Answer:  If you are a professional who helps families plan for or deal with ANY of their elder care matters, then you owe it to yourself to be listed on America's #1 online source for "Elder Care Experts"….

ElderCareMatters.com

ElderCareMatters.com is where you will find more than 2,000 competent, caring elder care experts located across America, including:

• Elder Law Attorneys
• Estate Planning Advisors
• Financial Planners
• Investment Advisors
• Geriatric Care Managers
• Insurance Professionals
• Life Care Planners
• Professional Organizers
• Reverse Mortgage Lenders
• Senior Move Managers
• Senior Real Estate Professionals
•  Tax Advisors
• Aging in Place Professionals
• Daily Money Managers
• And other elder care experts with long and successful careers working with seniors and their families

This is also where you will find some of America's best:

• Assisted Living Communities
• Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities
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Together, we provide families across America with:

• Unparalleled professional expertise
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• Competent, caring assistance with a wide range of elder care services

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional who helps families with ANY of their elder care matters, then request today an Application for Membership in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance and get listed on ElderCareMatters.com - America's #1 source for "Elder Care Experts" plus information and answers about a wide range of elder care matters.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
ElderCareMatters.com

 

 

 

Answer:  There is a 5 year look back period for Medicaid.  Any asset transfers, including gifts, made within this 5 year look back window will trigger a penalty period of ineligibility to receive Medicaid benefits.  There are ways to avoid triggering these penalties but an outright gift is not one of the ways.  

As an example of the problem with making an outright gift, if your grandfather gifts to you $200,000 today and in 3 years requires skilled care, the gift of $200,000 will render him ineligible for Medicaid benefits for a significant period.  During the period of ineligibility he, or you, will have to pay for any nursing home care. 

In Massachusetts, the homestead protection will not keep your grandfather’s $200,000 from the reach of nursing homes, but a primary residence is often an exempt asset for Medicaid (Mass Health).  In Massachusetts however, the nursing home or skilled care facility will be able to put a lien on your home if you use a portion of his $200,000 gift to purchase the home and put his name on the deed.  

However, since you are buying your home in Florida, it may be to your grandfather’s advantage to have him contribute to the new house and count it as his “homestead”.  If he requires nursing home care in Florida, it is my understanding that his $200,000 would be exempt, but you should check with an attorney in Florida.  

If your grandfather is truly seeking to protect assets from the reach of nursing homes, setting up an asset protection trust is often the recommended option.  Creating an irrevocable trust starts the 5 year look back clock as soon as the trust is funded.  Once the property is in the trust, your grandfather can make any type of gift or transfer he so chooses without “resetting” the 5 year look back period.  In addition the irrevocable trust allows your grandfather to protect ALL of his assets while allowing access to income.  As another added benefit, your grandfather’s life savings will be left to his loved ones without the need for probate.

To find  competent, caring elder care professionals across America who are located near You and can help you with your elder care matters, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com - A FREE online resource to find elder care experts plus elder care information & answers to your elder care questions.

Dennis B. Sullivan, Esq., LLM, CPA
Estate Planning & Asset Protection Law Center of Dennis Sullivan & Assoc.
Wellesley, Massachusetts  02482
781-237-2815
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Massachusetts chapter 

At last, families across America have one resource they can tap into daily to relieve the stress of aging… ElderCareMatters.com

