What is Elder Law?

What is Elder Law?

We are often asked What is elder law? While the definition of “elderly” is the subject of some debate, the most common defining point is someone who is 65 years or older, as that is when federal Medicare benefits begin. Elder Law, much like “Family Law” or “Employment Law” is an umbrella term for a broad-based area of law.  For Elder Law attorneys, this consists of multiple areas of practice that relate to older adults, individuals with disabilities, and those who care for seniors and disabled individuals, including:

  • Health Care and Legal Capacity
  • Public Benefits (e.g. Medicaid and SSI)
  • Special Needs Trusts
  • Long Term Care
  • Asset Protection and Nursing Home Planning
  • Wills, Trusts, and Powers of Attorney
  • Probate and Trust Settlements
  • Guardianship and Conservatorship

The term Elder Law can be somewhat confusing because most Elder Law Attorneys also focus on solving legal problems for individuals with special needs, regardless of age.

The National Elder Law Foundation (NELF) defines Elder Law as follows:

“Elder Law” is the legal practice of counseling and representing older persons and persons with special needs, and their representatives about the legal aspects of health and long-term care planning, public benefits, surrogate decision-making, legal capacity, the conservation, disposition and administration of estates and the implementation of their decisions concerning such matters, giving due consideration to the applicable tax consequences of the action, or the need for more sophisticated tax expertise.”

NELF is the American Bar Association-approved agency that certifies attorneys as a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA). There are less than 15 CELAs in the state of Wisconsin. To become a CELA one must have enhanced knowledge, skills, experience, and proficiency in the field of elder law. The attorney must complete an exam and be certified by the National Elder Law Foundation Board. Attorneys must complete 75 hours of continuing education in the elder law field every five years.

If you or a family member require an elder law or special needs law attorney please contact our office.

 

Guardianship Training is Now Required

Guardianship Training is Now Required

As of January 1, 2023, Wisconsin law requires all new individual guardians to complete a state-approved training course. Prior to this year, Wisconsin only required corporate guardians to have formal training. Now every individual who is nominated to be the guardian of a person or of the estate (the assets and finances of the person) must complete training on a variety of topics, and submit a sworn, notarized affidavit attesting that the training has been completed before they can be appointed guardian.

Wis. Stat. § 54.26 sets forth the required areas of training, including the following:

  • The duties and required responsibilities of a guardian under the law and limits of a guardian’s decision-making authority.
  • Alternatives to guardianship, including supported decision-making agreements and
    powers of attorney.
  • Rights retained by a ward.
  • Best practices for a guardian to solicit and understand the wishes and preferences of a ward, involving a ward in decision making, and taking a ward’s wishes and preferences into account in decisions made by the guardian.
  • Restoration of a ward’s rights and the process for removal of guardianship.
  • Future planning and identification of a potential standby or successor guardian.
  • Resources and technical support for guardians.

In most cases, it is a family member who is petitioning for guardianship of a loved one, and they often have misconceptions about what guardianship is or is not. Many are not aware of the responsibilities that they will have as guardian, or that there are a number of ongoing administrative requirements they will be required to complete. The court system is not equipped to provide guidance and advice to guardians on an ongoing basis, which can leave guardians feeling overwhelmed and lacking support. Training for guardians can be vital in helping guardians know what to expect and how to address concerns as they navigate their ongoing role as guardian.

The training must be completed no later than four days (96 hours) before the final guardianship hearing, and must be completed by the nominated guardian of person or estate, as well as any standby or successor guardians of person or estate. The training is free and available as a self-paced, online course. https://www.uwgb.edu/guardianship-training/

If you have questions on guardianships or the required training please reach out to one of our experienced attorneys.

Protecting Retirement Accounts for Spouses Who Need Long Term Care

Protecting Retirement Accounts for Spouses Who Need Long Term Care

Given the rapidly increasing cost of long-term care in a nursing home or assisted living facility, many couples inquire about how to protect their assets from being consumed by such costs, particularly their retirement accounts which often account for the majority of their wealth. While the Medicaid program is designed to provide payment for long term care costs for those who cannot afford the monthly cost, it is only available to those who qualify financially. A major determining factor for Medicaid eligibility is the amount of resources (assets) that are available to pay for care. An applicant for Medicaid cannot qualify for assistance if they possess excess assets, including the value of their retirement accounts. The Medicaid program also looks at the assets of the spouse in determining whether the applicant qualifies for assistance.

For married couples, the spouse who needs long term care (the “institutionalized spouse”) can only have $2,000. The spouse who does not need long-term care (the “community spouse”) can have the residence, vehicle, personal property and their own retirement accounts. They can also have a community spouse resource allowance that is based on the total countable assets that the couple has at the time of applying for Medicaid (between a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $130,380). Although the community spouse’s retirement accounts are not counted, all retirement accounts of the institutionalized spouse are counted in determining the asset limit. This can be very problematic when the institutionalized spouse has larger retirement accounts than the community spouse. Normally, the institutionalized spouse cannot just transfer their retirement accounts to their spouse without triggering income tax on the entire amount transferred.

