Dear Attorney Tully:I am a 76-year-old widow and, now that autumn is upon us, I will shortly be leaving for my winter home in Florida. My family always sends me your column, “Senior Signals,” which I very much enjoy reading. Over time, you’ve written a lot of articles about Medicaid law changes and how it is harder to protect one’s assets. My …
Elder Law
Words of wisdom from television’s Joan Lunden
My law partner, Dean B. Kilbourne, and I recently attended a benefit luncheon presented by SilverSource of Stamford entitled, “Inspiring Lives.” The keynote speaker was television personality and senior advocate Joan Lunden. Lunden is best known for being co-host of ABC’s “Good Morning America” for nearly two decades. In her second career, …
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Keeping your residence is possible
Maurice and Giselle Boucher have lived on their family farm for over 30 years. Recently, Maurice suffered a stroke and his doctor told him he needed long-term nursing home care. “Finding a nursing home is not the problem,” Giselle said, when she came to our office. “There is a nursing home in town where my parents lived for several years. Our …
Spending down: How much needed to qualify for Medicaid?
There are specific rules that Congress has passed that protect the community (healthy) spouse if the other spouse goes into a nursing home. The Medicaid law provides special protections for the spouse of a nursing home resident to make sure he/she has the minimum support needed to continue to live in the community. The so-called “spousal …
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Does an inheritance count for Medicaid?
Timing is everything. How often have you heard someone express that sentiment? While it’s often true of life in general, it’s certainly true in Medicaid planning. So, does an inheritance count as an asset for Medicaid purposes? For a single person, the answer is clearly, “Yes.” If a single individual is spending down his or her assets, and …
