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Estate planning seems to come up as people prepare to go on vacations. Why? Maybe they are concerned about not coming back from vacation or suffering an accident while travelling. Whatever the reason, besides packing, stopping the newspaper (if they still get one...
As you may recall, Powers of Attorney in Pennsylvania were changed beginning on January 1, 2015. I last wrote about some of the changes on October 26, 2014 and wanted to write about some of the provisions. My prior post had talked about the change in the NOTICE that...
When doing Medicaid or Medical Assistance planning (also known as long term care planning), it is helpful to know what figures are used by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (formerly the Department of Public Welfare) to determine when an individual is...
Long term care planning can often involve the use of family caregivers to provide services to older loved ones. Who is a caregiver? It could be anyone who helps an older person with medication, drives an older person to appointments, picks up groceries or...
As part of estate planning for special needs individuals and their families, supplemental needs trusts and special needs trusts have been around for years. Beginning in 2015, based on changes in the law, there is now another alternative for those who are deemed...
When doing estate planning and preparing your Will, you may want to consider your pet. Who will take care of your pet after you pass away? Pets are often an important part of the family, or may even be your only family. If you have no family members or friends who...
When discussing long term care planning, many people believe that Medicare will pay for their nursing home care. Medicare is the federally funded health insurance received by most people upon attaining 65 years of age. However, Medicare will only pay for skilled...
A great time for a discussion on Healthcare Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and end-of-life decisions is with everyone sitting around the table at Thanksgiving. It may not seem that these topics are "fun" to discuss while your family is giving thanks for the...
As part of long term care planning, Veterans Benefits may be discussed if you or your spouse is a Veteran. Veterans Benefits are complex and subject to many rules and regulations. To be eligible for pension benefits, a veteran must have limited income, been...
Last Wills and Testaments pass property to heirs after the death of the Testators, the people who signed them. However, there are other ways to pass property outside of Last Wills and Testaments, such as jointly-titled property, payable on death accounts and...