How We Can Help

If you or a loved one are in a nursing home or assisted living facility now, and you haven’t done any asset protection planning: 

Don’t panic.
There are almost always options to protect your savings, home or farm, even if you are already in a nursing home or assisted living facility.

Take action.
While it is true that giving away money or property to your family members or others can disqualify you for Medicaid benefits, it is still possible to make those gifts, as long as they are part of a comprehensive asset protection plan developed by a long-term care planning attorney.  And, the sooner you start the process, the more flexibility and options you will have.

Know that spouses get special consideration.  
When one spouse is in the nursing home and the other is at home (the “community spouse”), most benefit programs, such as Medicaid, have special rules aimed at maintaining a certain standard of living for that a community spouse.  We can help you understand – and maximize – the assets that a community spouse can protect.

Start preparing now.
To properly analyze your options for long-term care planning, it’s important to have an accurate list of your assets and income.  And, a Medicaid or Veteran’s benefit application will require documentation of all you own.  For a list of items you can begin to gather, click here to view our Medicaid checklist.

To learn more about protecting assets when you are already in a long-term care facility,  call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

We help you plan now to protect your savings, home or farm from long-term care expenses.  We explain the options for asset protection so you can choose the one that best fits with your goals and your comfort level.  Most people know there is a look-back period (currently, it’s five years).  But, many people don’t know how to adapt their planning accordingly.  We can help you plan now, while you don’t need long-term care, so that your assets are protected later, if you do.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment to discuss advance nursing home planning, call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

An updated will, financial power of attorney and health care power of attorney are the three documents we want all of our estate planning clients to have.  They are the starting point for all estate planning.  If you don’t have these documents, this is the place to start.  If you already have documents in place, it’s important to keep them updated.

For more information about how to get basic estate planning documents in place, or to update what you already have, please call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

And, if you are under age 50, we have special estate planning documents just for you, with special pricing.  Our Age-Based Estate Planning lets you get these documents in place at a price that is based on your age.  The younger you are, the less you pay.  Ask our office about our Age-Based Estate Planning or click here for more information.

Click Here to Learn About Our Basic Estate Planning Process

Trusts are powerful, useful tools in an estate plan, but a trust may not be right for every client.  Revocable, irrevocable, special needs and qualified income trusts all play a part in a comprehensive estate plan.   Trusts can be an efficient, private, cost-effective and flexible way to administer your estate during your lifetime and distribute to your beneficiaries upon your death, while also avoiding probate.

We’ll evaluate your situation to determine if a trust is an option for your estate plan.  We will explain how trusts work in clear, concise terms so you can make an informed decision about what plan is right for you.

To learn more about trusts and how they might benefit your estate plan, please call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

We can help you to navigate the complicated process of buying, selling or leasing real property.  We prepare purchase agreements, easements, leases and land contracts.  Through our title agency, Professional Title Services, LLC, we offer a full range of escrow, title  and closing services, including title insurance policies.

For more information about our real estate services, please call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

Whether you are looking to set up an LLC, form an C-corporation, S-corporation, partnership or other type of business, we can help you get your business properly established.  For existing businesses, we can help you with transactions, contracts, sales of assets, and organization of your business records.

For more information, please call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.

If you have a family member or loved one who has special needs, you need to take extra care with your estate plan and to ensure that  your loved one will maintain public benefits eligibility while also getting the financial and other support they may need.

We help families plan their estates with careful consideration of the special needs or disabled family member’s circumstances.

For more information about how we can help you plan for your specials needs family member, please call Dell Burtis Law at 419.447.6181 or email us at info@dellburtis.com.