ESTATE PLANNING AND ELDER LAW:
ISSUES AND ANSWERS
Copyright 2007 Robert M. Slutsky, Esquire
I. AN OVERVIEW
This pamphlet provides an explanation of basic estate planning and Elder Law concepts. It is not comprehensive regarding every issue in either estate planning or Elder Law nor is it a substitute for the advice of a competent professional. It is meant to help you recognize your own estate planning issues and provide you with some resources to address them.
The information provided below is not intended to be legal or tax advice. If you have questions about your specific situation, contact an attorney or tax advisor.
Please note that the male pronoun will be used throughout for simplicity only.
2. WHAT IS ESTATE PLANNING
Estate planning is a general term that has different meaning to different people. In general, estate planning refers to the process of how you accumulate and manage assets during your life with the ultimate goal of efficiently transferring your property after you die. You must consider both pre and post-mortem property management decisions together since they both affect each other.
Elder Law is an outgrowth of estate planning. It addresses issues unique to older adults such as financing long term care, health care decision making and cognitive impairment in addition to property management decisions.
3. GOALS OF ESTATE PLANNING
Younger people are concerned with accumulating assets for retirement and providing for their loved ones in case of their death or incapacity. Older adults are traditionally concerned with: minimizing the cost of wealth being transferred to the next generation, guaranteeing the comfort of their spouse or companion when they are no longer there, the cost of long term care, becoming a financial burden on their families, providing quality of life for an incapacitated child or spouse when they can no longer provide that care and simply ensuring that certain assets go to certain loved ones or charities.
This discussion will focus primarily on issues facing older adults, however much of what is discussed is relevant regardless of age.
4. FAILING TO PLAN = PLANNING TO FAIL
What happens if you do not do any estate planning? An article in Philadelphia magazine several years ago indicated that 70% of executives with incomes over $100,000.00 per year have done no estate planning. Most of the general population has done little or no planning.
Before considering what happens if you die without proper estate planning, consider the problems that can occur while you are alive. With life expectancy continuing to rise, you must prepare for your long term care needs and the possibility of becoming cognitively impaired. If you become mentally incapable of managing your affairs and have not planned ahead, your loved ones may not be able to get access to your assets to pay your bills or make medical decisions for you. This may require the cost and inconvenience of a court appointed guardian.
If you die without any planning (i.e. a will or trust stating what should be done with your assets) you may pay extra professional fees and taxes that could be avoided. More important is the cost of long term care. The average nursing home in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area costs $7000-9000.00 per month for care. Whether you are poor, middle class or well off, these costs are staggering and can destroy an estate plan.
Business owners who fail to plan subject their families to particularly devastating problems. Often the business loses much of its value when the owner dies or becomes disabled. Additionally, the business usually has value that will be taxed in the owner's estate but there may not be cash to pay the taxes. More upsetting to most business owners is that without a plan, sibling disagreements often destroy what the parent worked so hard to create and nurture. It is common for a small business owner to die and the business sold at far below fair market value because no planning has been done. This can be avoided.
Often caregivers give no thought to the possibility that they will predecease the spouse, parent or child that they are caring for.
The cost in time, stress and money is far lower when you plan ahead than it is to deal with the results of failing to plan.
5. INCAPACITY
Planning for incapacity is becoming more important as our society ages. As people are living longer, the likely of cognitive impairment increases dramatically. Most residents of long term care facilities have some form of cognitive impairment.
If you have not appointed someone to make decisions for you and you become mentally incapacitated, the court will have to appoint someone to assist you. If you have not done so the law will. The person the law appoints may or may not be the person you would chose to make decisions for you. Your spouse does not have the legal right to make financial decisions for you.
It may be necessary to have you declared incapacitated by a court to protect you and your assets from harm. The process begins when an interested party petitions the court in the county where you live to appoint a guardian of your person, your property, or both. During that process there will be a hearing where the judge will hear medical testimony to determine if you meet the legal definition of incapacity. In Pennsylvania, this definition requires that your ability to receive and evaluate information is impaired to such an extent that you are partially or totally unable to effectively make or communicate decisions regarding your finances, medical care or living arrangements. This process can be expensive because an attorney is required and anyone can oppose the appointment of a guardian.
A guardian has to account to the court for his actions, file annual reports and seek court approval when he performs certain tasks for the incapacitated person (such as selling his house or doing estate planning). There is certain types of estate planning to protect assets that cannot be done by a guardian.
