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IMPORTANT: All Medical Assistance (MA) Recipients Must Submit a Renewal to Keep Benefits - See "MA Renewals" Below ↓

Long-Term Care (LTC) Planning & Special Needs Planning

In addition to performing estate planning with a concentration on planning for seniors and people with disabilities, another fundamental part of our practice at NWLG is long-term care (LTC) and special needs planning.

Clients often come to us because they (or a child of theirs) have been diagnosed with an illness or have a catastrophic injury that will require Long-Term Supports and Services (LTSS). These LTC services (sometimes called “custodial long-term care”) assist with the tasks of daily living – bathing, eating, transferring, mobility, toileting, etc.

The cost of LTSS/custodial LTC is not covered by most health care plans, including Medicare. Therefore, the goals of long-term care planning are to:

  • Preserve a client’s assets to the extent possible
  • Achieve or maintain the client’s chosen living situation
  • Secure government benefits to pay for LTSS, when appropriate

Some government programs cover the costs of LTSS—at home, in an assisted living facility, or in a nursing home—but only in specific situations. We know when, and how, to access these public programs in Minnesota, which include, but are not limited to:

  • Medicare
  • Medical Assistance (MA)
  • Elderly Waiver (EW)
  • CADI Waiver (CADI)
  • Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD)
  • Veterans’ Benefits
    • Minnesota Veterans Homes

As with estate planning, creating trusts is sometimes part of LTC planning. Specifically, drafting special needs trusts and supplemental needs trusts are often core parts of long-term care planning for people who are aging and living with chronic illness, for children of our clients, and/or for folks living with disabilities.

We specialize in drafting and—just as importantly—in administering trusts properly. Your special needs planning attorney should be able to do both.

Contact Us to speak to attorneys who are experienced in developing long-term care plans to fit our clients' specific needs.

(See the right-hand sidebar for more information about Northwoods Law Group’s other practice areas.)


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