Elder Law Attorney NYC

Dedicated Elder Law Attorneys Assist Clients With The Creation of Their Will, Estate Planning, and More In Queens, Nassau, Brooklyn, and Throughout New York City

Elder Law is a particular specialty focused on planning for the care and protection of the elderly. It is a term used to cover several subsets of legal practice: the creation of a will, estate planning, the legal management of benefits & annuities (as well as their appropriate protections), and more. Seniors have unique legal needs that are best served by an experienced lawyer. A qualified Elder Law Attorney in NYC at The Law Offices of Frank Bruno Jr. can assist you with a wide variety of these legal matters. We have extensive experience in this field and provide clients with comprehensive legal representation.

Areas, Fields and Specialties An Experienced Elder Law Attorney NYC Can Help You With

While many traditionally view these matters as simple planning for their future for the benefit of their loved ones, Elder Law is a rapidly growing field of practice because it can provide necessary protections for one’s own care as one advances in age. It is more than a matter of simply preparing for the end, but also preparing for the care that may be required in advance of that.

While the terminology of ‘Elder Law’ may sound daunting, it amounts to attorney Frank Bruno acting to advise, assist, and counsel our clients. The focus of Elder Law is on the client’s needs as they change and evolve with age. The legal services involved can come in a variety of forms: predicting and planning for long-term care, assisting in the creation and appointment of a fiduciary or Power of Attorney, advising of potential public or private resources to assist in covering projected costs, and protecting & preserving the interests and care of our clients.

The immediate question that springs to mind for many, though, would be what planning they would require apart from a standard will. Well – increasing numbers of Americans are requiring additional care to perform the activities of daily living. In fact, from a recent document released from the AARP in March of 2017, an estimated “60% (7 million) of adults needing help with everyday activities were 65 or older.”

There are now 40 million Americans 65 or older and it is projected that number will grow to 80 million by 2040. The reality is that estate planning and preparation for long-term care are growing necessities for Americans, and the Law Offices of Frank Bruno, Jr. stands ready to serve our clients by planning for their golden years. If you are in need of assistance or help, we are ready to guide you through the process. With experienced and caring attorneys and staff, we have put together a recognized system and one that makes a tremendous difference in people’s lives.

To learn more and to see if our Elder Law services are right for you, set an initial consultation. When you call the office, you will be told what to expect and you will then shortly receive more information in the mail in advance of your meeting.

Legal Services We Provide In Elder Law Cases Across NY

Legal problems that affect the elderly and the elderly themselves are growing in number. Laws and regulations are becoming more complex. An attorney dealing with the elderly must have a broad understanding of the laws that have an impact on the aging population to avoid pitfalls. Instances of areas of concern for the elder law client:

• Preservation/transfer of assets seeking to avoid spousal impoverishment when a spouse enters a nursing home
• Medicaid
• Medicare claims and appeals
• Social security and disability claims and appeals
• Supplemental and long term health insurance issues.
• Disability planning, including use of durable powers of attorney, living trusts, “living wills,” for financial management and health care decisions, and other means of delegating management and decision-making to another in case of incompetency or incapacity.
• Guardianships
• Estate planning, including planning for the management of one’s estate during life and its disposition on death through the use of trusts, wills and other planning documents
• Probate
• Administration and management of trusts and estates
• Long-term care placements in nursing home and life care communities
• Nursing home issues including questions of patients’ rights and nursing home quality
• Elder abuse and fraud recovery cases
• Housing issues, including discrimination and home equity conversions
• Age discrimination in employment
• Retirement, including public and private retirement benefits, survivor benefits and pension benefits
• Health law
• Mental health law

Most Elder Law Attorneys Do Not Specialize in Every One of These Areas

So when an attorney says he/she practices Elder Law, find out which of these matters he/she handles. You will want to hire an attorney who regularly handles matters in the area of concern for your specific facts and who will know enough about the other fields to question whether the action being taken might be affected by laws in any of the other areas of law on the list.

For example, if you are going to rewrite your will and your spouse is ill, the estate planner needs to know enough about Medicaid to know whether it is an issue with regard to your spouse’s inheritance.
An elder law attorney brings a level of empathy and concern to the case that is more than just the law and the Courts. We deal with people and their problems.

Before Your First Elder Law Appointment

The Three P’s Of Estate Planning

#1 – PEOPLE

Who are the Important People in your life? Beginning with yourself, they also likely include your loved ones: your spouse if you are married, children and grandchildren if you have any, perhaps your parents, siblings or other relatives. Beyond these, however, “Important People” also could include charities, special causes, colleges or universities, or churches to which you are committed. For some, “Important People” could even include pets. Spend some time thinking about the impact others have had on your life.

Make a list and jot notes if you like. This is where the planning process truly begins.

#2 – PROPERTY

By Property we mean your assets in general. Make a list of the assets you own or control. At this point, you do not need to identify insurance policy numbers and exact dollar values. Rather think through your assets in terms of their nature (cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.); their value in thousands of dollars; and your ownership interest: Do you own assets in your name only, in joint tenancy with someone else, or through a trust agreement or some other arrangement?

Be sure to include often-overlooked assets like life insurance (the death benefit, not the cash value), business interests, and any inheritance you may expect to receive.

#3 – PLANS

After identifying the Important People in your life and your Property, the next step is to consider the plans you would make for those people (including yourself) and that Property in the event of your own incapacity or death.

Who would you name to make decisions for you if you could no longer do so yourself? Would the same person handle your finances and your personal and health care decisions? Who would care for your minor children? How would you distribute your assets to your heirs? Would you prefer to spare your heirs the potential cost and hassles of the probate process? Would you like to minimize the impact of estate taxes … or maximize the impact of a charitable bequest? Is there someone in your family with special needs for whom you would like to provide? Is there someone who perhaps should not receive a great deal of (or any) money without some outside oversight?

These are just a few of the issues to consider when approaching the planning process. They are much more important than the “treasure hunt” for legal documents at this stage.

Contact A Dedicated Elder Law Attorney NYC At The Law Offices of Frank Bruno Jr. For A Confidential Consultation Today

At The Law Offices of Frank Bruno Jr., our dedicated team of Elder Law attorneys help clients plan for both the inevitable and the unexpected. If you are a senior in NY, we can help you prepare for your future and the future of your family. Having served clients across New York and NYC since 1997, our strength comes from our experience. Contact us today for a confidential consultation about your elder law case and find out more about your legal rights and optinios.