When hiring a caregiver, it is important to put the contract in writing. Courts can be especially strict about requiring contracts when caregivers are relatives, but a formal agreement is still necessary even if the caregiver is not a relative. A recent Michigan court ruling illustrates how failing to document an agreement with a non-relative caregiver
By Dionysios Pappas, Vasiliadis Pappas Associates LLC Introduction VA Pension benefits are “nonservice connected” disability benefits that provide a monthly tax-free income to eligible wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. A married veteran can receive up to $2,169/month, a single veteran up to $1,830, and a surviving spouse up to $1,176. Pension benefits are particularly
As long-term care insurance premiums rise and fewer companies offer policies, alternatives to traditional long-term care insurance policies are springing up. Previously, we wrote about annuity “doublers” that help pay for long-term care. Another increasingly popular hybrid product combines life insurance with long-term care coverage and offers buyers solutions to a number of problems that have kept people from
When long-term care insurance first became available, there were few customers. The product was full of holes, untested, and overpriced. Not surprisingly people took a wait-and-see attitude, mainly because it took a while for most people to even become familiar with the need for this type of protection. Fortunately, insurers have responded with significant product
Long-term care costs can add up quickly. For veterans and the surviving spouses of veterans who need in-home care or are in a nursing home, help may be available. The Veterans Administration (VA) has an underused pension benefit called Aid and Attendance that provides money to those who need assistance performing everyday tasks. Even veterans
Do you have the right Medicare plan? It is fall, which means it is time to think about whether your current plan is still giving you the best coverage or whether a new plan could save you money or offer better coverage. Medicare's Open Enrollment Period, during which you can freely enroll in or switch
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has finalized new rules that make it more difficult to qualify for long-term care benefits. The rules establish an asset limit, a look-back period, and asset transfer penalties for claimants applying for VA pension benefits that require a showing of financial need. The principal such benefit for those needing
While the new tax law doubles the federal estate tax exemption, meaning the vast majority of estates will not have to pay any federal estate tax, it doesn't mean you should ignore its impact on your estate plan. In December 2017, Republicans in Congress and President Trump doubled the federal estate tax exemption to $11.18 million
Q: My wife may need to go into a nursing home and apply for Medicaid in a little more than five years. She has $930 a month in Social Security and no other income. She does have term life insurance policies of $180,000. I have a pension of $3,500 a month, income through work of $100,000
By Judith Graham “Don’t resuscitate this patient; he has a living will,” the nurse told the doctor, Monica Williams-Murphy, handing her a document. Williams-Murphy looked at the sheet bearing the signature of the unconscious 78-year-old man, who had been rushed from a nursing home to the emergency room. “Do everything possible,” it read, with a check
