Let LA Probate Law Help You with Elder Law
As people grow older, the problems that they face become broader. That is, their problems are not likely to be experienced by those who are younger, and they are apt to face problems in many areas. This may include issues related to retirement, financial and health issues, age discrimination, concerns about nursing homes, housing, administration of estates, and much more. This makes it necessary for an older person to talk to a lawyer who is experienced in elder law. Scott Schomer at LA Probate Law has experience in many things that are of interest to an older generation, or to those responsible to provide care for them. Whether it is providing legal counsel, or helping you to be prepared for your future through setting up nursing home care or long term care, estate planning, or health care through Medi-Cal or Medicare, my office can help you.
The Requirements of Being an Elder Law Attorney
Elder law attorneys have to be trained to understand the needs of the elderly, and to become knowledgeable of the laws that pertain to those issues. They must have specialized training, too, and be recognized by their peers to be qualified for this position, when they seek certification. Experience in working with problems associated with elder law is also required, and this means handling elder law cases for a minimum of 16 hours per week for three years prior to applying for certification. They must also have handled a minimum of 60 cases concerning elder law. This enables them to be prepared to handle your unique needs and to provide you with the solid answers you need at this stage of your life. The issues that the elderly face are often unique, which means that you want a lawyer who is trained in elder law to handle your particular issues. Scott Schomer at LA Probate Law is qualified to meet your needs and find legal solutions to your problems, and offer sound advice when needed, too. All of this training makes a certified lawyer in elder law much more qualified than one who does not have this specialized training and experience. Because elder law is such a a wide practice area, you should be aware that elder law attorneys tend to specialize in just a few of them, but other attorneys will cover other areas.
Elder Law Attorneys Help prepare for Retirement
An elder law attorney can help you to prepare for retirement. This may mean providing instruction about issues like Social Security, how to get Social Security disability, or how to get various retirement benefits available from other public and private sources. They can also help you get Medi-Cal or Medicare, and will help you if you need it if there is a dispute of some kind. You can also receive legal counsel about which plans may be better for you, whether it be a long-term care policy, or buying supplemental insurance. Other specialized issues in which an elder law attorney at LA Probate Law can help you may involve nursing homes, or elder abuse, and possibly help you with administering your estate.
Retirement Issues Are Handled by Elder Law Attorneys
When you are thinking about needing to prepare for passing on your wealth to your spouse or children, and you need estate planning advice, that is a good time to approach an attorney at LA Probate Law. There are many tools available to use to accomplish your own personal financial goals for your estate, and being prepared sooner rather than later is usually a good way to be ready. The tools you can use can enable you to reduce your taxes now and when the estate is passed on. Without good estate planning, your estate could suffer heavy losses in estate taxes when you die and everything goes through probate. The advantage of it is that you can place many of your assets into POD savings accounts, trusts, or partnerships that will put them outside of your estate and beyond the reach of estate taxes. An additional benefit of many of these tools is that it could also put them beyond the reach of creditors. If your spouse remains healthy, it could enable them to keep the house even if you must enter long term care facilities. Special trusts can help you to pass your assets to your children and retain some form of control over them. This can provide them with maintenance while they are young and possibly help them through college when they reach that age. Or, money or a home can be put into a trust when you die, and allow your spouse to benefit and enjoy them, but not allow them to pass on those assets to any previous or new children.
Contact an Elder Law Attorney about Problem Issues
Perhaps the best time to meet with an elder law attorney is before there are any indications of an illness or a reducing of mental capabilities. This will enable you to think clearly about the issues involved and still be able to understand your options for a solution. Other issues that may be related to how you are treated in a nursing home, or by relatives (elder abuse), will need to brought to the attention of an elder law lawyer as soon as the problem is identified. If the elder individual is losing memory, and would have a hard time remembering details, then the sooner you contact Scott Schomer at LA Probate Law the better.
Let LA Probate Law Help You with Elder Law
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