Medicaid Planning
Annapolis, Maryland Medicaid Planning Attorney
Experienced Medicaid Planning Lawyer Serving Anne Arundel County, Washington D.C., and Beyond
As we grow older, we must face the fact that we may require Medicaid to help pay for long-term medical care. Expenses related to long-term care services can include things like nursing home costs and in-home assisted living services, both of which are quite expensive.
You’ve lived a long life and paid your dues, so you have earned these benefits. However, it’s not always easy to ‘qualify’ to get what you need. Obtaining assisted living Medicaid benefits can be very complicated and usually requires the help of an experienced elder law attorney.
At The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown, our elder law attorney and paralegals specialize in Medicaid Planning in Maryland to ensure you obtain the assistance you need in a timely and efficient manner. While we understand that planning for medical emergencies or the need for long-term care is not everyone’s favorite topic, we work hard to make the process easy and give you peace of mind knowing that your assets and legacy are protected.
To learn more about Medicaid benefits or to obtain qualified assistance for your Medicaid planning in the Annapolis area, reach out to the team at The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown today. You can contact us by phone at (443) 554-9944 or by completing the online form found on our website.
What is Medicaid?
Medicaid is a government-funded health care program that plays a crucial role in providing medical coverage to millions of individuals and families with limited financial resources. Unlike Medicare, which is a type of federal health insurance specifically for the elderly and disabled, Medicaid targets individuals and families that have a financial need, offering them essential healthcare services and coverage for eligible medical expenses.
Medicaid is administered jointly by the federal government and individual states, with each state having its own set of guidelines and eligibility criteria (while still adhering to federal regulations).
What Does a Medicaid Lawyer Do?
When it comes to qualifying for Medicaid, people often have a lot of questions and concerns. Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for those individuals to get incorrect advice or information, which may lead to unintended repercussions. For example, some people think you should not have any assets in your name when applying for Medicaid. However, the truth is that if you give everything away, you may actually end up delaying your Medicaid qualification. Moreover, the government may still attribute those assets given away to you when calculating your benefits.
That’s where an Annapolis Medicaid lawyer can help. At The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown, our attorneys possess a deep understanding of the laws and regulations related to long-term care and Medicaid benefits both federally and state-wide. With our assistance, we can help you create a comprehensive asset protection plan that ensures that you are in full control of your financial and personal affairs if you or a loved one requires nursing home care or becomes disabled in any way.
There are two kinds of Medicaid Planning that you are likely to face — Crisis Planning and Proactive Planning. When you equip yourself with the help of an attorney at our law firm, we can help with both of these scenarios as well as provide legal services to help you with your Medicaid Application.
The last thing you may be thinking about is planning for the future, especially one where you end up needing assisted living, require long-term care for a medical condition, or require a nursing home’s services. The reality is that no matter what age you are, no one wants to think of these things. We all want to believe that we will live happily and healthy forever.
But the cold hard truth is that these things happen, and it’s better to take steps to prepare for these unfortunate events than to be stuck in a crisis situation. Whether you are young and just starting out your life journey or you are nearing the age of retirement, it is never too early or too late to plan ahead.
Skilled professional care in nursing homes and assisted living facilities is extremely expensive. In fact, at the current rates, nursing home bills will likely exceed $137,000 for just ONE YEAR in a semi-private room. A private room is even more expensive ($171,736, according to https://www.genworth.com). If you don’t have a plan in place, this money may have to come from your hard-earned savings. Unfortunately, the majority of people do not have the funds laying around to afford such excessive costs. How many people have you heard about who has to file bankruptcy because of their own or a loved one’s medical expenses?
This is where Proactive Planning, also called Pre-Crisis Planning, is essential.
Best-laid plans are often thrown out when the future arrives with an unexpected medical emergency that requires long-term care. No matter how much planning and preparation you do for your future, it’s impossible to consider every possibility.
A Medicaid Crisis occurs when someone is about to be, or already has been, admitted to a nursing home or assisted living facility and has been informed that they don’t qualify for Medicaid. Disqualification often occurs because applicants are viewed as having too many financial assets – assets that government feels the individual must use to pay for the care being sought before receiving government aid.
