Elder Care &
Medi-Cal Planning

Elder Care Planning in Sacramento and Surrounding Areas

While there is no specific legal definition for elder care planning, the focus is on a specific type of client – seniors and aging parents.

Elder Care Planning services range from “traditional” estate planning issues of preservation and transfer of assets and planning for incapacity, to planning for possible long-term care needs, which can include coordinating private and public (Medi-Cal and/or Veterans benefits) resources to finance the cost of care, locating the appropriate type of care, or working to ensure the right to quality care.

Older people have unique legal needs—and we understand the importance of making wise decisions and will take the time to get to know you, your family, your financial situation, your personal needs and your concerns about the future.

Our essential care plan for elderly is to ensure the autonomy of our clients and enhance their quality of life as they age.

The majority of seniors will find themselves in a nursing home at some point in their lives. Medicare does NOT pay for long-term nursing home expenses, which in California averages $10,000 per month, and results in many middle-class families spending their life savings within one year of moving into a nursing home.

Careful planning, whether in advance or in response to an unanticipated need for care, can help protect your assets from nursing home costs, while maintaining your independence and dignity.

The Importance of Medi-Cal Planning

Medi-Cal has become the primary provider of funds for long-term care in the State of California. Before applying for assistance from Medi-Cal, it is a good idea to speak with an elder care planning attorney to avoid making costly mistakes.  

The Medi-Cal eligibility rules are strict, and mistakes are easy to make. The consequences can result in long delays of obtaining benefits, penalties for giving away assets and full denial of benefits.  

Our firm’s unique focus on elder care planning will help you find the right legal and senior care solutions for you or help with aging parents facing long-term care needs and expenses.

When You Need Elder Care Planning

• Protect your family in a crisis situation – When a loved one, such as an aging parent, needs nursing home care now, we can help with immediate strategies to protect assets from nursing home costs and prepare for Medi-Cal eligibility. We start the process by dispelling the many myths and misperceptions surrounding Medi-Cal.
• Incapacity / Disability planning – This critical piece is often missed or overlooked in many traditional plans. We help you create and understand how to use strategies to delegate management and decision-making to another in case of incompetency or incapacity.
• Modern estate planning to protect your family in a non-crisis situation – When you are currently healthy but want to retain control of your assets for the possibility that someday you will be incapacitated or need long-term care.
• Evaluate long-term care insurance & other catastrophic illness asset protection strategies– There are many companies offering long-term care insurance, and each policy is different. It is almost impossible for the average person to read the policies, much less understand the complexities presented. We can help you evaluate the quality and benefits of your current or proposed long-term care policy, by discerning the differences and alerting you when the policy does not provide you with the benefits that you expect.
• Asset Protection – Protect your family and aging parents from creditors and lawsuits that threaten financial security and predators including divorce, remarriage, children or grandchildren with physical or emotional frailties, financially irresponsible or immature children, difficult in-laws, business ventures and other possible creditors.
• Probate – This court-supervised process is necessary for many circumstances to transfer assets upon death. We are here to assist your loved ones to navigate this process saving time and headache.
• Administration and management of trusts and estates – If your estate plan includes a trust make no mistake; it is not a magic book. Your trust needs people to understand and carry out its instructions. We can assist your trustee with this process. If the trust’s instructions are not followed it could cost your loved ones big in extra taxes, delays, and loss of asset protection.

Our Areas of Expertise

Like most elder care attorneys we do not and cannot specialize in all areas covered by “elder law.” We focus our practice to provide customized elder care advice, guidance and assistance with the following:

• Medi-Cal Planning
• VA Aid & Attendance Benefits
• Special Needs Planning
• Modern Estate Planning
• Powers of Attorney
• Probate
• Conservatorship
• Trust Administration
  

How to Get Help

Our 20-year commitment to serving the elder planning needs of the greater Sacramento and foothills areas is well-known. We would be delighted to help you create just the right Elder Care Resource Plan so that you can live in comfort, with independence, dignity and peace of mind.