6. PROBATE
Probate provides a legal framework for the transfer of your assets to the rightful beneficiary. For example, once formal probate has been filed in the courthouse where the decedent (the person who died) lived and the proper legal steps have been taken, creditors of the decedent have a limited amount of time to file their claims against the estate. If the creditor has not filed his claim within the appropriate time period, the claim will expire.
If you die without a Will, you die intestate. If you die intestate, the state where you reside has a statute that determines who will receive your property. Before that occurs, someone must petition the court to determine who will become the Personal Representative of your estate. The Personal Representative is the person who is appointed by the court to pay off the estate's debts, expenses and taxes and distribute any property that remains after the debts and taxes are paid. If you have a Will, these tasks are performed by the Executor, who is named in the Will. Often the Executor is a close friend or relative and will not take a fee or will take a small one, leaving a larger estate for your beneficiaries. If the court has to appoint a Personal Representative, he may be entitled to a substantial fee.
A common misconception is that if you die without a Will, your spouse gets everything. In Pennsylvania, if you die without a Will, your spouse gets the first $30,000.00, plus 1/2 of the remainder of your individually owned assets. The rest goes to your children. If you have children from a prior marriage, your spouse gets even less. The intestacy law does not consider charities, friends or other people to whom you may want to give property. Nor does it take into consideration the many family situations that predominate the modern world, such as remarriage, children out of wedlock, alternate lifestyles and other issues that can only be addressed through comprehensive estate planning.
Depending on the complexity and size of the estate, probate can be simple and inexpensive or time consuming and expensive. The act of probating a Will itself is not an extraordinary expense. Pennsylvania’s probate process is one of the more efficient in the nation. The cost comes in completing the administration of the estate as a whole. In general, most Pennsylvania residents do not need to use a Revocable Trust (also called a Living Trust) to avoid probate unless they have real estate in other states or an exceptionally complex financial picture. An experienced estate attorney will not charge significantly more to assist in administering an estate with assets in a living trust than assets that need to go through probate.
While it was a practice for attorneys to charge fees based on the value of the estate, today most experienced estate lawyers charge based on the anticipated work involved. Legal fees can be the largest cost in estate administration. Choosing an experienced attorney is important.
7. DISABLED LOVED ONES
One of the most difficult planning things to plan for is the care of a disabled child or spouse. Problems arise because he may not have the skills to manage an inheritance. Furthermore, a disabled person may be receiving public benefits like Medicaid or Supplemental Social Security, which are based upon financial need (i.e. you will lose these benefits if you have too much money).
You want your disabled loved one to enjoy your estate but you do not want the money to disqualify him or her for benefits or be squandered. There are certain estate planning tools that can allow your loved one to enjoy your estate and not lose his benefits. An experienced Elder Law attorney can help you create an estate plan that deals with the special needs of you and your loved one.
8. ESTATE PLANNING TOOLS
The following are a few tools to help you plan for your estate. The ones mentioned are the basic forms of these tools and most can be modified to meet your specific estate planning needs. These tools are:
A. Will: A Will tells how you want your property to be distributed when you die. It has no effect while you are alive and can be modified or revoked as long as you are mentally capable of doing so. The Will names an Executor to carry out its provisions. Certain formalities have to occur before a Will is considered valid. A Will can have tax planning provisions or provisions to protect a disabled or incapacitated beneficiary.
B. Durable Financial Power of Attorney: A Power of Attorney “POA” allows one person (the “Agent_) to make decisions for another (the _Principal_). Durable means it is still valid if the Principal becomes incapacitated and ensures continued management of the Principal's property. All POAs cease to be valid upon the death of the principal. All POAs in Pennsylvania are durable unless they state otherwise.
A comprehensive POA can prevent the need for guardianship if the principal is cooperative. The Principal can always overrule the Agent unless there is a court order declaring the Principal incapacitated. If the Principal attempts to do something imprudent or dangerous with his property or himself, an entity (like a hospital, nursing home, bank, etc.) must honor his wishes until a court determines that he is no longer capable of making decisions.
Appointment of an Agent can prevent problems in most circumstances. If the Principal is uncooperative or does not understand his impairments, a guardianship may be preferable because it allows the Guardian to help the impaired individual without interference.
An impaired person cannot execute a POA. In that event, someone must obtain legal guardianship.
