Medicaid Planning

September 2, 2010

Florida Constitution can protect two Florida Homes as Homestead

The Homestead Exemption in Florida, which was established in the State’s Constitution, has always provided for the protection of the Family home free from creditors and liens. In 1985 the Constitution was amended to extend the protection to the “natural person” and not necessarily having to be the head of the household. The 4th district Court of Appeals ruled that a husband and wife who are separated for a period of time can BOTH claim the Florida Homestead Protection from creditors. This ruling does nothing to allow two homestead tax deductions. Law v. Law et al., 738 So. 2d 522.

The case involves a husband and wife who were separated for several years. They both claimed Homestead exemption for the Hollywood home that they owned jointly. But when his mother got sick, he and his wife decided to sell the home to pay for the medical bills. His ex-wife had a claim against him for support and brought action to seek recovery through the sell of the home. He filed for Homestead exemption. The court of appeals ruled that “we see nothing inconsistent with our public policy if we extend a homestead exemption to each of two people who are married, but legitimately live apart in separate residences, if they otherwise meet the requirements.” Court referencing Colwell v. Royal International Trading Corp., 226 B.R. 714 (Bank S.D. Fla. 1998) to show precedent on allowing dual homestead exemption. The court seemed to find it important to find that the separation was not contrived to defraud creditors.

If you would like to talk about how to create two homesteads and document them to avoid unnecessary litigation over the issue, contact a Florida Estate Planning Lawyer or if one or more of your home is in foreclosure contact a Jacksonville Foreclosure Defense Lawyer.

August 21, 2010

Rite Aid Settles with HIPAA for Privacy Violations

by David M. Goldman

A recent article by Tanya Roth reveals some shocking truths about our local drug store. Rite Aid is being held accountable for their employees’ actions after an investigation by the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) revealed privacy regulations were not followed. The chain of drugstores has reached a settlement with the Department of Health and Human Services and the FTC where they will pay damages of $1 million. Spurred by a television station’s videotape, the investigation revealed Rite Aid employees dumping labeled medicine bottles and prescriptions into public dumpsters near their stores.

Since these medicine bottles contained the private information of customers, it was obvious Rite Aid was not abiding by the requirements protecting patient information under HIPAA privacy regulations. OCR confirmed that customer information and other private information was disposed of improperly including job applications. In addition to the $1 million they will have to pay under the settlement, Rite Aid is obligated to implement new training procedures and policies for monitoring internal operations. Nevertheless Rite Aid was not the only drugstore to be targeted by the OCR as last year CVS Pharmacy paid a much larger fine for HIPPA violations.

These violations of health care laws affect everyone but elderly citizens are more at risk because they are frequently in need of medications. Identity theft has been on the rise for many years and this crime is often the result of criminals sorting through dumpsters for any private materials you through away.

August 5, 2010

Scam Targets the Elderly in Florida

by David M. Goldman

align=”left” style=”margin-right: 5px;”Seniors Citizens in Florida are the latest to fall victim to the scam dubbed the “Grandparent Scam.” An article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel details how grandparents are scammed when they first receive a phone call from someone pretending to be their grandchild.

The fake grandchild then informs the grandparent that they are in legal trouble and need money to get bailed out of jail. Later, they give detailed instructions on how to wire money and where the money should be wired. Usually the scammers will use a bank account in another country as the place to wire the money to hide their money trail.

Seniors should not be fooled if they seem to know a lot about your grandchild and your family history. With the boom of social networking websites, many family secrets that you thought were private can end up in the personal history of a grandchild. Look for them to request you keep the transfer confidential as this could tip you off that the call is a scam. Also, it is probably in the grandchild’s best interest to notify their parent of the call because they have the ability to verify their child’s legal trouble.

August 4, 2010

Florida Supplemental Needs Trust

by David M. Goldman

A Florida Supplemental Needs Trust (SNT), also known as Florida Special Needs Trust, is a unique trust designed to benefit an individual with a disability. Supplemental Needs Trusts can be broken down into two categories, third party and self settled. In a well-executed SNT, an unlimited amount of assets can be placed in the trust for the benefit of a disabled person without jeopardizing their qualification for government benefits. These trusts are designed to provide for the extra care and costs above that which governmental benefits supply.

The self settled, or self created, supplemental needs trust has been officially recognized by Congress to benefit individuals under the age of 65, who have a physical or mental disability.

When creating a self settled SNT it is important to know that any assets remaining in the trust at the death of the disabled beneficiary will be used to reimburse the state for Medicaid benefits paid on behalf of the beneficiary. If there is a balance left over it will be distributed to the remainder beneficiaries identified in the trust document.

July 22, 2010

Avoid Being Exploited Financially in Florida

by David M. Goldman

As we age, it is very common to lose some of the wits you had when you were younger. Due to the growing number of senior citizens that are falling victim to financial abuse, careful estate planning is a necessity while you are still fully competent. Financial abuse of the elderly usually occurs in a time when the person’s mental capacity is diminishing. Also, it is common that the senior can’t say no to someone who repeatedly requests to be included in the estate.

