The aging of the baby boomer generation is having a significant impact on the country’s demographic makeup. A lot of people are approaching senior citizen status at the same time, and as a result, people are asking questions about legal matters that are relevant to seniors. Elder law attorneys answer these questions.
There are various different elder law matters that everyone should be aware of, and long-term care is foremost among them. Medicare does not pay for living assistance, and most people will need help with their day-to-day needs at some point in time.
Nursing home care is very expensive, so it is difficult to impossible for many people to pay out-of-pocket. Medicaid does pay for long-term care, but it takes careful planning to qualify, because there are strict income and asset limits.
We practice in California, and in our state, the Medicaid program is called Medi-Cal. Elder law attorneys guide people who would like to qualify for Medi-Cal to pay for long-term care. If you take the correct steps in advance, you may be able to qualify for Medi-Cal as you keep your resources in your family.
This is just one elder law issue that is relevant, but there are others. One of them is elder financial abuse. A significant percentage of elders are victimized, and billions of dollars are lost annually. It is possible to take legal steps to mitigate your exposure to elder financial abuse.
Finding an Elder Law Attorney
Now that we have explained why you may want to discuss things with an elder law attorney, we can look at the question that serves as the title of this blog post. Word-of-mouth is still very useful. You could ask around among your family members, friends, neighbors and associates. If someone that you trust can recommend an elder law attorney that they have confidence in, you will probably have the same experience.
Searching the Internet for an elder law attorney is another option, and if you were to go this route, you may want to look for professional affiliations. Estate planning and elder law go hand-in-hand, and the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys is a highly respected organization. You could choose to visit their website and check their database to find an Academy member near you.
Professional reputation is also important. Attorney Timothy P. Murphy has attained the highest rating (AV) bestowed by the Martindale-Hubbell Legal Directory, the benchmark directory used by fellow attorneys. He also has been rated a maximum 10.0 on the Avvo.com attorney rating website in the area of elder law.
If you live in the greater Sacramento area, you have already found an elder law attorney who is a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys. Our firm would be glad to help if you are concerned about the legal issues that are facing our senior population at the present time.
We are available to assist you, and you can visit this page to set up an appointment: Sacramento CA Elder Law Attorneys.
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