A conventional POA becomes valid upon execution by the principal and can be used by the Agent at any time until it is revoked in writing. A “Springing Power_ only becomes effective when the Principal becomes incapacitated. This is used infrequently because it takes time to get a doctor to certify that the Principal is incapacitated and often the Agent needs to use the POA immediately.
Make sure you trust the individual who you name as your Agent. Although there are significant penalties for misusing a POA, you should be comfortable that your Agent is responsible and will manage your affairs in accordance with your wishes.
A POA can be as broad or as specific as necessary. The term broad refers to both powers that are given to the Agent and the assets that the Agent is authorized to control. You can create a very simple POA that gives the Agent a single power, such as the power to sign papers at the settlement of a house. You can also create a broad POA which may include the power to manage your investments, access your bank accounts, pay your rent, make medical decisions for you, run your business and/or almost anything that you could do for yourself. The more comprehensive and precise the POA, the more difficult it is to attack and the less likely you will need to go to court.
Some financial institutions require you to use their own POA forms. Although they cannot legally force you to do this, find out their requirements when contemplating the use of POA to avoid problems.
C. Healthcare Power of Attorney: Whereas a Living Will expresses your wishes regarding end of life decisions, a Healthcare Power of Attorney allows you to name a person to make general health care decisions for you if you cannot.
With healthcare information confidentiality rules today, your Healthcare POA/Living Will should have a provision giving your Agent access your healthcare information under all applicable confidentiality laws.
Under the new law a healthcare POA can be revoked in writing or verbally to your physician.
D. Living Will: A Living Will tells your family and health care providers what type of life sustaining measures you do or do not want if you are terminally ill and cannot express your wishes. The Living Will also provides for a surrogate to make decisions for you in the event your physician needs input on a decision not covered by the Living Will.
For example: If you are in a coma and your physician believes that you will die regardless of the medical care provided, this document can tell the physician that you do not want CPR if your heart stops or that you do not want to be kept alive on machines. It can contain as few or as many directions as you want. Neither a doctor nor a family member can use this document to indiscriminately end your life. A doctor must certify that you are terminally ill or in a permanent vegetative state (brain dead) before life support can be discontinued.
Unlike certain other legal documents, a Living Will may be revoked at any time, and in any fashion, as long as someone is present to witness the revocation.
E. Jointly Held Property: There are several ways to title property and each has different legal ramifications. Titling property as _Joint Tenants With Right of Survivorship_ (or “Tenants by the Entireties” for married couples) can serve several purposes. When a bank account is titled jointly, either joint tenant can access any or all of the money in the account. If one joint tenant becomes incapacitated, the other joint tenant can access the money and use it for the benefit of the incapacitated joint tenant. A bank account is just one type of property that can be held jointly, however other types of property have different restrictions. For instance, while either joint tenant may withdraw all of the money in a joint bank account, a piece of real estate held jointly will need the signatures of both parties to transfer the property.
While joint tenancies are often a good way to hold property for married couples, there are potential problems with joint tenancies for others (i.e. children). They are:
One joint tenant can withdraw all of the money when the other may not want him to;
If one joint tenant has creditors, the creditors may be able to access his portion of the joint account, even if the other joint tenant contributed all of the money;
If the child dies before the parent, the parent will pay inheritance tax on his own money;
If the child gets divorced, the childs share of the money may be considered marital property for purposes of equitable distribution;
Both joint tenants may die simultaneously and may not have disposed of the joint property.
Holding property in joint tenancy is a popular tool. Consider the potential problems before placing a child’s name on your property.
F. Trusts: A Trust is a vehicle that holds property. Trusts have many uses in estate planning.
A trust can be _Inter Vivos_ meaning that it takes effect during your life or _Testamentary_ which means that it takes effect only after you die. A trust can be _Revocable_ which means that you can modify or terminate it, or it can be _Irrevocable_ which means that once it is created, it cannot be changed.
Trusts have too many different uses to discuss in this space. Some uses are as follows:
- To reduce income and death taxes;
- To provide for the maintenance of a spouse or child;
- To give property to an irresponsible beneficiary so that he will not spend the money all at one time;
- To hold your property so that a trustee can manage it in the event of your incapacity;
- To allow a person to become eligible for Medicaid (need-based medical assistance);
- To allow for the transfer of a family business to a younger generation with lower taxation;
- To reduce probate costs.