ElderCareMatters.com, along with the 1,350+ members of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, provides families with the elder care resources they need to plan for and deal with their issues of aging.  In fact, here is where you will locate, by state, some of America's top elder care professionals who provide a total of 68 different elder care services that will help you plan for and deal with your family's issues of aging, including: Advance Medical Directives Aging In Place Services Alzheimer's / Memory Care Communities Annuities  Arbitration  Asset Protection Planning Assisted Living Communities  Assisted Living Referral Services Bankruptcy Caregiving Education  Consumer Law Continuing Care Retirement Communiities Crisis Intervention Daily Money Management / Bill Paying Disability Income Insurance Elder Abuse Litigation Services Elder Law ElderCare Planning / Long-Term Care Planning Estate Administration Estate Liquidation Estate Planning Financial Planning Geriatric Care Management Guardianship / Conservatorship Health Insurance Hoarding Clean Up and Coaching Services Home Care Home Downsizing Services Home Health Care Home Modifications Hospice Care Independent Living Communities Investment Services Life Care Planning Life Insurance Litigation Long-Term Care Insurance Medicaid / Disability Planning Medical / Healthcare Medical Alert Systems Medical Claims Processing Medical Equipment & Supplies Medicare Consulting Medicare Supplemental Insurance Medication Therapy Management Moving / Relocation Services Personal Finance / Accounting / Tax Preparation Powers of Attorney Probate Public / Non-Profit Resources Real Estate Services Rehabilitation Services Residential Psychiatric Care Respite Care Retirement Planning Reverse Mortgages Securities Arbitration & Litigation Services Senior Move Management Senior Move Planning Social Security Disability Services Special Needs Planning Tax Law Tax Planning Transportation Services Trustee / Fiduciary Services Trusts VA Benefits Wills

If you and your family need help with your elder care matters, this is where you will find competent, caring elder care experts located near you who provide a total of 68 different services that will help you plan for and deal with your family's issues of aging.  Whether you are looking for: an elder law attorney in Philadelphia a geriatric care manager in South Florida a long-term care insurance professional in Fort Worth, a home care provider in Southern California, or an assisted living community in Phoenix (as shown in the photo above)… you can count on www.ElderCareMatters.com to help you find the Elder Care Experts and services that you will need in ALL 50 states (plus the District of Columbia).

Special Offer for ALL Elder Care Professionals:  The next 125 elder care professionals who apply for Lifetime Membership in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance will receive a 25% discount off the regular price of lifetime membership. So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) in the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.    To request a Membership Application, send an email to: info@ElderCareMatters.com.

Answer:  If the trust is a revocable (or living) trust, then the income that is generated is simply reported on the Settlor's individual income tax return during his life.  Upon the Settlor's death, the revocable trust becomes irrevocable and becomes a separate entity for tax purposes.  Once a trust is irrevocable, any income that is trapped in the trust (not distributed to a beneficiary) is generally reported on a fiduciary income tax return (Form 1041).  Generally, to the extent income is passed out to a beneficiary, that income is reported on the beneficiary's individual income tax return.  However, if the trust is a simple trust (meaning a beneficiary is required to receive all of the income of the trust under the terms of the document), then the income is reported on the beneficiary's income tax return.  There are other types of trusts (irrevocable trusts established during the life of a grantor/settlor, grantor trusts, etc.) which have various tax treatments.  In order to determine the proper tax treatment, the trust agreement must be reviewed.

NOTE:  The information provided above is not intended to be nor should be relied upon as legal advice.  Peck Bloom, LLC is located in the State of Illinois and the attorneys are only licensed to practice law in Illinois and Florida.  You should consult a qualified attorney licensed in your state regarding these matters.

To locate experts in your state who can help you with this elder care matter, go to: www.ElderCareMatters.com/statechapters.htm

Kerry R. Peck, Managing Partner
Peck Bloom, LLC
Chicago, Illinois  60603
1-877-845-1743

Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Illinois chapter

Answer:  You should keep the most recent version of your legal documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney) forever (or until any administration on your estate after you die is complete). If you get a new document done, you can destroy the old one.  You can definitely keep the documents in your safety deposit box; however, make sure someone other than yourself has access to the box. That way, if something happens to you, someone can get into the box to obtain your documents.

Ben A. Neiburger, JD, CPA
Neiburger Law, Ltd.
Elmhurst, Illinois  60126
630-782-1766
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Illinois chapter

Answer:  Legal problems that affect the elderly are growing in number.  Our laws and regulations are becoming more complex.  Actions taken by older people with regard to a single matter may have unintended legal effects.  It is important for attorneys dealing with the elderly to have a broad understanding of the laws that may have an impact on a given situation, to avoid future problems. 

