If your family is struggling with the difficult decisions regarding nursing home placement or ongoing disability, Medicaid eligibility, or a need for in-home care, the elder law attorneys at FRE-L can assist you with many of the steps in that process. You may be wondering whether to engage an elder law attorney or to work with an application processer recommended by a nursing home. First and foremost, your elder care attorney works just for you, and applies and interprets the many intertwining laws and regulations to achieve your goals, without conflicting interests. Your particular case will likely involve an array of legal issues that may not be readily apparent. Here is a sampling of how we can help:
— Review & negotiate admissions contracts for Continuing Care Retirement Communities, Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities
— Review & negotiate employment contracts for home care agencies
— Prepare employment contracts for household caregivers
— Help to find an appropriate facility, especially for unusually troublesome situations
— Advocate for you with the facility business office and admissions director to assist in the admissions process
— Accompany you to the family Care Planning meetings which are required to be held by state licensing laws, to advocate for the resident’s needs
– Advise you on lawful means to preserve family assets and become eligible for government benefits such as Medicaid
— Assemble, prepare and file the Medicaid application and provide necessary legal analysis for caseworkers.
— File or defend court proceedings for guardianship (in cases of incapacity), or to create or correct a trust, or to obtain protective orders when there are family disputes about the care of elders.
— Evaluate your existing estate plan if any, and prepare an appropriate legal plan with a Will, Power of Attorney, Trust, Deed or Health Care Directive to preserve and protect your home, your independence, your family and your assets.
— identify available benefit programs such as Social Security Disability and advise you on evidence needed for the application.
— Prepare Special Needs Trusts or Supplemental Benefits Trusts for benefit of adult family members, to preserve assets and eligibility
We are here to make these stressful processes easier, so that you can take care of the other needs of yourself, your family or your job. We provide “full service” for our elder care clients, and we are committed to providing individualized solutions to complex problems, responding promptly to the needs of clients, keeping clients informed, keeping up to date with developments in the law, and developing relationships with clients based on mutual trust, undivided loyalty, and respect
How may we help you? For an appointment call 732-382-6070