Medicaid Eligibility Planning

Medicaid is a joint federal and state program which provides medical benefits to the indigent. It is not an entitlement program like Social Security, and you must be impoverished to one degree or another in order to qualify. It should also be distinguished from "Medicare" which is an entitlement program under Social Security. Apart from very limited hospital recovery periods and therapy, Medicare does not cover nursing home care. Neither does the usual private or group medical insurance policy.

Many people have heard horror stories about the elderly losing all their assets when they go into a nursing home. Fortunately, we can help prevent that from happening to you or your loved ones. Only individuals whose assets fall below a certain dollar amount qualify for Medicaid. There are many techniques that can be used to reduce a person's asset level below the Medicaid asset limit.

Some of the Methods People Seeking Medicaid Advice are Routinely Offered Include:

• Setting Up an Irrevocable Trust
• Making Gifts to Family Members
• Paying for Certain Approved Medicaid Expenses, Such as Prepaid Burial or Items for Your House

We can help you determine the best way to make you Medicaid eligible. Then, when it becomes necessary to apply for Medicaid, our office will complete the complicated Medicaid forms. It is in your best interest to let a professional complete the Medicaid forms. How Medicaid forms are filled out can often be the difference between being granted or denied Medicaid benefits.

Our law office routinely presents Medicaid applications on a client's behalf. You do not need to appear at the Medicaid office when we are handling you case.

We believe that no one should lose their life's savings because they need nursing home care. Thus, we offer a free initial consultation so that families can be provided answers to questions about their specific situation.

We provide Medicaid advice and Medicaid planning to clients throughout Upstate New York including Onondaga County, Oneida County, Cayuga County, Oswego County, Madison County and Lewis County.

If you or a member of your family needs the services of an experienced Medicaid planning lawyer, please contact the Law Office of Shawn W. Lappin. We are committed to helping people protect the wealth they have spent a lifetime creating.