“Medicaid and VA Benefit Consulting with Compassionate Guidance and Expertise”
Ralph S. Robbins, CFP
Hello and Welcome. Paying for long-term care, whether it be in a nursing home, an assisted living facility or at home, is one of the greatest financial challenges a family can face.
For almost 20 years I have been helping families like yours coordinate their personal resources with public benefits (Medicare, Medicaid, Veteran benefits) to finance long-term care.
Paying for long-term care is a primarily a financial problem with perhaps some legal issues; not a legal problem with some potential financial questions.
What I have discovered is that before you need an attorney, you NEED A PLAN.
With the knowledge and technical expertise I provide you may save literally thousands of dollars in professional fees versus retaining an elder law attorney.
Make no mistake, where legal counsel is required it is a must that you seek a competent lawyer familiar with elder law matters. In those instances, it will be my privilege to refer you to a cadre of excellent attorneys who bill my clients a fraction of the fee charged by most elder law attorneys.
Pay a lawyer for lawyering, let me do the rest.
What is Elder Care Financial Planning?
Most financial planning is broadly oriented towards the accumulation, protection, and distribution of assets with an emphasis on retirement as the goal.
Elder Care Financial Planning takes the recognized tenets of financial planning principles and applies them specifically to the matter of paying for long-term care and related financial issues.
The Board that governs Certified Financial Planners® (the “CFP Board”) defines the five steps of the planning process as follows:
- Gathering data and establishing goals.
- Analyzing and evaluating the current financial status.
- Developing recommendations and/or alternatives.
- Implementing the recommendations.
- Monitoring the recommendations.
Under Standards of Professional Conduct, the Board provides that the following basic subject matters typically be addressed in the planning process:
- Financial statement preparation and analysis (including cash flow, planning, and budgeting).
- Retirement planning and public benefits.
- Estate planning.
- Risk management and insurance.
- Income tax planning.
What this means is that during the planning process you can expect that your specific issues will be addressed including:
- What is the most appropriate venue for care? Should we be looking at Adult Day Care, extended Home Care, Assisted Living Facilities, Adult Family Homes or is it time for a Nursing Home? Is there a combination of solutions? How much will all of this cost? What assistance is available to pay for it? (What is the plan, what is the goal?).
- What will our budget look like? Will we have the funds to provide everything our loved one(s) will need? How should money be positioned? Will money run out? When? Then what? (Analyzing the current situation).
- What about other resources and public benefit programs? What do Medicare, Hospice, Florida Medicaid and non-Medicaid related State programs or community-based free programs provide? What are the requirements to receive these benefits? (Developing recommendations/alternatives).
- What Veteran benefit programs are available? How do they coordinate with other benefit programs? What is the difference between the VHA and VBA and what is available from each? How do we apply for them? (Implementation).
- What happens when the person receiving benefits passes away (or the spouse predeceases)? Can the State look to the estate for compensation? Which assets can they seek, which can they not? Is the home protected? (Monitoring recommendations).
With over 20 years of experience assisting elders with long-term care issues, Mr. Robbins has an extensive network of professionals to assist you in every aspect of executing your family’s Elder Care Financial Plan.
Mr. Robbins can complete, file, and monitor your loved one’s application for Florida Medicaid benefits. He is also serves as an Accredited VA Claims Agent. Most importantly, however, you will have peace of mind knowing the most important questions have been addressed by a trusted advisor.
*The information found on this website is gleaned from readily available public sources and is for educational purposes only. It is NOT to be considered financial or legal advice. Consult with an appropriate professional before making important financial or legal decisions.