Elder Law consists of a wide array of legal services including Veteran’s Benefits, Medicaid Planning, Estate and Incapacity Planning, Probate, Trust and Estate Administration, and Nursing Home and Assisted Living Facility Residents’ Rights Advocacy. Our law firm is dedicated to providing these services based on your needs and to preserve your assets and legacy. At Elder Legal Solutions LLP, whether we are dealing with a crisis or helping prepare for the future, we offer peace of mind.

You served the Country, now is time for the country to serve you. Our veterans served their country proudly and diligently, yet many do not know they are eligible for benefits due to their wartime service. Cash benefits are available to veterans and their spouses who are aged 65 and older and those who are now disabled. VA benefits can help cover costly medical bills, in-home aids, and health insurance. If you find yourself spending your monthly income or savings on recurring medical expenses, the VA can reimburse you for some of those costs. While the VA offers many different benefits, one that is particularly useful is the Veteran or Survivor’s pension. Veteran’s are eligible for up to $1900 a month in cash benefits if qualified for the Aid and Attendance enhancement, or even more currently living with their spouse. Surviving Spouses who qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits can receive up to $1228 a month. Applying for VA benefits on your own can be a tricky and arduous task.

Estate planning will provide you with the assurance that everything you have worked for and saved for will be there for you and your family. Planning encompasses creating legal documents that will provide financial security and protection for you during your lifetime (Financial Durable Power of Attorney) and thereafter, for your family (Last Will and Testament or a Trust). Planning also includes providing for your health and medical needs including home health care, transitioning to assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing (Healthcare Durable Power of Attorney). A Living Will provides that in the event you are unable to communicate directly with your healthcare provider, your loved ones will have peace of mind knowing, for certain, the actions you directed them to take regarding life support.

Long Term Care (LTC) Medicaid is a government funded health insurance coverage program for seniors and those with disabilities. This program may help pay for the costs of a nursing home or assisted living facility in addition to offering home and community based services like providing aids for in-home care. Because only 20% of the population can afford to purchase long term care insurance, Medicaid becomes the only option for most people. The average cost of a nursing home can range between $8000 to $12,000 a month while an Assisted Living Facility can average between $3000 to $6000 a month. Given such high expenses, you will easily burn through the assets you have worked so hard for your entire life without some form of assistance. This firm focuses on the many ways to preserve your income and your assets while still qualifying for LTC Medicaid. Proper medicaid planning can provide you with the security and confidence that you will be financially secure and well taken care of in the future.

When someone passes away their assets (property, money, and possessions) can be passed on to heirs and beneficiaries mainly in two ways.
Assets that will pass directly to a co-owner or beneficiary upon the owner’s death. These types of assets include – Payable on Death (“POD”) accounts, life insurance proceeds, real estate that is co-owned or an enhanced life estate deed and pension or retirement accounts that have named beneficiaries.
Assets which do not transfer directly to a beneficiary upon death of the owner. These assets can be passed down through a will or without a will through a process known as intestacy. These types of assets are often real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, and personal effects.
Heirs and beneficiaries are often unable to obtain legal ownership of these types of assets without the probate proceedings. Even when the deceased owner passes away with a will in place, probate is often necessary.
Probate is the legal and orderly process to inventory assets, pay outstanding debts, resolve disputed claims and transfer assets to the deceased’s heirs and beneficiaries.