Wills, Probate

Trusts, Estate Planning

140 South Beach Street, Suite 310
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
(386) 257-3332

Personal Representative

Ms. Webb is very knowledgeable, helpful and honest. She provides advice and council in a way you can understand. In addition she follows through on every commitment and keeps you apprised. When we needed an attorney in Florida she was the first person we contacted and after speaking with her we knew right away we didn’t need to contact anyone else. We highly recommend her!

~ Mike D.

Our entire experience creating necessary estate documents through Heidi was only positive. She and Molly were extremely prompt with communication and her services were reasonably priced. She took the time to always thoroughly explain everything and answer my MANY questions always with a smile and the desire to make sure we were confident in how we worded things for our documents. She was happy to make changes to fit our needs and was even available to give advice regarding how to best handle my late father in law’s affairs. We really appreciate knowing that Heidi has our best interest in mind and that we have a relationship with an attorney whom we wholeheartedly trust. I’m not easy to win over in professional relationships, and I would fully recommend her to others.

~ Hannah C

Ask Heidi: What is a Medicaid Spend-down?

A Medicaid Spend-Down is a process that allows you to legally spend down your assets in such a way so that you can legitimately qualify for Medicaid.

Why Shquestionmarkould You Care?

People are living much longer than they did in previous generations.  As a result of this, we are seeing a sharp increase in people who are needing home nursing care as well as long term care.  Many families have unfortunately had to take on the financial burden of these services which can cost well north of $5,000 a month.  This additional burden has ruined families not only financially, but also emotionally.  But many can breathe a sigh of relief because help is available from the government in the form of Medicaid.

Medicaid is a government program that was created to help struggling and low income families with healthcare costs [check out last week’s blog for more on Medicaid].  It is important to understand that in order to qualify for Medicaid you must meet specific income requirements and have limited assets.  If you exceed these limits but still need to have access to Medicaid an attorney may be able to help you find ways, such as a spend-down, to legitimately qualify by reducing your available income and assets.

It is very important to seek the advice of an attorney trained in Estate Planning or Elder Law to help you navigate the process of a Medicaid Spend-Down. It must be done in accordance with the laws and guidelines currently in place of YOUR State or the consequences could have a much greater financial impact.

 

Share this…