Unfortunately, this job is not made easy by the fact that Elder Law encompasses many different fields of law.  Some of these include:

• Preservation/transfer of assets seeking to avoid spousal impoverishment when a spouse enters a nursing home
• Medicaid
• Medicare claims and appeals
• Social security and disability claims and appeals
• Supplemental and long term health insurance issues.
• Disability planning, including use of durable powers of attorney, living trusts, “living wills,” for financial management and health care decisions, and other means of delegating management and decision-making to another in case of incompetence or incapacity.
• Conservatorships and guardianships
• Estate planning, including planning for the management of one's estate during life and its disposition on death through the use of trusts, wills and other planning documents
• Probate
• Administration and management of trusts and estates
• Long-term care placements in nursing home and life care communities
• Nursing home issues including questions of patients’ rights and nursing home quality
• Elder abuse and fraud recovery cases
• Housing issues, including discrimination and home equity conversions
• Age discrimination in employment
• Retirement, including public and private retirement benefits, survivor benefits and pension benefits
• Health law
• Mental health law

Most Elder Law Attorneys do not specialize in every one of these areas.  So when an attorney says he/she practices Elder Law, find out which of these matters he/she handles.  You will want to hire the attorney who regularly handles matters in the area of concern in your particular case and who will know enough about the other fields to question whether the action being taken might be affected by laws in any of the other areas of law on the list.  For example, if you are going to prepare a new will and your spouse is ill, the estate planner needs to know enough about Medicaid to know whether it is an issue with regard to your spouse’s medical care planning.

David F. Anderson, Esq.
David F. Anderson, P.A.
Miami Lakes, Florida  33016
305-825-4052
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Florida chapter

Answer:  If you are an elder care professional and you would like to "get the word out to thousands of families across America in a cost effective way about how you can help them plan for and deal with their issues of aging", then you should join our 1,250 elder care experts as a lifetime member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.  And, now, if you are one of the next 250 members, you will receive a 25% discount off the regular lifetime membership price.

This 25% discount is available only to the next 250 elder care professionals who join the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request an Application for Lifetime Membership, send an email directly to: psanders@eldercarematters.com

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

If you are an elder care professional and you would like to "get the word out to thousands of families across America in a cost effective way about how you can help them plan for and deal with their issues of aging", then you should join our 1,250 elder care experts as a lifetime member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.  And, now, if you are one of the next 250 members, you will receive a 25% discount off the regular lifetime membership price.

This 25% discount is available only to the next 250 elder care professionals who join the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

So if you are a competent, caring elder care professional – take advantage of this special 25% discount offer and pay only $337.50 for a "lifetime membership" (and there are no annual membership dues, ever!) to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request an Application for Lifetime Membership, send an email directly to: psanders@eldercarematters.com

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters, LLC
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

Answer:  The experts of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

ElderCareMatters.com is now offering a NEW Ask an Elder Care Expert service.

Each week one of our 1,200 experts will answer your family's important questions about elder care matters – from legal, financial, housing, health care, etc.

If you would like to ask one of our Elder Care Experts a question about his/her areas of expertise, just send a short email (a few sentences only please) to:  Questions@ElderCareMatters.com

Every day we will post one of your questions along with an answer provided by our Featured Elder Care Expert of the Week to the homepage of www.ElderCareMatters.com (which is currently visited by thousands of families each week).  Yours may be one of the questions posted.

