A client who is considering a second (or third or more) marriage often has more complicated estate planning needs than a single client or a client who has been married only once. A premarital agreement can be key to protecting a client's assets, but the attorney must make sure the agreement is integrated with the client's estate plan. At the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys' 2010 Elder and Special Needs Law Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, earlier this year, Virginia estate planning attorney Martin J. Ganderson discussed how to plan for a second marriage and outlined the various estate…
If you don't fit into one of those catagories,as indicated in What ar the co-payments for Veterans (Part 1), the VA will ask you to provide your household income and net worth from the previous year. If your income is below certain thresholds, you will not have to make a copayment. Click here to view the thresholds for income. In addition, you must not have more than $80,000 in property. Those whose income exceeds the threshold or who refuse to submit to the means test may have to make a copayment. Unlike Medicaid, there is no penalty for transferring assets…
The standard benefits package includes: Preventative care services, outpatient diagnostic and treatment services (including mental health and substance abuse treatment), inpatient diagnostic and treatment services, prescriptions, and long-term care (including nursing home care for some veterans). Long-term care. The VA offers a number of long-term care options through its health plan. All enrolled veterans are eligible for the following services: Geriatric evaluationprovides either an inpatient or outpatient evaluation of a veteran's ability to care for him or herself. Adult day health carea therapeutic day care program that provides medical and rehabilitation services to veterans Respite careprovides either inpatient or outpatient…
To receive care, most veterans must be enrolled in the VA health system. Eligibility for the health system depends on a number of factors, including the nature of your discharge from military service, your length of service, whether you have service-connected disabilities, your income level, and available VA resources, among others. To be eligible, you must not have been dishonorably discharged from the military. Your length of service may also be important. Former enlisted persons who started active duty before September 8, 1980, and former officers who first entered active duty before October 17, 1981, do not have a length-of-service…
The VA pays a pension to disabled veterans who are not able to work. The pension is also available for surviving spouses and children. This pension is available whether or not your disability is service-connected, but to be eligible you must meet the following requirements: You must not have been discharged under dishonorable conditions. If you enlisted before September 7, 1980, you must have served 90 days or more of active duty with at least one day during a period of war. Anyone who enlisted after September 7, 1980, however, must serve at least 24 months or the full period…
You can fill out the form to enroll for health benefits online at https://www.1010ez.med.va.gov/sec/vha/1010ez/ or you can receive the form by calling 1-877-222-VETS (8387). Once you complete and sign the form, mail it to your local VA health care facility. Click here to find the facility nearest you.
Only 0.6 percent of those dying in the U.S. in 2008 owed any estate tax, according to new data released by the IRS. This means that 99.4 percent of estates were too small to pay an estate tax, which the Republican party and some wealthy individuals have been fighting to repeal entirely.
This information is wrong, the spouse who is not in the nursing home, the community spouse, does not have to be left impoverished, for Medicaid qualification.
Many times the senior may suffer in silence so you need to be conscientious and alert to any changes in personality or behavior. If you suspect an elder is being abused call the protective services agency where that elder lives.
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