Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Explaining The Medicaid “Lookback” Period
The majority of nursing home residents in the U.S. receive some kind of Medicaid assistance to help cover the cost of care. However, in order to receive that assistance, Medicaid recipients must pass a means test – in other words, they must not have income or assets over a certain level. This threshold can… Read More »
Mahopac Advance Directives For Health Care: What To Consider
When you are considering estate planning in Mahopac or elsewhere in Putnam County, there are a number of issues and elements that you will want to think about. As you may already know, nearly everyone should think about drafting a will, and other estate planning tools like trusts can also be beneficial to many… Read More »
What Steps Should I Take Now For Medicaid Planning?
Nobody wants to think about needing to rely on Medicaid to cover long-term care in old age. However, it is critical for Mahopac residents to know that, statistically, it is more than possible that long-term care will be necessary at some point, even if it is for a limited amount of time. Indeed, according… Read More »
How To Discuss Asset Protection With An Aging Parent
Many older adults in Pleasantville and throughout Westchester County are resistant to the idea of addressing asset protection strategies and considering ways of protecting their assets in the event they require long-term care. For a number of older adults, these discussions can be unwanted because they highlight the fact that their lives are changing… Read More »
Reviewing Your Estate Plan Over The Holidays
For those who have a will and advance directives, as well as other estate planning documents, it is a good idea to review these documents and their provisions annually. Because families often get together over the holidays and, as a result, various family issues — including both health and financial matters — can arise… Read More »
What Is Long-Term Care Insurance?
If you have an elderly parent or loved one, or if you are thinking about estate planning and long-term care planning yourself, you may be thinking about long-term care insurance. An important aspect of any asset protection strategy for older adults is long-term care insurance. Yet not all long-term care insurance is the same,… Read More »
Top Reasons To Make A Will
Many people in Putnam County wonder if they should make a will and whether the benefits of estate planning outweigh the time and effort necessary to do so. It is important to know that making a will is not as time-consuming a process as you might think, and it is a critical one regardless… Read More »
What You Should Know About The Medicaid Lookback Period
Many New Yorkers in Westchester County will need to rely on Medicaid to cover the costs of nursing home care or other forms of long-term care. As you may know, Medicare is a federal health insurance program for people who are 65 and older, while Medicaid provides health care coverage to lower-income Americans. New… Read More »
Who Makes Legal Decisions For An Older Adult With Dementia?
Elder law in Putnam County and Westchester County is a broad area of the law that encompasses a wide range of legal issues, from asset protection to matters pertaining to nursing home rights. An important matter to consider in the area of elder law is decision-making for an older adult with dementia. When an… Read More »
Can I Change My Will?
People in Putnam County and Westchester County make wills at various stages in their lives. Often, when people get married or have a child, they will create a will in order to ensure that a spouse receives certain property, or to name a person to care for their child in the event of an… Read More »