness, but there are a number of requirements that must be met before the nursing home stay will be covered. The result of these […]READ POST »

Long-Term Care Benefits for Veterans and Surviving Spouses

Long-term care costs can add up quickly. For veterans and the surviving spouses of veterans who need in-home care or are in a nursing home, help may be available. The Veterans Administration (VA) has an underused pension benefit called Aid and Attendance that provides money to those who need assistance performing everyday tasks. Even veterans […]READ POST »

Using Estate Planning to Prepare for Medicaid

Long-term care involves not only a loss of personal autonomy; it also comes at a tremendous financial price. Proper planning can help your family prepare for the financial toll and protect assets for future generations. Long-term care can be very expensive, especially around-the-clock nursing home care. Most people end up paying for nursing home care […]READ POST »

What Are the House Ownership Options When Parents and Adult Children Live Together?

Increasingly, several generations of American families are living together. According to a Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census data, 64 million Americans, or 20 percent of the population, live in households containing two adult generations. These multi-generational living arrangements present legal and financial challenges around home ownership. Multi-generational households may include “boomerang” children who […]READ POST »

Who Should Purchase Long-Term Care Insurance?

Buying long-term care insurance is one way to protect against the high cost of long-term care. However, this type of insurance may not be for everyone, so consider all your options. Long-term care – care in a nursing home or at home – may be paid for in four main ways: Out-of-pocket. If you have […]READ POST »

The Attorney’s Role in Medicaid Planning

Do you need an attorney for even “simple” Medicaid planning? This depends on your situation, but in most cases, the prudent answer would be “yes.” The social worker at your mother’s nursing home assigned to assist in preparing a Medicaid application for your mother knows a lot about the program, but maybe not the rule […]READ POST »

End-of-Life Care Decision Making

Just as we create estate plans for our eventual demise, we also need to plan ahead for the possibility that we will become sick and unable to make our own medical decisions. Medical science has created many miracles, among them the technology to keep patients alive longer, sometimes indefinitely. As a result of many well-publicized […]READ POST »

husband wife social security benefits

Husbands Usually Do Not Consider Their Wives’ Future When Deciding When to Take Social Security Benefits

The amount of Social Security benefits a surviving spouse receives depends, in part, on when their deceased spouse began claiming benefits. However, husbands usually do not take survivor’s benefits into account when claiming benefits, according to a recent study, meaning that many widows will needlessly experience a significant drop in income. Because women typically live […]READ POST »

Representative Payee: Not a Job to Be Taken Lightly

The Social Security Administration (SSA) manages the two largest government benefit programs for people with special needs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Many of the people with special needs who receive these benefits are qualified to manage their own money and can make other financial decisions for themselves. The SSA […]READ POST »

Make Sure Your Beneficiary Designations Match Your Estate Plan

Many types of property and investments pass outside of probate and allow you to designate who will receive them after your death. It is important that these designations are kept up to date and are consistent with the rest of your estate plan. When you open an investment account or retirement plan or buy life […]READ POST »