Elder Law & Medicaid Planning
Nursing home care costs $12,000+/month in Bucks County. I help families with Medicaid planning, the 5-year lookback, and asset protection before crisis hits.
Planning Ahead
Protect assets before long-term care is needed
Need Help Now
Someone needs care today: crisis planning options
Planning Ahead
Start at least 5 years before you anticipate needing care. The earlier you plan, the more options you have.
The 5-Year Medicaid Lookback Period
Medicaid Planning Strategies: What Works (and When)
Medicaid Eligibility in Pennsylvania (2026)
Protecting the Family Home from Medicaid
Special Needs Trusts (SNTs): Preserving Benefits
Powers of Attorney for Elder Care: Special Requirements
Long-Term Care Planning: When to Start & What to Do
Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney: Which Do You Need?
Veterans Benefits & Aid and Attendance for Long-Term Care
Medicaid Countable vs. Exempt Assets: What They Count
Turning 18 With a Disability: Guardianship & Alternatives
Planning for a parent's care? Nursing home care costs $12,000+/month in Bucks County. The right plan now can save hundreds of thousands.
Get Started →When Care Is Needed Now
Crisis planning is more limited but still possible. Act quickly, delays reduce your options.
The Cost of Long-Term Care in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Estate Recovery Program: The State Gets Paid Back
Pennsylvania Filial Support Law
Estate Recovery: How It Works & How to Protect Assets
Medicaid Denied? Fair Hearings & Appeals
Financial Exploitation & POA Abuse
Common Questions
Will Medicaid take my house?
Not while you are 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.
Can I just give everything to my kids?
You can, but if you apply for Medicaid within 5 years of the gift, you will 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.
Does a revocable trust protect assets from Medicaid?
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. Among trusts, only an irrevocable trust can protect assets, and only after the 5-year lookback has passed. Non-trust strategies also exist. Transfers to a spouse or to a qualifying disabled child avoid a transfer penalty, a caregiver child can receive the home under a narrow exception, and a Medicaid-compliant annuity can convert resources to an income stream. Each has its own strict conditions, and none of them protects assets across the board the way the question implies a trust does.
When should I start Medicaid planning?
Ideally, at least 5 years before you anticipate needing long-term care. The 5-year lookback means strategies implemented today will not fully protect you until 2031. Crisis planning options exist but are more limited.
What is the difference between Medicare and Medicaid?
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.
What happens if I did not plan ahead and Mom needs a nursing home now?
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.
Can the nursing home really come after the children?
Under Pennsylvania's filial support law (23 Pa.C.S. § 4603), yes. It is 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.
Serving Bucks County Communities
Bristol, PA
Bensalem, PA
Levittown, PA
Middletown & Penndel
Falls Township, Tullytown & Morrisville
Langhorne, PA
Lower Makefield & Yardley
Recent Legal Developments
Pennsylvania law changes that affect elder law. These updates reflect current law as of our last review.
- Medicaid Estate Recovery in Pennsylvania: Exceptions That Could Save the Family Home · Built-in exceptions can protect the family home from state recovery claims
- Can a Nursing Home Sue Your Children? The Pittas Case and PA Filial Support Law · Pennsylvania enforces filial support obligation for parent's long-term care costs
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