At Bridget Dyer Law, we understand the complex issues of governmental benefits and the importance of creating the right plan to safeguard these benefits, while accommodating your family’s needs. We accomplish this primarily through Medicaid and Special Needs Planning.


MEDICAID PLANNING
Traditional estate planning focuses on asset distribution and tax minimization. Medicaid and long-term care planning take into account your physical and financial condition to develop a plan in the event you are unable to care for yourself physically or mentally. Without advanced planning, your family may pay out-of-pocket costs for healthcare, nursing homes and long-term care until your resources run out. We recommend looking into such planning in your early to mid-60's and while you are still healthy, as Medicaid currently has a five-year look-back period.

Our office can prepare you for the future and preserve family assets, so parents and caretakers can qualify for financial assistance and put assets where they're needed most. If you or someone you love is at risk of spending down their life savings to pay for the ever-growing cost of long-term care, then we invite you to sit down with us and discuss your options.


SPECIAL NEEDS PLANNING
If you are the parent, grandparent, or loved one of a special needs child you are likely all too aware of the financial costs associated with your child’s care. You should also understand the importance of planning for your child’s future. Care must be taken to ensure that your child is well provided for both now and in the future, without jeopardizing eligibility for state and federal assistance programs.

Careful estate planning can prevent your loved one from losing eligibility for assistance programs and ensure that sufficient assets are made available to supplement the care provided by those programs. One common option is to create a “Special Needs Trust,” also referred to as a “Supplemental Needs Trust.”  A SNT allows you to designate assets now, or upon death, to be used to supplement the care and maintenance provided by state and federal programs without affecting eligibility for those programs. Very specific language must be used to guarantee that the trust will be recognized as a SNT. For this reason alone, you should work closely with an estate planning attorney when incorporating special needs planning into your overall estate plan.