Brighton’s only Certified Elder Law Attorney

As the only Certified Elder Law Attorney in Brighton, Michigan, I’m excited to be at the Livingston County Caregiver Fair on Saturday April 5th, 2014.  The Livingston County Caregiver Fair will be held at Brighton High School, 7878 Brighton Rd., Brighton, MI 48116.

The Livingston County Consortium on Aging is one of the sponsors, with over 60 exhibitors providing information on transportation, nutrition, medical, financial assistance, home safety, respite, and home care.

There are many attorneys that say they do elder law, however there are only 15 Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA) in Michigan.  The CELA designation is the gold standard in elder law.  Before you hire a Brighton elder care lawyer to help your family with VA Benefits, Aid & Attendance, Medicaid planning or just navigating the long-term care maze for your family, make sure to check out their credentials.

Are they a Certified Elder Law Attorney?

Only a Certified Elder Law Attorney has been peer reviewed, shown the requisite amount of experience, and demonstrated that knowledge by passing an exam on 12 different topics of elder law.

Certified Elder Law Attorneys have specialized knowledge to help seniors, veterans, and their families navigate the long-term care legal maze.  For example, in our office we have unique legal planning strategies to help our clients qualify for the VA Benefit even when the Department of Veterans Affairs say that the veteran or surviving spouse may not qualify.

I help families through the special use of trusts and other legal documents to protect and shelter resources against the catastrophic cost of long-term care.

If you are a senior, veteran of have a loved one who is concerned about the cost of long-term care and has questions on how to qualify for the VA Benefit or Medicaid, give our office a call and we’ll be happy to assist you.  You deserve the best representation possible, and there is only one Certified Elder Law Attorney serving families in Brighton Michigan.

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Brighton’s only Certified Elder Law Attorney

As the only Certified Elder Law Attorney in Brighton, Michigan, I’m excited to be at the Livingston County Caregiver Fair on Saturday April 5th, 2014.  The Livingston County Caregiver Fair will be held at Brighton High School, 7878 Brighton Rd., Brighton, MI 48116.

The Livingston County Consortium on Aging is one of the sponsors, with over 60 exhibitors providing information on transportation, nutrition, medical, financial assistance, home safety, respite, and home care.

There are many attorneys that say they do elder law, however there are only 15 Certified Elder Law Attorneys (CELA) in Michigan.  The CELA designation is the gold standard in elder law.  Before you hire a Brighton elder care lawyer to help your family with VA Benefits, Aid & Attendance, Medicaid planning or just navigating the long-term care maze for your family, make sure to check out their credentials.

Are they a Certified Elder Law Attorney?

Only a Certified Elder Law Attorney has been peer reviewed, shown the requisite amount of experience, and demonstrated that knowledge by passing an exam on 12 different topics of elder law.

Certified Elder Law Attorneys have specialized knowledge to help seniors, veterans, and their families navigate the long-term care legal maze.  For example, in our office we have unique legal planning strategies to help our clients qualify for the VA Benefit even when the Department of Veterans Affairs say that the veteran or surviving spouse may not qualify.

I help families through the special use of trusts and other legal documents to protect and shelter resources against the catastrophic cost of long-term care.

If you are a senior, veteran of have a loved one who is concerned about the cost of long-term care and has questions on how to qualify for the VA Benefit or Medicaid, give our office a call and we’ll be happy to assist you.  You deserve the best representation possible, and there is only one Certified Elder Law Attorney serving families in Brighton Michigan.

Christopher J. Berry is a Michigan elder law attorney Dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.theeldercarefirm.com/ or call 248.481.4000

As one of the few Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Michigan, give our office a call if you have a loved one who needs help paying for nursing home costs.  (248) 481-4000.

To qualify for the veterans benefit, sometimes called Aid & Attendance, in Michigan, a veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran must meet certain requirements.

1) The veteran must have served 90 days active duty,

2) The veteran must have served one day during a period of war,

3) Cannot be dishonorably discharged,

4) Paying more in long-term care costs then income coming in from social security or pension

5) Pass the resource test

If the veteran or surviving spouse meets all of the above requirements then they can qualify for over $2,000 per month, tax free, to pay their long-term care costs.

However, there are some things to keep in mind.

First, with the resource analysis, many times prior to coming into our office a family will be over the asset limit to qualify for the VA Benefit.  In situations like this, typically we put together a Veterans Asset Protection Trust where the family can retain control of the assets, however still qualify for the VA Benefit under the resource test.  Plus, this Veterans Asset Protection Trust helps the family also qualify for Medicaid if they should wish to bring in that governmental benefit as well.

Next, it is important to understand that your loved one needs to have long-term care costs that exceed their income.  The veteran or surviving spouse needs a doctor to say that they need the assistance of daily living activities and that they are now willing to pay to receive that assistance.

Last, keep in mind that the veterans benefit maxes out at just over $2,000 per month.  This benefit is great for paying for assisted living costs or home care costs, but when you’re paying over $10,000 per month in nursing home costs, Medicaid may be a better answer.  Medicaid can pay almost the entire cost of nursing home care, minus the private pay.

