Category Archives: Walnut Creek Elder Law

VA Aid & Attendance 2013 Pension Benefit Amounts

The 2013 Maximum Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit Rates are set forth below. This is a wonderful benefit for older wartime veterans, which can help pay for the cost of in-home care, assisted living facilities and board and care. The benefit is “non service connected”, which means that qualification is not dependent upon a wartime injury. The veteran […]

Baby Boomer Alert!

You should get your “Ducks In A Row” now. Many of us Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, have helped to take care of our elderly parents. Both of my parents are gone now, but my siblings and I helped our parents through their “Elder Care Journey,” which I talk about in my workshops. […]

Start Walking for Your Health!

People are living longer and are enjoying healthier lives for longer periods of time. George Burns, who lived to be 100 said, “I’m going to stay in show business until I’m the last one left!” I see attorney friends at the courthouse who are over 80. When I talk to them, I discover that they […]

Medi-Cal Qualification and Life Insurance

Term Life Insurance: You can have any amount of term life insurance and still qualify for Medi-Cal to help pay for your nursing home costs.  For example, lets say that you have a $100,000 term life insurance policy that provides for a distribution of $100,000 to your wife when you die. You can apply for […]

Now Is The Time To Plan For Incapacity

My mother, who was a WWII veteran and the mother of five wild boys and a composed girl, used to tell me that the only thing that she really feared in life was losing her mental capacity. When I was a younger attorney, and my parents were younger, I prepared their estate plan, which was […]

Can The State Take My Home If I Die After Having Been On Medi-Cal?

One of the most frequently asked questions I receive as an elder law attorney in Walnut Creek, CA is, “Can the State of California take my home if I die after having been on Medi-Cal?”  The state will not actually take your home. But your home, if it is in your estate when you die, […]

Getting Your Ducks In A Row Before a Crisis Occurs

You should get your ducks in a row long before a crisis occurs, especially where your health and finances are concerned. Many of our clients come to see us when a crisis is occurring. For instance, their spouse or loved one is in the hospital or has just entered a skilled nursing facility. At this […]

Can Mom Go On Hospice at Home?

Most of our clients make it well known in their long term care plans, that if they become ill, they wish to be taken care of at home for as long as possible. My parents made a pact with each other that if either of them had to go to “rehab”  as my mother called it, which […]

It Is Difficult Being The Caregiver For Your Older Loved One

Many of our older clients are being taken care of by their spouse, or by one or more of their adult children or another family member. The older person of course appreciates the help, and the caregiver feels gratified in their role. The caregiver may also feel extremely guilty if they don not help. The […]

Probates with Real Estate –

PROBATE is a court proceeding that is used to distribute your assets to your beneficiaries at the time of your death. Probates are complex, and require that numerous forms and regulations be followed, before the court will sign an order distributing your assets to your beneficiaries or heirs.  A probate with regard to your home and […]