Medicaid Planning – The Medicaid program pays for nursing home, assisted living, adult family home, and some in home care for those who qualify. Qualification includes both an assessment of the client’s care needs as well as their financial resources. The rules and application process can be complicated for some individuals. We can either provide you with guidance as you navigate the system or handle your application from start to finish. Further, for married couples, when one spouse needs long-term care and the other spouse does not, updates to your estate planning and transfers of assets between spouses may be required. We can assist you with both.
Special Needs Trusts – There are different scenarios when a Special Needs Trust may be advised. If you plan to leave assets to a disabled beneficiary in your Will or by gift, a testamentary Special Needs Trust can help protect those assets from the cost of long term care and also ensure that there is not an unnecessary disruption to the beneficiary’s benefits. If you are a client of WA State DSHS and are receiving an inheritance or settlement, you may be able to direct these funds to a Special Needs Trust to avoid any disruption of your benefits. The rules governing Special Needs Trusts are complex, so if either of these scenarios apply to you, please reach out to our firm or another elder law attorney before proceeding.