Do you have veterans benefits or Medicaid questions?  Call our office at (248) 481-4000 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

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The post VA Benefits for Nursing Home Costs in Michigan appeared first on Elder Care Firm.

As one of the few Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Michigan, give our office a call if you have a loved one who needs help paying for nursing home costs.  (248) 481-4000.

To qualify for the veterans benefit, sometimes called Aid & Attendance, in Michigan, a veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran must meet certain requirements.

1) The veteran must have served 90 days active duty,

2) The veteran must have served one day during a period of war,

3) Cannot be dishonorably discharged,

4) Paying more in long-term care costs then income coming in from social security or pension

5) Pass the resource test

If the veteran or surviving spouse meets all of the above requirements then they can qualify for over $2,000 per month, tax free, to pay their long-term care costs.

However, there are some things to keep in mind.

First, with the resource analysis, many times prior to coming into our office a family will be over the asset limit to qualify for the VA Benefit.  In situations like this, typically we put together a Veterans Asset Protection Trust where the family can retain control of the assets, however still qualify for the VA Benefit under the resource test.  Plus, this Veterans Asset Protection Trust helps the family also qualify for Medicaid if they should wish to bring in that governmental benefit as well.

Next, it is important to understand that your loved one needs to have long-term care costs that exceed their income.  The veteran or surviving spouse needs a doctor to say that they need the assistance of daily living activities and that they are now willing to pay to receive that assistance.

Last, keep in mind that the veterans benefit maxes out at just over $2,000 per month.  This benefit is great for paying for assisted living costs or home care costs, but when you’re paying over $10,000 per month in nursing home costs, Medicaid may be a better answer.  Medicaid can pay almost the entire cost of nursing home care, minus the private pay.

Do you have veterans benefits or Medicaid questions?  Call our office at (248) 481-4000 and we’ll be happy to answer your questions.

Christopher J. Berry is a Michigan elder law attorney Dedicated to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care maze. To learn more visit http://www.theeldercarefirm.com/ or call 248.481.4000

Michigan Veterans Benefits For Seniors

Many Michigan families do not realize that there are Veterans Benefits available to pay for home care, care contracts and assistance in the home for seniors.  As one of the few Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Michigan, my practice is devoted to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care legal maze.

A common mistake I see families make is that they wait to long to try to secure their Aid & Attendance veterans benefits.  It’s unfortunate because many times if they would have come into our Bloomfield Hills law office years ago, we could have had their VA Benefit turned on this whole time.

This means that families could literally be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.

For example, let’s say Joe is a senior veteran living in Troy, Michigan.  He’s living on his own, however his daughter helps him with some activities of daily living a few times a week for a couple hours a day.  Plus, he receives a couple hours of private duty home care from a commercial Oakland County home care company.

Let’s assume Joe receives $1500 per month in Social Security and has $300k in savings and a house.  He is paying the commercial home care company $1000 per month.

If Joe or his family were to go to a local veterans service organization, chances are they would tell him that he will not qualify for the full benefit (or any benefit) because he does not meet the income or asset tests.

However, if he were to come to our office, as a VA accredited attorney, I would counsel the family in setting up a Veterans Asset Protection Trust, Care Contract and submit the VA application on his behalf.  In the end I would be able to turn on a $1,700+ monthly tax free benefit.

It’s unfair that it is all in who you talk to and where you get advice from.  That is why you should seek advice from VA Accredited Certified Elder Law Attorneys.  There aren’t many of us in the state.

The post Michigan Veterans Benefits for Home Care appeared first on Elder Care Firm.

Michigan Veterans Benefits For Seniors

Many Michigan families do not realize that there are Veterans Benefits available to pay for home care, care contracts and assistance in the home for seniors.  As one of the few Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Michigan, my practice is devoted to helping seniors, veterans and their families navigate the long-term care legal maze.

A common mistake I see families make is that they wait to long to try to secure their Aid & Attendance veterans benefits.  It’s unfortunate because many times if they would have come into our Bloomfield Hills law office years ago, we could have had their VA Benefit turned on this whole time.

This means that families could literally be leaving thousands of dollars on the table.

For example, let’s say Joe is a senior veteran living in Troy, Michigan.  He’s living on his own, however his daughter helps him with some activities of daily living a few times a week for a couple hours a day.  Plus, he receives a couple hours of private duty home care from a commercial Oakland County home care company.

Let’s assume Joe receives $1500 per month in Social Security and has $300k in savings and a house.  He is paying the commercial home care company $1000 per month.

If Joe or his family were to go to a local veterans service organization, chances are they would tell him that he will not qualify for the full benefit (or any benefit) because he does not meet the income or asset tests.

However, if he were to come to our office, as a VA accredited attorney, I would counsel the family in setting up a Veterans Asset Protection Trust, Care Contract and submit the VA application on his behalf.  In the end I would be able to turn on a $1,700+ monthly tax free benefit.

It’s unfair that it is all in who you talk to and where you get advice from.  That is why you should seek advice from VA Accredited Certified Elder Law Attorneys.  There aren’t many of us in the state.