Medi-Cal is yet another area in which having an estate planning attorney could prove beneficial.
Medi-Cal is California’s version of Medicaid, and Medicaid is designed to provide help in paying for long term care expenses.
Although there are many complexities to Medi-Cal planning, it’s important to understand that Medi-cal is there to help families like yours, and Medi-Cal planning is the best way of insuring you receive the benefits which will assure the protection of your hard earned assets.
So, what does any of this have to do with having an estate planning attorney?
An attorney with Medi-Cal experience can assist in the filing of your Medi-Cal application. An estate planning attorney can draft a Trust to protect your personal assets. And an attorney with both sets of skills (like 2014 North County Bar Association President, Debbie Streeter), can accomplish both tasks.
Medi-Cal is a highly complex area of law and changes over time. Costly mistakes can be made if you don’t know what you are doing. Let’s say for example, you are receiving and paying for care in a nursing home. You then decide you need Medi-Cal assistance. You could try figuring it out yourself, but if you make a mistake the result is paying more out of pocket to the nursing home than is necessary. With the same money, you could have hired an attorney who could not only have sped up the process of you receiving your benefits, but also could have assisted you in protecting and holding on to your assets.
Here is the bottom line. People in need of Medi-Cal benefits do not have to be impoverished. They don’t have to give away all of their assets, and can even continue to manage those assets. If you or someone you love is in need of Medi-Cal benefits, please consult with a qualified estate planning attorney.