Here is where we can help you. We will help you receive the benefits you need, even if it’s a crisis.
Medicaid Planning in Maryland Takes Experience
The reality is, people don’t have the right information on how to shelter their assets under the complex rules, regulations, requirements, and laws that govern eligibility for Medicaid. This is why you should seek the help of an experienced estate planning or elder law attorney. While all of this may feel completely foreign to you, it is an elder law attorney’s area of concentration. They have studied and prepared ways to legally preserve your assets and income while still qualifying for Medicaid assistance.
For better or for worse, life has been an incredible experience up to this point, and the last thing you want is to lose your life’s savings to a nursing home. You owe it to yourself to speak to someone who understands the rules that apply to Medicaid and can provide maximum asset protection for the assets you’ve earned through years of hard work.
Whether you or a loved one faces a Medicaid Crisis or you simply want to plan ahead for the future, call an elder care law firm BEFORE handling your valuable assets or submitting your application for Medicaid assistance.
At The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown, we will work hard to get the benefits you need while protecting your hard-earned savings.
How To Apply for Medicaid
When it comes to applying for Medicaid, it is a complex process that can be confusing and frustrating for many. Medicaid has many different programs, each with its own eligibility rules and steps to apply. Regardless of what type of benefits you are seeking, all Medicaid applications require extensive personal documentation and detailed income proof. Some programs will require more documentation than others, such as proof of assets, including sixty months of records for those assets.
To be upfront, you are not legally required to have an elder law attorney apply for Medicaid benefits on your behalf. You can prepare the application yourself. There are some agencies and programs that offer to submit the application for free or for a small fee. However, it’s incredibly important that you exercise caution when accepting this assistance, because the bottom line is that you will get what you pay for. These agencies and entities are not permitted to give you any legal advice or even advise you of your rights. Moreover, they aren’t allowed to help you implement legal strategies that may protect your assets. Without the assistance of someone with thorough knowledge of elder law pertaining to Medicaid, you could potentially be exposing yourself and your family to significant financial risk and elder abuse.
When you reach out for help from one of our Annapolis elder law attorneys, we’ll advise you on available benefits and the process required to obtain them, all while keeping you fully informed regarding the law provisions that protect your family assets and legal rights.
Why Do I Need a Maryland Elder Law Attorney?
There are many pros and cons of Medicaid planning. One con is that the process of planning for Medicaid can be extremely complex. Most Bar Associations agree that failing to use an experienced elder law attorney when planning for Medicaid could expose you to the following risks:
- Failure to be fully informed of spousal rights;
- Failure to be informed of opportunities for asset protection;
- Incomplete or inaccurate application submission;
- Denial of application due to failure to provide information;
- Failure to be informed of consequences of prior actions;
- Imposition of a penalty period for which mitigation strategies could have been implemented;
- Failure to have a dedicated advocate working with you through the process.
Applying for Medicaid should not be left to chance as the results could significantly impact your financial future. This is why your Medicaid application should be entrusted to experienced attorneys, such as the team here at The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown, LLC. We will walk you through the process step-by-step and gather all the necessary data and documents while also working with the Department of Social Services to resolve any issues that may come along the way. Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to help your application get successfully approved.
To learn more about Medicaid Eligibility or what your Medicaid appointment should be like, reach out to an experienced elder law attorney at The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown today. You may also want to consider joining the Facebook Group Medicaid Senior Planning and Support for access to commonly asked questions, shared experiences, and community support during this time.
Call The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown for Experienced Annapolis Medicaid and Elder Law Services
When it comes to planning for Medicaid, you want to put your trust in someone who has the knowledge, experience, and legal tools it takes to set you up for success. At The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown, we are dedicated to serving Annapolis, MD and the surrounding areas, helping clients with both Proactive Planning and Crisis Planning when the time comes.
We focus our practice solely on these types of legal matters, so whether you need to plan for Medicaid, create a living trust, create a Will, seek probate and estate administration, or need help with anything of the sort, our Maryland lawyers can help. When you work with us, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your assets and affairs are in good hands. Call an Annapolis estate planning attorney at The Law Office of Raymond E. Brown today at (443) 554-9944 to get started.