The exception is a transfer of a “qualified” retirement asset that is divided by a Qualified Domestic Relations Order (QDRO). Qualified plans include: 401(k) plans, profit sharing plans, pensions, 403(B) plans and some forms of Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRAs. QDRO’s are typically thought of as a mechanism to divide assets when a couple divorces; however, if the retirement account is held in a “qualified plan” it can be divided by a QDRO without having to go through a divorce. Although a court order is required, it can be obtained in an action in family court for property division of a married couple, or through a guardianship action for transfer of the ward’s assets to a spouse, and no divorce action is required. Whether to bring the action in family action or a guardianship action will vary depending upon the circumstances, but either will accomplish obtaining the necessary court order.  Importantly, if the retirement account is an IRA, then a legal separation action must be filed in family court. Federal law provides that non-qualified retirement assets that are transferred from one spouse to another are not taxed if “transferred under a divorce or legal separation instrument.”

The benefits of the transfer of retirement accounts are numerous. Once a retirement account is transferred, the community spouse will become the owner of the qualified plan, without triggering any tax. The account will be considered an exempt retirement asset of the community spouse and will not interfere with the institutionalized spouse’s eligibility for Medicaid. Furthermore, any income received from the retirement account will not be considered available to pay the institutionalized spouse’s care costs and will not be available for estate recovery.

Although the transfer of a retirement account can be accomplished at the time one spouse needs care, it is important to think about advanced planning so that if retirement accounts need to be transferred pursuant to legal action, you have given each other the authority to do so under your durable general powers of attorney or other documents in case the institutionalized spouse is unable to sign the documents necessary to participate in the planning. Consult with a qualified elder law attorney who can be sure that you have the necessary documents in place for this important advanced planning.

 

What is Elder Law?

#FreeBritney. How is Conservatorship Supposed to Work?

The recent media attention to pop star, Britney Spears’ conservatorship has painted a dismal picture of arrangements whereby a court-appointed individual has authority to control various aspects of another individual’s finances and personal decisions. Public opinion has been harshly critical of the long-running conservatorship, fueled by Spears’ claims that her conservators are not just overstepping their authority, but that they are abusive and exploitive.

Spears’ pleas to end her conservatorship have caught the attention of not only her fans and the Hollywood elite, but of legal and mental health professionals who are interested in legislative reform to conservatorship arrangements. Conservatorships (called “guardianships” in Wisconsin) are meant to protect vulnerable individuals by placing their decision-making rights in someone else’s hands. If the decision-making authority is in the hands of someone who is abusive or exploitive, an individual under conservatorship is particularly unable to defend themselves given their incapacities. This is where court oversight becomes a necessity.

Importantly, as with most areas of the law, the legal rules differ from state to state. In Wisconsin, there are two arrangements whereby a court-appointed individual controls another person’s finances or their personal/health care. The first arrangement is called “guardianship,” which is an involuntary appointment of a responsible person (called the guardian) for someone who the court has determined cannot care for himself or herself, or who cannot manage his or her own finances (called the ward). The court can appoint a guardian of estate (finances) or a guardian of person, or both. The second arrangement, called “conservatorship” is a voluntary arrangement whereby an individual (called the conservatee) asks the court to appoint a conservator to handle their finances. The voluntary conservatorship can be terminated by the conservatee at any time upon request. In many states, including California where the Spears case is being addressed, a conservatorship is an involuntary procedure.

Guardianship and conservatorships are often used for people who have severe cognitive impairment that renders them substantially incapable of receiving and evaluating information necessary to make appropriate financial, personal and health care decisions. The impairment may be the result of conditions such as dementia, developmental disabilities, mental illness or brain injuries, for instance.

In Wisconsin, guardianship is considered an extreme step used as a last resort and when there are no other less restrictive options. A ward has the right to their own attorney, the right to present medical evidence that their incapacities are not sufficient to require guardianship, and a say in who becomes their guardian. In addition, the court is required to appoint an independent attorney, called a Guardian ad Litem, whose role is to evaluate whether guardianship is in the proposed ward’s best interests.

Wisconsin’s guardianship laws have already been reformed to provide that a ward’s rights are only removed if absolutely necessary. A ward should retain the right to make all decisions he or she is capable of making with appropriate supports in place. The authority of a guardian in Wisconsin only extends to those areas of functioning that a person cannot manage on their own (or on their own with support). It is not intended to be used to protect someone from making “bad” decisions. The court is required to evaluate whether a ward should lose their right to take part in all areas of decision making, or whether the ward should retain rights in certain areas.

