When the legendary singer Aretha Franklin died earlier this year, she left behind an astonishing musical legacy, an estate reportedly in the neighborhood of $80 million…but no will.
Category Archives: Elder Law
How to Find a Qualified Elder Law Attorney
No matter the reason, hiring an attorney usually means you’re dealing with a stressful situation.
Maybe it’s an emergency: You’ve been charged with a crime, or you and the company you own has been sued for wrongdoing.
Or maybe you’re planning for the future, creating a will, setting up a power of attorney, which can be a different type of stressful: it’s forcing you to contend with literal matters of life and death.
It’s in situations like these that you’d be best served by seeking out the services of a Doylestown, PA elder law attorney.
New Medicare Cards Are Coming. That Means New Medicare Scams
Last month, the U.S. government began issuing new Medicare cards to every Medicare recipient in the country.
The roll-out is happening in phases, going state-by-state, with all new cards expected to be distributed by April of 2019. Residents in Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland are among the first getting the new cards.
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How to Prove that a Gift was not Made to Qualify for Medicaid
It’s important to understand the medicaid gifting rules. If you are admitted to a nursing home, you will usually want to qualify for Medicaid benefits as soon as possible. However, even if you qualify in all other respects, if you have made a gift within five years of applying for Medicaid, you may not qualify. The PA Department of Human Services will penalize you one month of ineligibility for every $10,043.28 you gave away.
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What is an Elder Law Attorney?
What is an elder law attorney?
The dictionary definition of an “elder law attorney” is simple: an advocate for older people, and their loved ones.
But talk to Garrett Gummer, a longtime Bucks County elder law expert, and you’ll get a much more nuanced answer. It’s a role that covers everything from estate planning to will preparation to powers of attorney and healthcare powers of attorney to setting up trusts.
“If your parent or grandparent has to go into a nursing home, we help protect their nest egg,” he says. “There are ways to do that if you properly plan for it.
“If a loved one dies, we help you administer their estate if you’re appointed as the executor. Or if they haven’t done a proper power of attorney, sometimes it’s necessary for us to petition the court to have you or another family member appointed guardian.”
What You Need to Know: Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act
Every year, America’s senior citizens lose close to $3 billion due to financial exploitation, either from scam artists or unscrupulous caregivers.
It’s this type of abuse that led lawmakers this year to pass the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act, put forward by Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and signed into law by President Trump in mid-October.
The law creates tougher penalties for frauds, expands information sharing rules to prevent financial fraud targeting seniors, and expands the federal criminal code to include email marketing schemes.
“Exploiting and defrauding seniors is cowardly, and these crimes should be addressed as the reprehensible acts they are,” Grassley, himself a senior citizen, said earlier this year.
When you work as an elder law attorney, you see people who have fallen victim to these sorts of crimes all too often. And while stronger penalties are no doubt a good thing, there are things you can do to prevent your loved ones from falling victim to financial elder abuse:
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Why You Should Use a Lawyer for Medicaid Planning
Many seniors and their families don’t use a lawyer to plan for long-term care or Medicaid, often because they’re afraid of the cost. But an attorney can help you save money in the long run as well as make sure you are getting the best care for your loved one.
Instead of taking steps based on what you’ve heard from others, doing nothing, or enlisting a non-lawyer referred by a nursing home, you can hire an elder law attorney in Bucks County. Here are a few reasons why you should at least consider this option:
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Assisted Living vs. Aging in Place: How an Elder Care Lawyer Can Help
For those of us who are still relatively young and in good health, it can be difficult to understand how frightening it can be to grow older, and experience the feelings of helplessness as various parts of your once-strong body begin to betray you.
If you have a senior in your life who is beginning to experience some of the negative physical or mental affects of growing older—or if you happen to be a senior yourself—you may be thinking about the various benefits and drawbacks of moving into a senior living facility, or simply aging in place in your own home.
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When Should You Speak With an Elder Law Attorney in Bucks County?
You may be young – or at least young at heart – but that doesn’t mean you won’t someday require the services of an elder law attorney.
In this blog post, we’ll outline the many ways an elder law attorney can help you or your loved ones prepare for your golden years, so that you can choose the opportune time to meet with one to discuss your specific needs.
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What Type of Trust is Right For You?
Whenever we elect a new president, we hear a lot of talk about something called a “blind trust.”
This term refers to a financial arrangement in which a person in elected office sets aside their business interests to avoid a conflict of interest.
It’s one of many types of trusts, all of which are designed to keep assets safe in the long term, either for you or for your loved ones.
Let’s look at some common types of trusts, their benefits and what pitfalls to avoid.
