Medicaid application trial and error creates big problems for nursing home residents. Unfortunately, it is a common practice that creates financial nightmares for nursing home residents’ families. This article explains common Medicaid application problems and suggests when people should seek professional help from experienced elder law attorneys. Medicaid Application Trial and Error – Repetition Doesn’t […]

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (the VA) published a new final rule on September 18, 2018. The new rule radically alters eligibility requirements for need-based VA pensions.  This article summarizes and explains new need-based VA pension eligibility requirements that take effect on October 18, 2018. Affected Veterans & Family Members The revised pension requirements […]

We received a question through hawkinselderlaw.com about Medicaid eligibility, transfer penalties, and the 5-year lookback period. This article restates the Medicaid eligibility question without identifying the inquiring person and shows the typical response that we give to these questions.

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] This week, the United States Senate is considering a 145-page Republican proposal called the “Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017” that includes provisions to repeal “Obama Care.” The Senate Republican Policy Committee has published a section-by-section summary of the proposal. The proposal is full of […]

The financial pitfalls facing a married couple when one spouse requires nursing home care are wide, deep, and surprisingly hidden. The emotional pain of a married person’s admission of his or her spouse to a nursing home rivals the painful experience of a spouse’s death. Unfortunately, critical financial decisions rush toward the healthier spouse like […]

This article concludes a two-part series about how state and federal law can save a nursing home resident’s spouse from poverty and how an experienced elder law attorney can help the spouse increase the amount of assets protected from expensive long-term care. In our first article (Financial Protection When Your Spouse Needs Nursing Home Care […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] Clients and people that attend our estate planning presentations during our tours around Southern Indiana often ask whether they can give money to their family members. A common version of the question is, “Is it true that I can give $10,000 (or slightly larger value) […]

The State of Indiana has published that Indiana nursing home care costs an average of more than $71,000 per year. Fortunately, federal law protects most spouses of nursing home residents from impoverishment. Here are some Indiana’s spousal impoverishment rule features: The Spousal Impoverishment Protection Law applies for nursing home admissions occurring on or after September […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] We have written articles about estate planning and long-term care for more than a decade to debunk myths and misconceptions that may lead people into unnecessary problems. This article addresses some of those myths and misconceptions about Indiana Medicaid for the elderly. Permitted Annual Gifts. […]

[See our Disclaimers page about relying on this website’s contents.] All of our ancestors conducted business by paying with cash. When we were younger, our parents told us that it was irresponsible to live without carrying substantial amounts of cash. Those beliefs may have been valid in the past, but doing business without keeping a […]