When a loved one needs long-term care, families often begin searching for help with Medicaid. During that search, you’ll likely come across two options: Medicaid planners and elder law attorneys.
While the services may sound similar, they are not the same. Understanding the difference could save your family significant time, money, and stress.
What Does a Medicaid Planner Do?
A Medicaid planner is generally someone who helps families organize financial information and navigate process submitting and application for Medicaid. Many are knowledgeable about Medicaid’s financial limits and can assist with gathering documents and completing paperwork.
However, it’s important to understand that Medicaid planners are not attorneys, which means they cannot help you become eligible, provide legal advice, or implement legal strategies designed to protect your assets. If a non-attorney recommends strategies to become eligible, drafts legal documents, or advises you on legal rights and obligations, they are engaging in the unauthorized practice of law, which is a felony.
What Can an Elder Law Attorney Do?
An elder law attorney does much more than just submitting paperwork. We can evaluate your unique legal and financial circumstances and recommend strategies that comply with Florida law while helping protect your family’s assets.
Depending on your situation, Family First Firm can help you implement planning tools like trusts, prepare deeds and other real estate documents, draft powers of attorney and advance directives, and advise on asset protection strategies that comply with Medicaid rules. In addition, our attorneys can represent you if legal issues arise during the planning and qualification process, and coordinate estate planning with Medicaid planning so your entire plan works together.
These are legal services that non-attorneys simply cannot provide.
The Hidden Cost of Choosing Based on Price
One of the biggest reasons families choose a Medicaid planner is cost. On the surface, a planner may appear less expensive than hiring an elder law attorney. However, the initial price tag doesn’t always represent the total cost.
If your situation ultimately requires legal strategies, which many do, you may ultimately have to start over, re-submit documents, and correct mistakes, which will delay your loved one’s Medicaid approval; something far more costly than the savings you’d bank going with the less expensive initial cost.
In long-term care, delays can be incredibly expensive. Every month without Medicaid approval could mean paying thousands of dollars out of pocket for nursing home, assisted living, or memory care costs.
Oversight Matters
Another important difference is accountability.
Florida elder law attorneys are licensed by the State of Florida and are regulated by the Florida Bar. They must follow strict ethical rules, maintain continuing legal education, and are subject to professional discipline if they fail to meet those standards.
Medicaid planners are not regulated by the Florida Bar… or anyone else… because they are not attorneys. Without professional oversight, you lose out on the protections that come along with attorney-client representation.
Family First Firm- The Smart Investment
Applying for Medicaid involves more than filling out a form; the process to protect a lifetime of savings, preserve options for a spouse or family members, and to ensure your legal documents work together when you need them most, deserves expert guidance.
At Family First Firm, we don’t just help clients qualify for Medicaid; we help them protect what they’ve worked a lifetime to build while creating a plan that supports their family’s future.
If you have questions about Medicaid eligibility or want to understand your options before making costly decisions, schedule a consultation with our team. We’re here to help you make informed choices with confidence.