After more than 26 years practicing elder law in New Jersey, I have noticed that misconceptions tend to arrive in waves. The same misunderstanding...
Eldercare Lawyer Blog
Medicaid Planning
The Medicaid Spend Down
When a family faces the staggering cost of long-term care, Medicaid often becomes the only realistic way to pay for nursing home, assisted living,...
Not All Trusts Protect Assets the Same Way
When clients come to my office asking about living trusts, they often arrive with the assumption that a trust is a trust. That any trust will...
Understanding the Medicaid Five-Year Lookback Period
When someone applies for long-term care Medicaid, one of the most important rules is the five-year lookback period. This rule determines whether the...
Protecting Your Home from Long-Term Care Costs
For many families, the home is their largest and most meaningful asset. It represents a lifetime of work and is often what parents hope to pass on...
Putting Your House in Trust: A Key Step in Medicaid Planning
When it comes to protecting assets from the high cost of long-term care, few strategies are as powerful—or as misunderstood—as placing your home in...
Putting Your House in a Trust for Long‑Term Care Planning
When it comes to Medicaid planning, the sooner you start, the better. A large part of my legal practice focuses on helping clients qualify for...
How Delayed Medicaid Decisions Can Affect Long‑Term Care
A colleague of mine recently won a Medicaid appeal that highlights an increasingly common problem: excessive delays in processing applications....
How Medicaid Protects the Spouse at Home
When a family member needs long-term care—such as care in a nursing home or assisted living residence—it can be devastating. It is emotionally...
Can I Sell My House for a Dollar?
“Can I sell my house to my son for a dollar? Would Medicaid question that?” Clients have asked me these questions many times. My answer is, if you...
When Timing a Medicaid Application Matters More Than You Think
Filing for Medicaid benefits is a complicated process. Medicaid is a federal and state health payment plan for needy individuals. In order to be...
Protecting Your Assets from Medicaid
For years, I have been using an irrevocable trust to protect a client’s home from the cost of long-term care. I successfully used such a trust to...
Stepping Up With Irrevocable Trusts
In 2023, the United States Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) issued a revenue ruling concerning irrevocable grantor trusts and whether the assets...
Applying for Medicaid
I have been helping clients apply for Medicaid benefits for nearly twenty-five years. Medicaid is a health payment plan for needy individuals....
A Trust Can Change How Assets Are Exposed
When it comes to protecting assets, a trust is one of the most commonly discussed tools—but it’s not always as simple as it sounds. Different types...
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Recent Posts
The Step Up in Basis Myth
After more than 26 years practicing elder law in New Jersey, I have noticed that misconceptions tend to arrive in waves. The same misunderstanding will surface from multiple clients in a short span of time, often with near-identical wording. Recently, a new wave has...
The Medicaid Spend Down
When a family faces the staggering cost of long-term care, Medicaid often becomes the only realistic way to pay for nursing home, assisted living, or in-home care. But qualifying for Medicaid requires meeting strict financial limits, and that is where the Medicaid...
Not All Trusts Protect Assets the Same Way
When clients come to my office asking about living trusts, they often arrive with the assumption that a trust is a trust. That any trust will protect their assets, simplify their estate, and spare their family from the headaches of probate. The reality is more...
A Trust Isn’t Always the Default Answer
When people begin the estate planning process, they often hear that they “need a trust.” The truth is more nuanced. Trusts can be extremely useful, but the right kind of trust depends entirely on your goals, your assets, and your family circumstances. For most people,...
Understanding the Medicaid Five-Year Lookback Period
When someone applies for long-term care Medicaid, one of the most important rules is the five-year lookback period. This rule determines whether the applicant made any gifts or transfers of assets that could delay eligibility for benefits. Despite frequent...
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