PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Elder Law

We take a holistic approach to working with seniors and their families from estate planning to long term care. You need a team of professionals that can address your legal, medical, financial, social and family concerns. Let us help create a plan for you and ensure you are connected to those individuals who can help you with each step.

The elder law attorneys at Morneau Law recognize that it can be hard to plan for the unknown future, but we are here to guide you and your family through planning for the possibilities that age and health care issues can bring about. Whether you are at the right age to start considering Long-Term Care Insurance and start your journey in Healthcare Planning, or at the point where it is time to consider entering a nursing home, we take a comprehensive look at you or your loved one to determine a complete plan. We can also review any current Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Living Will or Trust documents you may already have to see if you need an update.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Wills

Everyone should have a properly executed Will in order to ensure that your final wishes are respected. Having a Will allows you to protect the people you care about from having to go through a long, expensive court process to distribute your assets. If you do not have a Will in place, the government will decide how your assets are distributed.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Trusts

A Revocable or Irrevocable trust is an invaluable estate planning tool which allows you to provide for your loved ones without the costly and complicated probate process. Additionally, Trusts help you to accomplish comprehensive asset management that benefits the people you care about most, but can be especially helpful during your lifetime should you become incapacitated. Trusts are also beneficial for complicated planning needs that involve minors and the need for guardianship. Many people assume trusts are only for people with large estates for tax avoidance purposes, but that is only one of the many reasons to employ a trust.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Matters

Having a Durable Power of Attorney for Financial Matters in place will allow a person of your choosing to manage your financial responsibilities. In the event that you become disabled or incapacitated, this document empowers your designated agent to step in and take care of your financial affairs. It is essential to understand how the Durable Power of Attorney works prior to executing a document of this significance. It is important to have these estate planning documents in place to protect your family from having to take emergency steps through the court system later.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Healthcare Durable Power of Attorney

Having a Healthcare Durable Power of Attorney in place will allow you to select a person of your choosing to make any and all healthcare decisions for you when you lack the capacity to make health care decisions for yourself. We often recommend having both a Healthcare Durable Power of Attorney and a Living Will in place as part of an estate plan.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Living Wills

A Living Will allows you to direct whether or not you wish life-sustaining treatment to be initialized when you are unable to speak for yourself under certain medical circumstances. Your Living Will also designates whether you want medically administered nutrition and hydration. By providing your wishes in advance, your family will not have to make these difficult decisions for you later.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Medicaid Planning

Should you or a loved one be considering the necessity of nursing home care, one of the many important considerations will be how to cover the cost of such care. If you are not sure if you qualify for Medicaid, it is important to speak with a professional who can help you decide whether or not to pursue Medicaid for the purposes of long term nursing home care.

When you come in to meet with us we will help you determine whether or not you or your loved one would be eligible for Medicaid, and if so we will also guide you through the process of the application, requesting a resource assessment, assistance with the interview process, and if necessary we can help you through the appeal process.

PRACTICE CONCENTRATION

Estate Administration

Should you be in the unfortunate position of losing a loved one and need to deal with the complicated process of settling the estate we can help you to navigate the probate system. In the event of an individual’s death certain protocols must be followed in a timely fashion, so do not hesitate to set up an appointment to meet with us as soon as possible.