Tag: Elder law attorney

This hour addresses all the paperwork — legal contracts — involved in a loved one's transition to senior living. Sometimes you're electronically signing your name and initialing a few signature blocks on an iPad, but you aren't shown the 50 related pages that are on the document you just signed. Here are some red flags to watch for in the paperwork. They apply to nursing home, assisted living, and memory care admissions.

Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne to talk about presumptive qualifications for VA Compensation, particularly service during Vietnam, in which veterans are presumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange if certain disabilities have occurred. At the 6 minute point, Jim talks about services administered through the health side of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the same group that runs the VA hospital.

When qualifications are met, the Department of Veterans Affairs rates the level of disability, from 0 to 100 in increments of 10. The money received is based on that level. Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne to talk about the money paid out for VA Compensation. A single, 100% disabled veteran would qualify for $3,332.06/month in 2022, whereas for a married veteran the level is $3,517.84/month. On top of Compensation, a special monthly compensation can also be paid, and the money varies.

This segment focuses on qualifying for the federal program known as VA Compensation. There is special monthly compensation for a veteran or a surviving spouse, child, or parent who has certain disabilities or needs help with at least two activities of daily living: eating, walking, bathing, getting in and out of a bed/chair, cleaning up after going to the bathroom, grooming, dressing. When qualifications are met, the Department of Veterans Affairs rates the level of disability, from 0 to 100 in increments of 10, which is up to the case manager.

If someone in active military service is injured or becomes ill, or has some prior injury or illness exacerbated by their service, and later in life it results in a disability, then they're entitled to VA Compensation. Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne to talk about the benefits of this federal program run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

When talking to an elder law attorney, what questions should you ask about spend downs, and what questions you should be prepared to answer? If you have the power of attorney for a senior loved one, how do you start the conversation with the family about their assets, and how do you best navigate this with them? Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne Newman to answer these questions.

How do you take care of your spouse if you need long term care now? What can you do with your money if your spouse is still at home? Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne Newman to answer these questions, by spending down your money to access Medicaid and VA benefits.

What is a Medicaid spend down? Elder law attorney Jim Koewler joins Suzanne Newman to answer this question, and shows how it differs if you're single or married. With a single person, if they want VA coverage, they have the same asset limits of $130K. If they want Medicaid long-term care coverage, they need to reduce assets to $2K, or their state's level, which is very different from the VA level. How you do that is through a spend down.

What do you do when you or a senior loved one needs care now — a crisis situation — and they have some money available? In this situation, one option is to choose to private pay for the care. This segment focuses on financial eligibility for married couples to receive VA pension benefits and Medicaid. If you're married, to get Medicaid you have to spend your assets down below $2,000 (Federal and Ohio levels; amounts vary by state).

Veterans benefits, claims, and appeals under the current rules: If your loved ones have spent any time in the military, they may qualify for benefits you might not be aware with. This segment covers Eligibility Update for VA Pension (a.k.a. Aid and Attendance): Financial eligibility, prior transfers, and tricky issues,