Elder Law

Minnesota Attorneys serving the Twin Cities, Roseville, St. Paul, Minneapolis and surrounding suburbs -Elder Law.

Elder law has increasingly become complex the law office of Jane J. Larson & Associates has to keep informed at all times. They keep changing the rules in different counties and laws federal and state.

All of us hope that we can use our retirement income for a comfortable home and lifestyle after we retire, maybe we can even take that long waited dream vacation or take up a hobby or two. Unfortunately, few people think about the need for health care especially long-term care in their later years.

Nearly 50 percent of people age 65 and older will need nursing home care, with an average stay of 2.5 years, that can quickly wipe out that retirement income. Medicare patients are often discharged from the hospital before they are ready. It can cause irreparable harm, both physically and financially.

Protect your retirement and check with your financial advisor about long-term care insurance. This insurance can cover nursing home costs, home care and other types of long-term care for as long as they are needed. Often they advertise about annuities as being a valuable retirement tool, if you are buying an annuity as part of a Medicaid planning strategy, you need to fully understand what you are buying. A small investment can protect your finances and family tomorrow.

Being an executor of an estate involves a lot of time and effort and it can vary depending on the size of the estate. You will have important duties that must be performed correctly or you may be liable to the estate or beneficiaries.

Medical Assistance; Even though most of us would rather not think about this topic, we cannot simply ignore it, especially when the costs associated with long-term care are continuously increasing. As a result, most of us will not be able to afford the costs of long-term care and will need some form of public assistance, namely Minnesota's Medical Assistance program.

This program can be very complex, and one of the fundamental services that we provide for our clients is determining whether or not an individual satisfies the eligibility requirements, which collectively focuses on the individual's (and the spouse?s if married) assets.

In assisting our clients with eligibility requirements, some of the services we provide are:

Reviewing the family's assets and completing an asset assessment worksheet;

Assisting with Medical Assistance application;

Advising on how to implement an adequate spend-down plan; and

Representing the client during the interview process with the County Caseworker.

Please keep our firm in mind when it becomes likely that you or one of your family members will be applying for Medical Assistance.

You are never too young to start planning, start with your Estate Planning today.

To make an appointment please contact the Law office of Jane J. Larson & Associates.