Ending a guardianship can be difficult if the ward cannot demonstrate by medical or other evidence that the condition resulting in their incapacity has improved, or that other supports have allowed appropriate functioning to resume, but the law is clear that a ward may request (petition) to end their guardianship. Further, if the law is intended to be less restrictive to the individual, it stands to reason that the conservatorship should be terminated if the individual no longer meets the standards.

In Spears’ case, it is impossible to speculate whether the conservatorship should be terminated without knowing all the facts. Persons under guardianships and conservatorships often have improved functioning in many personal and financial aspects of their lives simply because they are benefiting from assisted decision making, medication management and are free from outside exploitation. Under appropriate review and oversight, the conservatorship or guardianship should nonetheless be terminated if the standard for incapacity is no longer met. This can be a hard pill to swallow for concerned family members who believe – often correctly – that once assisted decision making is over, the dysfunctional behavior will resume.

Either way, it is important to remember that although the case of a famous pop star might bring about legislative reform, when handled properly, conservatorships and guardianships play an important role in protecting elderly, disabled and mentally ill adults from abuse, exploitation and the harm that could result from the inability to make effective decisions. If you are concerned about a loved one with impaired decision making, it is important to talk to an attorney who specializes in guardianship and conservator arrangements regarding appropriate options.

 

So, You Want to Sell Your Life Estate?

So, You Want to Sell Your Life Estate?

Many people have established a life estate in their residence to protect it if they require Medicaid benefits to pay for their long-term care.  A person establishes a life estate in their residence by signing a deed which transfers ownership to their desired recipients, but also reserves them the legal right to use and benefit from the residence for their lifetime.  Under current Medicaid rules, a life estate is considered an unavailable asset and the underlying residence is not counted in determining the life estate holder’s eligibility for the program if more than five years have passed since its creation.  Life estates created prior to August 1, 2014 are also protected from the Estate Recovery program, which is designed to recover amounts paid for Medicaid benefits from recipients’ estates following their deaths.

A common question arises if the life estate holder no longer occupies the underlying residence: can the residence now be sold?  After all, there are many expenses associated with maintaining a residence, including property taxes, insurance, utilities and maintenance.  If the life estate holder left the residence to enter a long-term care facility, then the cost of such care often means there is little income available to pay for such expenses.

Once a life estate has been established, the underlying residence can only be sold if the life estate holder and all other owners agree to the sale.  However, prior to any sale, it is important to understand the ramifications for the life estate holder’s Medicaid eligibility.  While the life estate itself is considered an unavailable asset for Medicaid purposes, the proceeds from its sale are not.  Accordingly, if a life estate holder is receiving Medicaid benefits and sells his or her life estate, the resulting sale proceeds could cause him or her to have too many assets to continue to qualify for the program.  Alternatively, if the life estate holder does not receive his or her share of the sale proceeds, then under Medicaid rules he or she will be considered to have divested them and this may also disqualify him or her from the program for a period of time.

In light of these Medicaid eligibility issues, it is often beneficial to avoid selling the residence until after the death of the life estate holder.  The owners may consider renting the residence to help cover the costs of maintaining it during such time.  However, many people do not wish to become landlords and decide to sell the residence anyway while relying on other planning options to deal with the sale proceeds, such as using them to purchase assets that do not count for Medicaid eligibility or contributing the proceeds to a Wispact special needs trust.  If the underlying residence is sold and the life estate holder is concerned about his or her eligibility for the Medicaid program, it is important to correctly value the life estate for Medicaid purposes to ensure the life estate holder receives the correct share of the proceeds.

The Medicaid program uses a standard table to value life estates based on the life estate holder’s age at the time of sale.  The value of a life estate decreases as the life estate holder ages since statistically he or she has a shorter life expectancy during which to use the underlying residence.  Accordingly, the older the life estate holder, the less valuable his or her life estate.  For example, for Medicaid purposes, the life estate of a 70 year old is worth approximately 60% of the value of the underlying residence, while an 85 year old’s life estate is only worth approximately 35%.  In the event of a sale, the life estate holder should receive a percentage of the sale proceeds that corresponds to the value of his or her life estate.  If the life estate was established more than five years prior to such sale, then the remaining sale proceeds can be divided by the other owners without penalty.

Prior to selling a residence with an outstanding life estate, it is important to understand the Medicaid ramifications of such sale.  It is also important to discuss any potential income tax ramifications.  Taking the time to consult with a knowledgeable attorney and accountant prior to the sale can help you avoid many of these potential pitfalls.

