Elder Law & Medicaid Planning
Nursing home care costs $12,000+ per month in Bucks County. I help families understand the rules, coordinate with elder law specialists when needed, and…
Nursing home care costs $12,000+ per month in Bucks County. I help families understand the rules, coordinate with elder law specialists when needed, and…
Start at least 5 years before you anticipate needing care. The earlier you plan, the more options you have.
Crisis planning is more limited but still possible. Act quickly, delays reduce your options.
Not while you're alive and living in it (or if your spouse or dependent lives there). But after death, the PA Estate Recovery Program can file a claim against your estate, including real estate. Advance planning with life estate deeds, irrevocable trusts, or caregiver child exemptions can protect the home.
You can, but if you apply for Medicaid within 5 years of the gift, you'll face a transfer penalty. At $421.20/day (2026), a $100,000 gift creates a 237-day penalty; nearly 8 months of privately paying for nursing care.
No. A revocable living trust provides zero Medicaid protection. Because you can revoke it and access the assets at any time, Medicaid counts everything in a revocable trust as an available resource. Only irrevocable trusts can protect assets, and only after the 5-year lookback has passed.
Ideally, at least 5 years before you anticipate needing long-term care. The 5-year lookback means strategies implemented today won't fully protect you until 2031. Crisis planning options exist but are more limited.
Medicare is federal health insurance for people 65+. It covers some short-term rehabilitation (up to 100 days) but does NOT pay for long-term custodial nursing home care. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that DOES pay for long-term care, but only if you qualify financially.
Crisis planning is possible but more limited. Options include spend-down to exempt assets, spousal protection strategies, half-a-loaf gifting, Medicaid-compliant annuities, and caregiver agreements.
Under Pennsylvania's filial support law (23 Pa.C.S. § 4603), yes. It's not common, but it has been enforced; most notably in the Pittas case, where a son was ordered to pay over $90,000 for his mother's care.
Elder law attorney serving Doylestown and central Bucks County. Medicaid planning, powers of attorney, guardianship, and asset protection.
→Complete guide to Pennsylvania Medicaid estate recovery under 62 P.S. § 1412 and 55 Pa. Code § 258. Free consultation available.
→Complete comparison of Pennsylvania guardianship (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 5501-5555) vs. power of attorney (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 5601-5612). Free consultation available.
→Practical guide to Pennsylvania long-term care planning. Free consultation available.
→Complete guide to 55 Pa. Code § 178 resource eligibility. Free consultation available.
→Pennsylvania's Medicaid program (officially called Medical Assistance or MA) is administered by the Department of Human Services through County.
→Effective Medicaid planning requires time. The 5-year lookback means that most strategies must be implemented years before the need for care arises. That…
→Even after your loved one qualifies for and receives Medicaid benefits, the story doesn't end at death. Free consultation available.
→Pennsylvania is one of approximately 30 states with a filial support law (23 Pa.C.S. § 4603), but it's one of the very few where the law has actual…
→Standard estate planning documents are covered in our Estate Planning section. But for elder law and Medicaid planning, a power of attorney needs to do…
→Special needs trusts preserve Medicaid, SSI, and other benefits when a person with disabilities receives an inheritance or settlement.
→This is the rule that catches the most families off guard, and the reason advance planning is essential. What Is the Lookback? When you apply for…
→About This Practice Area we provide elder law consultations, handle guardianship matters, coordinate estate plans with long-term care goals, and….
→One of the most overlooked benefits available to aging veterans and their surviving spouses is the VA Aid and Attendance (A&A) pension.
→Free consultations available for most practice areas.
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