Many New Yorkers will one day be called to help care for their elderly parents. The majority of those caregivers report that the complexities and challenges of the process cannot be fully grasped until one experiences them firsthand. There is often no easy way to handle the emotional and financial…
by Michael Ettinger, Esq. I am unsure how many of you have run into this scam. I have seen it off and on for the last few years and think all should know about it. These companies that flog Medicaid annuities have a deal going with assisted living facilities that…
Medicaid Supervisor for Ettinger Law Firm, Elizabeth Schalk, has been reviewing Medicaid applications for over fifteen years. Having worked in this capacity for a nursing home and an elder law estate planning law firm, Schalk has gained valuable insight and experience from counseling New York State residents in various counties…
by Bonnie Kraham, Esq. Most of us don’t want to end our days in a nursing home, and would rather “age in place,” so it’s important to become familiar with available home health care services. There are three major ways to pay for home health care: self-pay, long-term care insurance,…
by Michael Ettinger, Esq. Long-term care insurance (LTCI) and the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) are often thought of an alternatives to each other. They are not. While LTCI is both a shield and a sword, the MAPT is a shield only. LTCI protects your assets and income from the…
by Michael Ettinger, Esq. What do you do when a client comes in to see you and says that his mother is going into a nursing home and she has $300,000 in assets. In fact, mom scrimped and saved all of her life to have this nest egg and now…
by Michael Ettinger, Attorney at Law The Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT) is a technique commonly used by elder law attorneys. It consists of an irrevocable trust, usually set up by a parent of parents sixty-five and older. One or more of the adult children are named as “trustees” to…
by Michael Ettinger, Esq. “Spousal refusal” is a legally valid Medicaid planning option in just three states: New York, Florida and Connecticut. By way of background, certain income and assets are exempt from Medicaid if there is a spouse. Generally, the spouse at home, known as the “community spouse” may…