What To Expect At An Elder Care Consultation

Joan S. Arbiter, Attorney at Law, P.C.

What you can expect at an Elder Law consultation…

When I meet with a client for a consultation it often involves several family members. Sometimes children come in on behalf of their parents, one spouse on behalf of the other and sometimes a parent concerned about a child. During the consultation I review the client’s legal documents, such as powers of attorney, wills, trusts, deeds, bank accounts and insurance polices to determine the type of ownership of real and personal property and the client’s assets and income. We discuss the family make-up and needs of those involved. I review the client’s estate plan, plan for asset protection and medical care. Emphasis is on the practical as well as the legal issues. Thorough consideration is given to each individual’s unique situation including family make-up, health needs, desires, and financial, medical and tax issues.

I work with clients, their families and financial advisors to devise strategies for asset protection and estate and Medicaid planning in order to preserve wealth, minimize tax liability and liens and avoid future problems. Various options are considered and usually a plan is devised at the consultation.

What to bring to the consultation:

A consultation will be more meaningful if you bring the following items:

• Names, addresses and ages of all family members.
• List of all assets including all types of bank accounts (joint accounts and “in trust for” accounts)
• List of all debts or liabilities
• List of all retirement accounts  (include beneficiaries)
• Deeds to all real property
• Power of Attorney
• Health Care Proxy and Living Will
• Last Will and Testament
• Trusts
• Lists of stocks and bonds
• Mortgages (including reverse mortgages)
• Life insurance policies (including names of insured, beneficiaries and cash surrender values)
• Other types of insurance policies such as long-term care policies and catastrophic health care policies
• Anything else that you think will be helpful to explain your situation

For more information or to schedule a consultation, contact me at my Melville, New York, law office today.

Joan S. Arbiter, Attorney at Law, P.C.
425 Broad Hollow Road, Suite 203
Melville, NY  11747
Phone: (631) 249-1976
Fax: (631) 777-3204

Melville, New York attorney, Joan S. Arbiter, helps families and individuals throughout Nassau County, Suffolk County, and the New York Metro Area to resolve legal issues in the areas of elder law, Medicaid planning, estate planning, probate, and real estate. Long Island communities she serves include Amityville, Commack, Dix Hills, Farmingdale, Hauppauge, Hempstead, Huntington, Babylon,  Levittown, Massapequa, Melville, Mineola, Plainview, and Woodbury.