 

How to Address Family Conflicts Concerning Caregiving for Aging Parents

How to Address Family Conflicts Concerning Caregiving for Aging Parents

Having adult children provide care and support to an aging or ill parent can be very helpful, but in some cases, can be a cause of stress and family conflict.  Caregiving can bring families closer as they provide mutual support, but in some situations, the stress and pressure of caregiving leads to strained relationships.  This strain may be caused by old patterns of family dynamics involving unresolved past wounds or childhood rivalry or, in some cases, because one or more children are unable to accept the reality of the parent’s illness and eventual death.

Often, conflict is caused by an unequal division of caregiving duties. A parent will typically name one child as agent to make health care and financial decisions in the event of incapacity by completing health care and financial powers of attorney.  The parent will usually choose the person they believe to be the most responsible, the most available or the closest in proximity.  Regardless of the reason, choosing one sibling over another sometimes leads to the caregiving child feeling overburdened with shouldering all of the caregiving duties while the other siblings feel resentful, left out and sometimes suspicious of the caregiving child’s actions.  These feelings often lead to individuals seeking the advice of an elder law attorney regarding the designation of one of the children as agent in a power of attorney. The advice that is most typically sought includes: the validity of the Power of Attorney, agent decision making, financial feuds and the mistreatment of the parent(s).

Questioning the Validity of the Power of Attorney.

Since a person must be competent in order to appoint an agent under a power of attorney, accusations are often made that the parent did not understand the documents or was unduly influenced to sign a power of attorney.  If the parent truly was not competent, Adult Protective Services can step in or the power of attorney can be invalidated.   However, if the accusations are more related to the dissention between family members, the result can often entail an investigation into the agent’s actions that ultimately only results in more family tension and unnecessary legal costs on both sides.

Agent Decision Making.

If siblings do not trust the child who is named as agent, it can cause ongoing questioning of every detail related to the agent’s decisions.  Sometimes, siblings challenge legitimate decisions made by the agent child because they are not as informed or do not understand, which results in continuing resentment and exhaustion on the part of the caregiver.  If an agent is actually making questionable decisions, Wis. Stat. s. 244.16 provides for the actions of a financial agent to be reviewed by the court and Wis. Stat. s. 155.60(4) provides for the actions of the health care agent to be reviewed by the court.

Financial Feuds. 

Finances are a huge source of dissention between family members.  Using a parent’s funds to provide for long-term care will likely reduce potential inheritance, leading to discord between siblings who are not supportive of the type of care being provided.  Also, a caregiving child will sometimes request compensation for caregiving services.  Although such payments are allowed by law, the caregiver’s siblings might object to such payments.   Potential heirs can bring a legal action to review the financial conduct of an agent who has acted illegally or unethically, or petition the court for guardianship to allow for court oversight of the actions of the person in charge.

Abuse, Neglect and Financial Exploitation.

In some cases, the caregiver may be accused of elder abuse, neglect or exploiting the finances of the parent.  These concerns can be reported to Adult Protective Services.  If necessary, a concerned family member can obtain an injunction under Wis. Stat. s. 813.123, to restrain the caregiver from further abuse or financial exploitation.

While an elder law attorney can help with legal remedies for agents who are abusive or exploitative, in most cases the emotional issues are better addressed by opening the lines of communication on both sides.  The following are potential actions that the caregiver and siblings can respectively take to open the lines of communication.

For the caregiver

  • Communicate with family members. Even if you do not all get along, let everyone know what is happening with their parent, both personally and financially.
  • Initiate family meetings, even if everyone will not participate. Discuss the current health and financial status and the next steps.
  • Make a list and prioritize the types of services and support that the parent needs now and may need in the future.
  • Identify what support can be provided by the caregiver, other family members or outside services.
  • Ask for help, and delegate appropriate responsibility to willing family members.
  • Remember that as caregiver, you may end up carrying a heavier load than your siblings and some may not help at all. Having more responsibility may not feel “fair,” but the more important issue is to make sure your parent is receiving appropriate care.

For the siblings of the caregiver

  • Accept that the caregiver child has likely been chosen by the parent because of the trust your parent had in him or her, and not because your parent did not want you to act.
  • Attend family meetings and ask questions about status, next steps and services needed.
  • Be clear about what help, if any, you are willing and able to provide so that the caregiver’s expectations of you are appropriate. Caregiving can be exhausting and emotionally draining.  If you cannot take on specific responsibilities, offer to be a sounding board or a listening ear when the caregiver needs to vent.
  • Consider using outside sources to work through family issues such as mediators, counselors or social workers. A third party can be valuable in providing perspective without taking sides.

Since everyone’s situation is different, there is no solution that will work for every family in terms of dealing with caregiving and family conflict.  Open and honest communication, focused on the needs of the parent, however, can eliminate some of the tension and hard feelings, resulting in better help for the parent and better help for each other.