In a recent article by Eileen Ambrose, she provides an in depth analysis of this blight in our country. Arguably the most shocking statistic related to financial abuse of the elderly is, in approximately one-third of all cases, a family member of the victim is the person who takes advantage of the senior. This is the reason that it is essential for aging adults to create a complete estate plan while they remain fully competent. Protecting your assets is a complicated matter that should be handled by a Florida Estate Planning Lawyer . In addition to seeing an attorney, the following list is advice Ambrose shares in her article:

1) Choose a trustworthy agent to represent you who manages his or her own finances properly and is not a spendthrift.

2) Maintain control of assets refrain from including a child’s name in your a bank account.

June 27, 2010

Foreclosures in Jacksonville Florida

by David M. Goldman

Foreclosure Lawyers in Jacksonville Florida have seen a significant increase in the number of Foreclosure cases in Duval County over the past several months. Many individuals who are currently going through loan modifications are seeing the banks file foreclosure cases on them as the same time as they try to modify their loans. It is important not to ignore the Jacksonville Foreclosure case while you are talking with the bank even if they tell you they will put the case on hold. The cases often proceed and you can loose your right to defend your case if you do not respond timely. To discuss your situation with a Jacksonville Foreclosure Defense Lawyer contact a Florida Foreclosure Lawyer or use the contact us form on this page.

April 14, 2010

Jacksonville Trial Attorney

by David M. Goldman

A Jacksonville Trial Lawyer can be very helpful in the event that your dispute needs to go to trial. There are many different types of Jacksonville trial attorneys. The Law Office of David M. Goldman PLLC has Jacksonville Civil Trial lawyers as well as Jacksonville Criminal Trial Lawyers. We Deal with Family law, criminal, trust, will, estate planning, foreclosure defense, probate, guardianship, and asset protection issues. Many cases never go to trial and are settled by a Jacksonville Trial Attorney long before seeing a court room. If you would like t discuss your circumstances or what options you have to protect your rights please contact a Jacksonville Trial Attorney today.

For more information on Jacksonville or Florida Foreclosure Defense See the Florida Foreclosure Defense Lawyers Blog.

February 9, 2010

Tips to Avoid Exploitation of the Elderly by a Family Member

by David M. Goldman

The Trials and Heirs blog recently had an article about how to avoid exploitation of the elderly by a family member. They recommend

1 Getting Expert advise who knows the ins and outs of estate planning. I would also recommend using a Florida Estate Planning Lawyer who is familiar with Florida Elder Law.

2. Be careful of Joint accounts as they can take the money or create ineligibility for nursing home coverage.

3. Consider “Springing” Powers of Attorney or as we call them contingent Durable Powers of Attorney as they only give powers once you are incapacitated.

December 13, 2009

2010 Annual Gift Tax Exclusion $13000

by David M. Goldman

The IRS recently announced that the gift tax annual exclusion will remain unchanged in 2010 at $13,000

The yearly amount of the exclusion is based on the Consumer Price Index and has increased from $10,000 in 1997 to $13,000 in 2009 and 2010. As long as your gifts to an individual are less than the exclusion amount, there is no gift tax return that is required to be filed and no gift taxes are due. Each spouse gets an exclusion so a married couple can actually gift $26000 to each individual without creating a tax liability or necessity for reporting.

With proper gift planning a family can transfer a significant amount of money to their children and grandchildren. Take a family who has 3 kids, each married and each with 2 grandchildren.

July 23, 2009

When Is It Time to “Service” Your Estate Plan?

by David M. Goldman

If you own a car, then you know it requires regular servicing in order to perform well and be reliable. More than likely, your car came with a recommended schedule for service, based on how many miles it has been driven. After a certain number of miles, you need to change the oil, replace the brake pads, rotate the tires, and so on.

If you have a newer car, you probably have an irritating dash light that comes on when it’s time for service and stays on until the mechanic resets it. Either way, whether you pay attention to the odometer or rely on that dash light, it’s pretty easy to know when it’s time to service your car. And if you keep driving it without servicing it, it’s a sure bet your car will let you down.

Like your car, your estate plan needs “servicing” if it is going to perform the way you want when you need it. Your estate plan is a snapshot of you, your family, your assets and the tax laws in effect at the time it was created. All of these change over time, and so should your plan. It is unreasonable to expect the simple will written when you were a newlywed to be effective now that you have a growing family, or now that you are divorced from your spouse, or now that you are retired and have an ever-increasing swarm of grandchildren! Over the course of your lifetime, your estate plan will need check-ups, maintenance, tweaking, maybe even replacing.

So, how do you know when it’s time to give your estate plan a check-up? Well, instead of having mileage checkpoints, your estate plan has event checkpoints. Generally, any change in your personal, family, financial or health situation, or a change in the tax laws, could prompt a change in your estate plan. Use the list at the end of this newsletter to guide you.

It’s a good idea to review your estate plan every year. Set aside a specific time every year (your birthday, anniversary, family gathering) to review it. Keep these events in mind each time you read through your documents. If you think a change may be in order, don’t write on your actual document; contact your attorney. Most changes can be handled by a simple amendment that is attached to your current will or trust.

Planning Tip: Like your car, your estate plan needs regular “servicing.” Set aside a specific time every year (your birthday, anniversary, family gathering) to review it. Become familiar with it. Keep it current so it will perform the way you want when you need it.

What Do You Do with Your Estate Plan?
Think for a few moments about what would happen if you became incapacitated or died today. Would your spouse, family and successor trustees know what to do?
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