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Encino Trust Attorney Answers, “What Should a Special Needs Trust Pay For?”

Trustees of special needs trusts shoulder an incredible amount of responsibility. In addition to providing care for the individual with special needs, they must also make sure the assets in the trust are spent wisely and will not disqualify the person from any benefits they may be receiving.

How to Qualify for Medi-Cal – Even If You Have Too Many Assets

Medi-Cal is a needs-based program meant to help those without considerable resources access medical care and benefits. Since it is needs-based, there are significant asset and income limits attached to eligibility, which can easily lead to a disqualification from receiving benefits if the assets are not monitored closely. However, there are several ways to prevent a Medi-Cal eligibility disqualification through the use of trusts. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on how an irrevocable trust can help if a person expects to receive Medi-Cal benefits in the future and a First-Party Special Needs Trust if a person is ready to receive Medi-Cal benefits.

Encino Estate Lawyer: What Happens to Your Digital Assets After You Pass Away?

Digital assets and what happens to them after you pass away are fairly new concerns for people. However, this issue must be given significant thought, since so much of our lives are impacted by the digital age. To help alleviate these concerns and give more control to those managing estates of the recently incapacitated or deceased, Congress passed The Revised Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act, otherwise known as RUFADAA. This act allows fiduciaries (executors, trustees, and agents working with a Power of Attorney) to manage digital accounts owned by others, while at the same time affording the account owner a level of privacy.

LA County Elder Law Attorney: How to Help an Elderly Parent Manage Money

A concern for many adult children with an aging parent is whether or not they can still handle money and make sound choices regarding their financial affairs. There are many reasons why an elderly parent would have trouble handling their own finances, usually due to some physical or mental ailment or the loss of a spouse who normally handled the finances, though there are other times when the parent just decides they would rather have someone else handle financial decisions, so they may focus on other things.

Encino Trust Lawyer Answers: “What is a Qualified Personal Residence Trust (QPRT)?”

Family homes and other real property are usually the most valuable assets in an estate. While homeowners may want to leave these properties to children or other beneficiaries as part of an inheritance, tax burdens can throw a wrench into those plans. Unfortunately, without proper planning, most beneficiaries cannot afford the taxes that come along with inheriting property, which usually forces the sale of a family home or other property after the homeowner dies.

Encino Trust and Estates Lawyer: 5 Tips to Get Your Affairs in Order

Death or incapacitation can creep up on anyone, and if you’re not prepared, the burden that falls on your family for handling your estate or financial affairs could be extremely heavy. Here are five tips to help everyone lighten the load.

Will the VA Pay for Your Parent’s Nursing Home Care?

Nursing home care for an elderly parent can be extremely costly, which is why the government instituted different benefit programs to help seniors in need. One of these programs is administered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA Health Care benefits are available to any veteran who served in the United States military on active service, and received any discharge from service other than a dishonorable discharge. VA Health Care benefits provide coverage for doctor and specialist visits, mental health care services, and in-patient hospital stays, in addition to long and short term stays in nursing homes.

Encino Estate Attorney: Proper Estate Planning in a Blended Family

Blended families are increasingly common, occurring when two people enter into a subsequent marriage after prior marriages end in death or divorce. While these relationships present many opportunities for joy and happiness, they also bring with them unique estate planning challenges, especially when children from previous marriages are involved. These challenges usually happen…

Medi-Cal Appeals in Los Angeles County

Medi-Cal is one of the best sources of health benefits for senior citizens living on a limited income in Los Angeles County. As Medi-Cal is a needs-based program, meaning one has to show financial need or hardship in order to receive benefits, there are times when Medi-Cal benefits can be denied by the state agency. However,…

Encino Elder Lawyer: Helping Your Parent Create Designation Documents

At a certain point, it’s very likely that your elderly parent will want or need help handling their finances. In addition, they will also be thinking more about what types of end-of-life treatments they’d like to receive. While they may already have a Power of Attorney or Advanced Health Care Directive in place….

Will Medi-Cal Collect After Death?

Medi-Cal is one of the best options available for seniors in the San Fernando Valley who need help paying for long-term care. Medi-Cal is a needs-based program, meaning that strict asset limits are required for eligibility and severe and seniors can face penalties severe penalties if they gift assets as well.

Explaining Your Will Decisions to Loved Ones | LA County Will and Trust Attorney

Creating a Last Will and Testament can be a taxing process. You sometimes must make hard decisions concerning inheritances for your loved ones, or regarding who should be in charge of making decisions about your estate after you’ve passed away.

Choosing the Right Alzheimer’s Care Facility

There are few things more difficult than having a parent suffer through the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s disease. It places a severe emotional, physical, and financial drain on everyone involved, and often leaves caregivers feeling like they have no options. At some point, keeping a parent with Alzheimer’s disease at …