So bookmark www.ElderCareMatters.com and visit us daily as questions about a wide range of elder care matters are answered by some of America's top elder care professionals with years of experience helping families plan for and deal with their issues of aging.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters
1-877-379-4500
www.ElderCareMatters.com

Answer:  Medicaid will look  back  for 5 years,  but that does not mean she is ineligible for five years.   The ineligibilty or penalty period is determined  by dividing the amount transferred, which would be the assessed  value of the house,  by the average  monthly  rate  of a nursing home in  your region. The trust  is the owner of the home and would be responsible for  the bills, so when the trust  is set up, make sure  it has funds, either  in cash or  in   stocks/bonds, that can be quickly converted to cash.

If you have further questions about Medicaid, I would suggest that you locate an Elder Law Attorney in your state by going to the ElderCare Matters website at www.ElderCareMatters.com/statechapters.htm

Sonya Mittelman, Attorney at Law
Bronx, NY  10461
718-863-4647
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, New York chapter

The ElderCare Matters Alliance is a national organization of 1,200 elder care experts who help families across America plan for and deal with their issues of aging, including providing families with a host of elder care resources that can be found on www.ElderCareMatters.com

If you are a competent, caring elder care professional – you need to belong to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance.

To request a Lifetime Membership Application to the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, send an email to psanders@ElderCareMatters.com

www.ElderCareMatters.com – America's online source for elder care experts who help families plan for and deal with their issues of aging.

Phillip G. Sanders, MBA, MSHA, CPA
Founder & CEO
ElderCare Matters
www.ElderCareMatters.com

Answer:  Life estates and irrevocable trusts are tools that estate planners use to help their clients achieve defined objectives.  Usually, one tool is more effective than the other in reaching a desired objective.  The usefulness of these tools varies from State to State, and you should employ them only with the help and advice of a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

An example of when a life estate might be the best approach is where Mom and Dad have sold their home in order to move closer to their children, and it turns out that Dad needs nursing home care.  Instead of spending all of the sales proceeds on Dad’s nursing home care, perhaps Mom purchases a life estate in a child’s residence for the full fair market value of the life estate.  The life estate will give Mom the right to live in the residence for the rest of her life, but her interest terminates upon her death.  As long as Mom actually lives there for a year after purchasing the life estate, her interest in the residence will not be a countable resource for Medicaid eligibility purposes when Dad goes into the nursing home, and it will not be countable against Mom’s eligibility later on if she also needs nursing home care.  Thus, Mom and Dad can lawfully convert some of their non-exempt cash into an exempt interest in a residence.  The purchase of the life estate may generate capital gains tax for the child, but that burden may be outweighed by the benefit of enabling Mom and Dad to qualify for Medicaid benefits.

An irrevocable trust might be used where Dad is going into a nursing home, and his and Mom’s assets are such that he will qualify for Medicaid benefits at that time.  One of the things Dad can (and probably should) do is transfer his interest in his and Mom’s residence to Mom.  The transfer to Mom will be ignored for Medicaid eligibility purposes.  A reason he might want to do so is that if Mom predeceases him and he ends up being the sole owner of the residence, he may be disqualified from Medicaid, unless he can communicate an intent to return to the residence in the event he is ever able to do so.  In any event, the State Medicaid office will almost certainly place a lien on the residence so that if it is ever sold, the State will be repaid all of the Medicaid benefits paid on Dad’s behalf before his family ever shares in any remaining sales proceeds.  However, Mom could avoid this result by placing the residence into an irrevocable trust which pays her all of the income for the rest of her life, and then the trust terminates and the remaining assets go to the kids.  As long as she creates and funds the trust at least five years before she applies for Medicaid benefits, the residence can pass to the children without jeopardizing her or Dad’s Medicaid eligibility.

It is critical to remember that the Medicaid rules vary from State to State, so before you do anything in this area, you need to seek guidance from an expert in your State who can counsel you regarding the local interpretation and application of the rules.  A great place to find such an expert is at http://www.eldercarematters.com/statechapters.htm.

Scott A. Makuakane, Esq., CFP
Est8Planning Counsel LLLC
Honolulu, Hawaii  96813
808-587-8227
Member of the national ElderCare Matters Alliance, Hawaii chapter