G Brent Powers Law Office
3715 Beck Rd D-401, St Joseph, MO 64506
Q5QW+6R St Joseph, Missouri
18162330257
https://gbrentpowerslaw.com/
Nursing Home Lawyer in St. Joseph Mo
Where Can I Find a Nursing Home Lawyer in St. Joseph Mo?

We are here to help you, your family, make informed decisions and plan on Elder Law topics such as Medicaid planning, estate and asset protection. Each person has a different path to reach their "golden years", which unfortunately has become increasingly complicated over time. Our firm is proud to offer our clients customized planning and unique solutions. If you have any questions regarding your farm, home, real estate deeds or power of attorney, trusts and wills, probate vs. unprobate transfer, long-term care, or trusts vs. Wills, please contact our firm today.

Elder Law

Elder Law is a specialty that helps seniors and provides guidance. As we age, we are faced with many new issues, including housing, retirement, wealth transfer, and long-term nursing. Elder Law covers all of these issues and more.

Many elderly citizens worry that they will lose their home and savings if they are in need of long-term nursing home care. They don’t want the burden of being a burden on their families or society.

Brent has provided expert and thoughtful advice to thousands of families across Saint Joseph and Northwest Missouri, providing them with peace of heart. With over 30 years experience, he can assist clients in developing estate plans, property transfers, deeds probate, power-of- attorney, trusts and other legal needs of senior citizens.

Brent will help you to create an Elder Law plan. Call Brent today.

Nursing Home Medicaid Planning. It's never too early for you to start planning for Medicaid, long-term or even short-term care. Many people are not planning for long-term health care and are frequently misinformed on how Medicaid works. Many families don’t know who is eligible, or how they can benefit from nursing home Medicaid planning. It is important to select a Nursing home Attorney with extensive experience who is dedicated to helping families.

With his expertise in nursing home Medicaid planning, Brent has helped families across the community save thousands of dollars. Brent is a licensed nursing home lawyer and would like to share some key points about Medicaid. While most of the information you hear about nursing home Medicaid is accurate, it's almost always incorrect.

It is almost never too much too soon to plan.

Your loved ones can still receive Medicaid benefits even after they move into a nursing home.

It is crucial to be aware of legal protections and strategies that are available for the spouse or family member of a resident at a nursing facility. People are often afraid that they might lose their home or their life savings if their spouse or a loved one must move into a nursing care facility. In most cases, we can guarantee that this will not happen.

Numerous financial safety nets are available for both couples and seniors without jeopardizing Nursing Home Medicaid eligibility.

Division of Assets

1988 was the year Congress passed the "Spousal ImpoverishmentAct". This law was, despite its title, designed to prevent married couples from having their entire financial assets expended before one of them can qualify for nursing-home Medicaid. The spouse who lives in the home (the "Community Spouse") gets to keep some resources while the spouse with a need for Medicaid (the 'Institutionalized Spouse') can claim benefits.

Congress established limits on how many assets the Community Spouse can retain if an Institutionalized Spouse is to be eligible to benefits. These limits are also known as the Community Spouse Resource Allowance. The Missouri Community Spouse can retain $25,728 to $128,640.00 for 2020. This amount is adjusted every year to reflect inflation and costs of living. Missouri Medicaid allows for a Division of Assets to be used to determine how much the Community Spouse is allowed to keep.

The Division of Assets begins on the day that the Medicaid applicant is admitted to a hospital or nursing home for at most 30 consecutive days. The marital couple's countable assets, which excludes very few assets that are exempt, are divided into two and each spouse is given their half. It doesn't matter who owns the asset; the entire couple's assets are considered when determining the Division Of Assets. This means that the spouse who has more assets than their spouse will see their assets decrease. It is crucial to consult an Elder Law lawyer to help you navigate this process. This will ensure that everyone's rights are protected. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that 86% widows don't have enough income to cover the costs of caring for their spouses.

Consider John and Mary, a married couple, with $300,000 of financial assets. John suffers from dementia and requires nursing home services. The Medicaid caseworker will give $300,000 to Mary as her CSRA, and $171,000.360 to John. John must also have less than $5,000 to be eligible. The family will be asked to spend $166,360 on assets that John has been attributed. John and Mary will be told that John must spend 55% their lives' savings before John can apply for Medicaid. A reduction of the assets of the Community Spouse of this magnitude will mean that 86% of the surviving spouses will live below the poverty line because of the spouse's medical expenses.

John and Mary won't have to use any of the savings they have if they do their planning in a timely manner with the help and assistance of G. Brent Powers (Medical Asset Protection attorney). To avoid an expensive and regrettable situation, it is important to prepare the right legal documents and strategies.

What if you didn't plan ahead? All hope is lost The answer is no. Mary can retain most of her financial assets, even if John is incapacitated. Mary could use a "Marital Medicaid Compliance Annuity" to help her. G Brent Powers has the knowledge and expertise required to ensure Mary's financial security.

Brent makes every effort to meet with clients personally before he applies or appears in court.

Real Estate / Deeds

As they get older, many people start to think about how to transfer their home, farmland and other properties to their loved one or others. Others may need assistance with selling property without the aid of a broker.

Each family's situation should be evaluated in order to determine the best course. Is it possible to gift property to your children right away? What happens if your spouse requires long-term or nursing home care? What living trust would be the best? What tax implications will a transfer of property have? Do you need to borrow money from the owner in order to sell your property?

Brent has helped hundreds upon hundreds of families, over the years, make the right choice when it comes time to transfer a home or farm.

Estate Planning

Proper estate planning involves maintaining control of your assets and continuing to care for your loved ones. It also means that you can distribute your property after your death to the people you choose, whenever you wish, and at the lowest cost.

Planning must take into account your unique needs, wishes and assets. Only then can we decide what documents and strategies to use to ensure your planning works as you expect.

Brent can help with additional advice and assistance, as well as helping you establish a suitable estate plan.

Administration of trusts

Brent will help you to determine the best method to manage your affairs.

Brent Powers is a Saint Joseph, Missouri-based lawyer who has been practicing since 1980.

His career started as a trial-lawyer. But, due to the needs of his parents and many referrals, he transitioned into Elder Law, Medicaid nursing facility planning and Division of Assets.

He was the president of Saint Joseph Bar Association and volunteered for a number of community boards. He also participated in many events sponsored by Saint Joseph Bar Association to provide sound legal advice to people in need.

Brent is a native Missourian, having grew to be a Saint Josephian.

He is a Central High School graduate, earned his undergraduate degree from Missouri – Columbia and then received his law degree from Missouri – Kansas City.

He is a National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys member and the National Order of Social Security Claimsants' Representatives.

These national organizations offer training, education, and a national network to support senior citizens and persons with special needs.