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Washington State Employee Payroll Tax Law for Long-Term Care Benefits
By now, you’ve probably heard about the controversial new Washington State Employee Payroll Tax Law for Long-Term Care Benefits (the WA Cares Fund). This law could have serious implications for you or someone you know. The purpose of this post is to add some much-needed clarity to the situation while letting you know what you
Right Idea, Wrong Conclusion
In this edition of Crisis Corner: Right Idea, Wrong Conclusion We do a lot of consultations about Medicaid planning. Many of them involve at least on child of the person who might need benefits. In those consultations we will occasionally hear a child admit that they are doing the planning because they want to get
Why Elder Law and Medicaid Planning?
This week in Crisis Corner: Why Elder Law and Medicaid Planning? Most people reading this blog have heard Rajiv Nagaich tell the story of how he came to Elder Law. It is a great story and leaves no doubt why he would choose to practice in this area of law. Not all of us have
The CARES Act Says Retirees Don’t Have to Take RMDs This Year – But What If You Already Did? You Could Get a Do-Over
We’ve been getting a lot of questions here at AgingOptions about the CARES Act and how it affects retirees. “CARES” stands for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, and this new law’s impact is far-reaching and, in many cases, still being assessed. One of the well-publicized benefits of the new law for retirees is the
The three primary versions of Medicaid Long Term Care (LTC)
This week in Crisis Corner: The three primary versions of Medicaid Long Term Care (LTC). There are many flavors of Medicaid benefits available to Washington residents, especially once you get into all of the medical only benefits. When it comes to LTC benefits for a person who is “aging, blind, or disabled” there are at
Choosing Where to Live and Receive Care
Anyone who has ever listened to Rajiv Nagaich speak knows that about 80% of Americans would like to take their last breath at home. They also know that only about 30% of Americans succeed at that goal. We believe that part of the answer to that problem is redefining how we think of “home.” Not
Overcoming the Fear of Handouts
By Aaron Paker. This week in Crisis Corner, overcoming the fear of handouts. We have had many clients who were children during the great depression and many more who have spent much of their adult lives opposing Welfare and the spending of money on those who have not earned it. They come to our office, usually grudgingly dragged
Start Planning With Professionals Early!
This week in Crisis Corner, why it is more important than ever to start early and get professional help in planning for your long term care needs. I recently had the opportunity to be a guest on Rajiv’s Aging Options radio show. During our conversation he asked me about changes to Medicaid in 2021 and,
What is a Geriatric Care Manager, and what do they do?
This week we learn about Geriatric Care Managers. Who are geriatric care managers (GCMs) and what do they do? GCMs play a huge part in the work that we do to help clients prepare for Medicaid. In general, most GCMs are nurses or social workers by trade, but that is not always the case. They
I want to stay at home as long as possible…
This week in Crisis Corner, “I want to stay/keep them at home as long as possible.” Just about everyone wants to stay at home or keep their loved one at home “for as long as possible” before moving to a care facility. In many cases, with enough planning and family support, it is possible for
What to do with your parents money.
This week in Crisis Corner, we want to discuss what to do when mom or dad gives you a large sum of money as part of their Medicaid planning. It is a very common practice for aging parents, especially those with a new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, to give a large portion of their
The Dangers of Free Advice.
by: Aaron Paker This month in Crisis Corner, I want to discuss the dangers of free advice. As a Medicaid planner, one of the most common phrases I hear from clients is “I was told….” On a few occasions the things people were told was pretty good advice. On most occasions the advice ranges from
Continuing Care Retirement Communities, an alternative to Medicaid planning?
This month in Crisis Corner, I want to take a closer look at Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) as an alternative to Medicaid planning. In many cases, whether because of very high resource values or simply because a client does not like the idea of Medicaid, CCRCs can provide an alternative means of ensuring that
How COVID is affecting even healthy Seniors…
This month in Crisis Corner, I want to discuss the COVID deaths that most people do not hear about. I am not talking about deaths caused, directly, by someone contracting COVID but rather the deaths caused by the unbearable isolation that so many seniors are facing in care facilities. Early in the pandemic most care
How Much Do You Know About Social Security? Check Out These Seven Surprising Statistics – Plus Some Related Advice from Rajiv
Social Security may be the biggest, most important, and least understood government program in America. If you consider the sheer amount of money the program spends and the huge number of Americans who rely on the program for all or part of their livelihood, you’d think we would all have a solid working knowledge of
Guest Article: Three Reasons You Need an Attorney for Your Will
As a service to Life Point Law blog readers, we’re always on the lookout for helpful articles from a variety of sources. The following column comes from Missouri-based Rudy Beck, Attorney and Founder of Beck and Lenox Estate Planning & Elder Law, LLC. Nearly half of American adults over the age of 55 do not
Will Each of Your Kids Get an Equal Inheritance? How You Handle That Question Can Cause Family Strife – or Prevent It
As you plan ahead for the end of your life, one of the decisions you’ll want to think carefully about is the eventual disposition of your estate. If you plan to leave your assets and possessions to your children – and if you have more than one heir – you’ll have a potentially tough choice
Beware of These Five Social Security Myths – They Could End Up Costing You Plenty
Here at Life Point Law we are constantly being reminded that there is a vast amount of misinformation out there about Social Security. This program, so important to senior Americans, is widely misunderstood – so much so that thousands of retirees are making decisions every year that can end up costing them a lot of
Creating an Ethical Will: How a “Legacy Letter” Can Help Communicate Love, Lessons, and Values to Those You Leave Behind
As we age, many of us begin to think about the concept of “leaving a legacy.” Too frequently, however, the focus turns to money, as if the only legacy that truly matters when we die is a pile of cash, a portfolio of real estate, or a healthy business. But as this recent Kiplinger article point out, when we
If the Nursing Home is Trying to Take Away a Medicaid Patient’s Stimulus Check, They’re Breaking the Law, Uncle Sam Warns
If you or a loved one live in a nursing home and receive Medicaid benefits, watch out. Some nursing homes and assisted living facilities around the country have snatched up their Medicaid residents’ stimulus checks, claiming that the facility owns that money. But according to this Michelle Singletary column in the Washington Post, they’re wrong. That money
Millions of Future Retirees are Asking a Big Financial Question: Will Social Security Be Enough? Experts Say, “Probably Not.”
As Americans plan for retirement, one of the pillars of their financial plan is typically Social Security. Since the 1930s this program has been the social safety net ensuring that millions of retirees would not have to live in poverty but instead would have at least some level of steady income, adjusted for inflation. But as
Crisis Corner: 5 Myths of Medicaid
By: Aaron Paker Welcome to the first installment of Crisis Corner. Since this is the first article in this series, I should introduce what Crisis Corner is. This is a monthly article to help aging Americans understand the options that they have when things go wrong. I specialize in helping folks who are dealing with
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