Elder Law / Medi-Cal

It’s no secret that our population is aging. Your family may be one of the many that are struggling to provide nursing home care for a loved one and still protect his or her home and other assets for younger generations.

To be sure, it’s still possible to qualify a senior for Medi-Cal and preserve their estate. But the laws governing qualification and asset preservation are constantly evolving.

You should know that many living trusts and powers of attorney are not designed with qualification for Medi-Cal benefits in mind. The best time to make sure those documents are set up correctly is when the senior has legal capacity, often long before they require Medi-Cal nursing home care. That’s because the planning we do for an incapacitated person with a defective living trust is a lot more involved and expensive than the planning for someone whose documents were set up with qualification in mind.

If you or someone you know, perhaps a parent or a spouse, might need Medi-Cal planning, we would be very glad to discuss your options. Please give us a call at 916.273.9040 or click here to request a consultation.

If you want to qualify someone for Medi-Cal and protect their estate, the earlier you start the greater the likelihood of success. Even so, please be advised that there are many unscrupulous people who prey on the nervous and the vulnerable. Don’t let anyone scare you into this planning. It should only be done thoughtfully with a full appreciation of the costs and benefits. Medi-Cal planning is not necessary in absolutely every case, but it can be a powerful tool when appropriate.