planning for long-term care

How can we help?

We offer a free 30-minute consultation to look at your situation together. We review your income and assets and listen to what your family is dealing with. From there, an elder law attorney helps you plan next steps, whether that means care options, finding the right facility, or putting documents like a power of attorney in place.

We explain everything in plain English. That’s the job: lower the hurdles between you and a plan that works.

Crisis Planning
when care is needed now

Crisis planning applies when a loved one needs long-term care now or is already in a nursing facility.

When you’re in this position, your options are more limited. You need quick, decisive action: gathering documentation and working through Medicaid rules under a real deadline.

We’ve put together a few articles that walk through this in more detail: When an Older Parent Starts to Need More Help, What to Do, Where to Start.

Preemptive Planning

Planning ahead gives you more options, especially with Medicaid. Indiana enforces a five-year lookback on asset transfers, a commonly misunderstood rule. Preemptive planning helps you determine which tools actually apply to your situation, rather than reacting out of fear.

Tools like an irrevocable trust come up often, and they’re not right for everyone. They can affect your control over your own property, not just your Medicaid eligibility. Preemptive planning puts those pieces in place ahead of time.

The goal isn’t to change your life now, but to know what to watch for later, so you keep the flexibility to live the way you want.

Understand the Medicaid Process

Medicaid is a means-tested program, run in Indiana by the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA).

Married couples get real protection here. The healthy spouse can keep a portion of the assets without using their own income for the other spouse’s care. The process doesn’t leave much room for error. Giving away assets or property for less than fair value can trigger real penalties.

Transparent Fee structures

Legal fees in elder law can get out of hand fast. Many firms charge $7,000 to $20,000 for Medicaid planning, often based on a formula tied to one month of nursing home costs rather than the actual work involved.

We do it differently. Our fees are flat, based on the specific work and planning tools your situation needs. We also offer a Plan Design Letter that spells out your options, timeline, and exact costs.

Medicaid Application

The Medicaid application isn’t a simple web form. It’s a detailed process with real deadlines, and missing one can cost you months of eligibility. We handle this for you.

You sign a Medicaid Health Representative form, which lets us talk directly to the FSSA on your behalf. Then we’ll work with you to gather everything necessary for the application. We only submit the application when we’re confident it’s ready to be approved on your timeline.