Comprehensive Elder Law Services Addressing a Full Range of Legal Issues
The preparation of Living Wills is part of estate planning, along with preparation of Last Wills and Testaments and Powers of Attorney. Living Wills indicate what medical treatment patients want or do not want when patients have end-stage medical conditions or are...
After a Will has been probated and estate administration is proceeding for a decedent, it is a good idea to check out the Unclaimed Property Website of the Pennsylvania Treasury Department at www.patreasury.gov. It is one of the jobs of the Executor or Administrator...
Your estate planning might include the preparation of a HIPAA Authorization, which document would permit someone to have access to your medical information. A HIPAA Authorization which complies with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and...
Last week's blog discussed the need to include Social Security Retirement benefit planning when engaging in estate planning or long term care planning with an elder law attorney since income is an important consideration in determining how much money you will have to...
When engaging in estate planning, or even long term care planning, with an elder law attorney, it is a good idea to include Social Security Retirement benefit planning. Why? For most Americans, Social Security Retirement benefits are an important part, if not all,...
Identity theft may occur in many ways. Last week's blog talked about medical identity theft. There are many other types of information that a thief can take such as stealing your credit or debit card numbers (also called skimming), stealing your wallet or purse,...
Identity theft is a growing problem today, especially in the area of medical information. It occurs when someone other than you uses your name or health insurance information to obtain medical care. You need to protect yourself and your medical information. One...
Long term care planning is always a good idea, since it can help a family protect itself from the expense of long term care. On Mothers' Day, it can be even more relevant. Why? Most mothers want to take care of their families, even when it is hard on them...
When dealing with probate and estate administration, be aware that Pennsylvania imposes inheritance taxes on the decedent's assets. The tax rate is determined by the relationship of the decedent to the person inheriting the property (the beneficiary). The tax rate...
Many people want to avoid Probate but are not sure what that term means. Here is a simple way to understand Probate. When a person dies owning assets in his or her name alone, an estate must be "opened" by a personal representative to handle the assets and to settle...