Dear clients and friends, Here is another one of your questions and my response: QUESTION I was thinking of finally getting around to putting my house into an irrevocable trust to protect it from Medicaid. A friend of mine told me that if I do that, the bank could call in …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, I have several questions and answers today, plus other news. Here we go… QUESTION ONE: My mom passed away in a nursing home; she was on Medicaid. Can Medicaid go after her estate now that she is gone? MY RESPONSE: YES! Medicaid can seek reimbursement from …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, IMPORTANT NEWS We just received a communication from the Elder Law Section of the New York State Bar Association announcing new and important news regarding Medicaid.  As you know, I have been communicating with you for quite some time about the new Community Medicaid …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, Here’s the answer to one of your estate tax questions: Question for Lawrence Hi Lawrence, I have an estate worth $7 million. I understand that I have no exposure to estate taxes. Is this true? My Response I wish I could say that this is …

Dear clients and friends, Here’s the answer to one of the most commonly asked questions: Question for Lawrence The only asset I own is my home. Is my home an exempt asset from Medicaid? Thanks, I love your emails. My Response Thanks. I started these LISTEN TO LAWRENCE emails when the pandemic began and I …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, Continuing to answer your questions so keep them coming! Question for Lawrence: Dad lives with me. He has a long-term care policy which he uses to pay for a part-time aide in the house. This policy has a lifetime limit of $275,000.00 and a …

Dear clients and friends, Well, the day is finally here. We have been anticipating (and dreading) the first day of October for many months now. Today is the first day that we now have a 2 ½ year look back for Community Medicaid. This means that should you need aides to come into …

Dear clients and friends,   READER QUESTION:   If my mother’s regular checking and savings account are actually listed as a joint account with my nephew, does Medicaid still consider it only her money or half her money?    MY RESPONSE:   Jointly held bank accounts are understandingly confusing. After …

Dear clients and friends, READER QUESTION: My son is disabled and receiving SSI and Medicaid. He recently had some damage in his apartment and subsequently received a check from the insurance company covering the loss. Can he deposit this money in his account without losing his government benefits? ANSWER: The …

Dear clients and friends: Since I just recently wrote about the title theft scam, I thought I’d keep the theme going with the following article which was featured on a recent newsletter called, “The Alert for Members” on the Blue Cross/Blue Shield website. I wanted to pass it on because …

Dear clients and friends: READER QUESTION: I hear that homeowners are having their titles stolen and have lost their homes to this thievery. Title theft warning services are being sold on TV to supposedly protect you from this practice when Lifelock, etc. won’t. Would having a mortgage on your home make …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends: I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. The weather was great and it was nice to relax for a few days. We deserved it! BUT……Labor Day is over and it is time to get back to work. I want to …

Dear clients and friends, I’d like to share another article which might be of special interest to some of my clients from the Special Needs Alliance, an organization of which I was one of the founding members. You can find many more helpful articles and resources on the Special Needs …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, One of my last emails concluded my series on FDIC (and NCUA) insurance protection. Both you and I are probably thankful for that 😊. One of my readers told me “Why bother learning about this because if you go to FDIC.GOV they have a …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, This LISTEN TO LAWRENCE installment introduces the last two categories of separate FDIC insurance: CORPORATION/PARTNERSHIP/UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTS and GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS. Remember, this insurance is in addition to the insurance you get from each of the other categories discussed in my previous emails. FDIC …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE…Literally! Dear clients and friends, Hopefully, you listened to and enjoyed my two podcasts (Comparative Elder Law: New York and NY Medicaid Planning – A Comparison) hosted by my friend and fellow Elder Law attorney, Robert Fleming of the Elder Law firm, Fleming and Curti, PLC. If you …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, FDIC PART 9: EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN ACCOUNTS This LISTEN TO LAWRENCE installment introduces the sixth category of separate FDIC insurance, EMPLOYEE BENEFIT ACCOUNTS, at an insured bank. Remember, this insurance is in addition to the insurance you get from each of the other categories, including …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE…Literally! Dear clients and friends, By this time, we sure hope you listened to and enjoyed my first podcast (Comparative Elder Law: New York) hosted by my friend and fellow Elder Law attorney, Robert Fleming of the Elder Law firm, Fleming and Curti, PLC. Podcasts seem to be …

LISTEN TO LAWRENCE Dear clients and friends, FDIC PART 8: CERTAIN RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS This LISTEN TO LAWRENCE installment introduces the fifth category of separate FDIC insurance, CERTAIN RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS at an insured bank. Remember, this insurance is in addition to the insurance you get from each of the other categories …

Dear clients and friends, During the height of the pandemic when our physical office was closed, I was running my legal practice from Tucson, Arizona. Hey, why not? While I was there, I visited Robert Fleming, a nationally known Elder Law attorney and partner of Fleming and Curti, PLC. I …