Your mother should apply a few months before she will run out of funds. In calculating when that will be, include in the cost of prepaying her funeral if that has not been done yet. In some states, she can also set aside funds for future needs in a (d)(4)( C) or...

With the aging population becoming increasingly tech savvy, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has moved a lot of services online. From applying for Social Security benefits to replacing a card, the SSA has online tools to help. To access most of the online...

All Long-term care costs rose sharply in 2020, but assisted living facility costs increased the most, according to Genworth’s latest annual Cost of Care Survey. The across-the-board rises were due in part to increased costs brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. In...

The federal government's plan to send $200 drug-discount cards to Medicare beneficiaries has cleared one hurdle, but it isn’t certain that the administration will have enough time to actually get the cards in the mail. When the current administration announced in...

Your will is a legally-binding statement directing who will receive your property at your death. It also appoints a legal representative to carry out your wishes. However, the will covers only probate property. (Probate is the court process by which a deceased...

Credit shelter trusts are a way to take full advantage of state and federal estate tax exemptions. Although such trusts may appear needless unless you are a multi-millionaire, there are still reasons for those of more modest means to do this kind of planning, and one...

Life insurance can play a few key roles in an estate plan, depending on your age and situation in life. There are two main types of life insurance: term and permanent. Term life insurance is the simplest: You buy a policy for a set number of years and you have...

COVID vaccines are starting to roll out to nursing homes across the country, signaling the beginning of the end of the pandemic. Once your loved one has had both doses of the vaccine, you may be able to visit, but precautions are still necessary. The federal...

Buying long-term care insurance is one way to protect against the high cost of long-term care. However, this type of insurance may not be for everyone, so consider all your options. Long-term care – care in a nursing home or at home -- may be paid for in four main...

Many employers offer critical illness insurance as part of their benefit package. What is this insurance and is it worth purchasing? You should consider your options before paying for a plan. While a regular health insurance plan usually offers comprehensive coverage...

Pets are members of the family, so it is important to consider how to provide for them in your estate plan just as you would the human family members. While we may think of pets as part of our family, the law considers them to be property. This means that you cannot...

We are sorry to hear about your loss. There are two kinds of potential financial responsibility: personal responsibility where you would have to pay from your own funds and responsibility on behalf of your mother to pay from her funds. You would only have personal...

In some circumstances, immediate annuities can be ideal Medicaid planning tools for spouses of nursing home residents. Careful planning is needed to make sure an annuity will work for you or your spouse. An immediate annuity, in its simplest form, is a contract with...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its Spousal Impoverishment Standards for 2021, confirming the earlier projections of Pennsylvania ElderLawAnswers member Robert Clofine, who based his estimates on the consumer price index for urban...

Medicare premiums are set to rise a modest amount next year but still cut into any Social Security gains. The basic monthly premium will increase $3.90, from $144.60 a month to $148.50. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the premium and...