Category Archives: walnut creek

What assets can you keep when qualifying for Medi-Cal?

What assets can you keep when qualifying for Medi-Cal? Your Home: Your home is generally exempt, or not counted, in determining eligibility for Medi-Cal. The Medi-Cal applicant, or their representative, must express an intent to return home. This is confirmed on the Medi-Cal application. It is also confirmed when you execute your estate planning documents […]

Treatment of The Home With Reverse Mortgages By Medi-Cal

Under the Medi-Cal regulations, it is fairly easy for us to establish the home as an “exempt asset” for qualification for Medi-Cal. The usual way is to confirm “an intent to return home” by the Medi-Cal applicant. The next task is to protect the home from a Medi-Cal lien if you pass away after having […]

Special Needs Trusts For Children

A number of our clients have “special needs” children who are presently receiving public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income and Medi-Cal. Other clients have “special needs” children who may need public benefits later in life. These public benefit programs have asset limits. Many times the children who are receiving public benefits become settled in […]

IRAs and Medi-Cal Qualification

The Medi-Cal applicant can have any amount of IRAs that are in his name, and still qualify for Medi-Cal. For instance, the applicant could have $200,000 or more in his name in IRAs, and still be eligible for Medi-Cal. IRAs and work related pension funds are also exempt from Medi-Cal qualification. The only requirement is […]

Medi-Cal and Life Insurance

An individual can have any amount of Term Life Insurance, and still qualify for Medi-Cal. Term life insurance has been defined as life insurance that pays a benefit in the event of the death of the insured. So if you have a life insurance policy that pays $10,000 upon your death to your son for instance, that […]

I Thought My Revocable Living Trust Protected My Assets from Medi-Cal

Many people who call our office are under the belief that because they have a revocable living trust, that their assets are exempt from Medi-Cal qualification. They also believe that their revocable living trust protects their assets from a Medi-Cal lien from recovery to the State after they die. Both notions are incorrect. When qualifying […]

Baby Boomers Predict The Future!

Baby Boomers Predict The Future! Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to predict the future for us Baby Boomers, and start planning for it! But we do know certain things about our future …  On average, 10,000 people are turning age 65 every day. It is predicted that at least 70% of people over […]

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 […]