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My mother recently passed away. She had two children, myself and my sister. Prior to her death, she had named my sister as agent under her power of attorney. My mother’s will treats both of us equally. I found out that a month before her death my sister used the power of attorney to change the beneficiary on my mother’s bank account to just herself. Was she allowed to do this?

Gifting and Medicaid planning is commonly misunderstood. We often see clients who believe that the gifting rules for Medicaid are the same as the IRS gifting regulations.

My mother has been in a rehabilitation facility for the last 6 weeks and will be discharged any day now. She is unable to care for herself and we desperately need help at home. I want to apply for Medicaid to help pay for the care, but I heard this can take months. Is there a way to get the care in place faster?

My sister wants me to sign a document that allows her to probate my mother’s will. The problem is that the will favors my sister, and I think the circumstances around the will are suspect. Is there a way I can get more information about the will signing?

Question: I have created a Medicaid Qualifying Irrevocable Trust and I am attempting to transfer my home to my trust. The bank which holds my mortgage has advised that they do not allow transfers to Irrevocable Trusts. Can they prevent me from protecting my house? What can they do?

Inheritance is the practice of passing property upon the death of a decedent. The rules of inheritance differ from state to state.

When someone enters a nursing facility, an application for Chronic Medicaid may be appropriate. The average cost of a nursing facility on Long Island is $15,000.00 per month. This type of cost would exhaust assets very quickly in most cases. Chronic Medicaid is the program that covers nursing home care.

The National Center on Elder Abuse defines financial exploitation, also known as financial abuse, as the “illegal, unauthorized or improper use of an older person’s resources for monetary or personal benefit, profit or gain, or that results in depriving an older person of rightful access to, or use of, benefits, resources, belongings, or assets.”

Question: I’m currently enrolled in a Medicare Advantage Plan and was told that I should switch to traditional Medicare, I am getting overwhelmed with all of the choices and options.

Question: My sister is the Executor of my mother’s estate. She had three children and we all share the estate equally. My sister sent me a Receipt and Release Agreement proposing a distribution to me of $50,000.00. I want the money, but I don’t feel comfortable signing the Receipt and Release. What should I do?