Trusts are used by all types of people, rich or not, to accomplish their estate planning goals.
G. Gifts: Giving gifts can be an effective estate planning tool. Since Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax is based on the amount of taxable property you own at death, giving property away at least one year prior to death can remove such property from your estate and avoid inheritance and estate taxation.
STOP_ Before you run out and give away all of your property, there are many other issues to consider, both personal and financial. When you give something away, you lose control of it. Depending on the type of asset being given away, there could be adverse tax consequences. In addition, there are other legal consequences to making gifts which are discussed below.
These are commonly used tools for estate planning. There are some tools used which will be discussed in other sections of this primer and other tools that are simply too complex for this discussion. A creative estate planning professional can tailor these tools to carry out your specific estate planning goals.
9. LONG TERM CARE
It is likely that you will need long term care at some time. The following discussion will address long term custodial care. Custodial care is for assistance with Activities of Daily Living (“ADL”) such as eating, bathing, ambulating or dressing as opposed to medically necessary care for rehabilitation from an injury or illness. Skilled care is usually covered under normal medicare and medigap health insurance coverages whereas custodial care is not.
There are three ways to cover the cost of long term custodial care:
A. Private Funds: Currently, approximately 30-40% of the people receiving custodial nursing care (not rehabilitation services, which are often paid for by Medicare and supplemental insurance policies) in nursing facilities are paying the cost from their own funds;
B. Public Insurance (Medicaid): Medicaid is need-based insurance co-sponsored by federal and state governments (welfare). You have to have very little money ($2400.00 or less in total assets) to qualify for this type of funding. Medicaid. Medicaid covers the costs for over 50% of long term residents in nursing homes today.
C. Private Insurance: Long Term Care insurance covers the cost of various types of long term care services. The following are a few points to consider when investigating the purchase of long term health care insurance policy:
- Coverage: Skilled, intermediate and custodial care in nursing homes, as well as, assisted living, home care and adult day care benefits in the same policy;
- ADL Requirements: The best policies only require you to be unable to perform 2 activities of daily living (i.e. feeding, bathing, etc.) to qualify for benefits;
- No Prior Hospitalization: Spending time in a hospital before entering a long-term care facility should not be necessary to qualify for benefits;
- Waiver of Premium: Premium payments cease after the policy starts to pay benefits;
- Guaranteed Renewable: Once the policy is issued, it should only be canceled for non-payment of premiums;
- Memory Lapse Provision: This provision requires the insurance company to reinstate a lapsed policy if you can prove that non-payment of premium was a result of cognitive impairment;
- Care Coordination: Essentially managed care for long term care providers. Remember to ask if it is mandatory that you use their coordinator or if a care coordinator is necessary to obtain the benefits from the policy;
- Submission of Bills: Will the providers of care be paid directly or will you have to pay them and submit the bills to the long term health care company;
- Approved Services: Make sure you know what services are approved by the policy before you buy it. Services that you will want may not be covered;
- Some variables to consider:
A. Elimination Period: How long insured must wait for the policy to pay benefits. The longer you wait, the lower the premium you pay. Pick the longest wait you feel comfortable with because the extra premium paid for immediate coverage may never be recovered;
B. Benefit Period: Choose a period tied to the eligibility period for public assistance (Medicaid) and the average survival rate in nursing facilities (around two years). Lifetime benefits are expensive and are sometimes unnecessary.
C. Daily Benefit Limits: One should pick a daily benefit (the amount the insurer will pay per day in a facility) based on cost today and predicted cost in the future. You can purchase an inflation rider which increases benefits (and the premium) with inflation. This is especially important for younger purchasers.
Always get a specimen policy to review before making a decision. This is longer and contains all of the exclusions. Long term care insurance policies are expensive and therefore you should deal with a broker who is experienced and has a good selection of policies. Each policy has different terms and exclusions. You should not spend more than 5 or 6% of your annual income on a long term care insurance policy. An experienced Elder Law attorney should review any long term care policy before you buy it.
10. WHEN LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE IS NOT AVAILABLE
You may not qualify for or be able to afford long term care insurance. If you meet financial eligibility requirements, you will qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid will pay for the long term care needs of a resident in a skilled or intermediate care facility. In Pennsylvania, the Waiver and Bridge programs may also pay for certain other care costs in the home or elsewhere if you are eligible.
A. Waiver Eligibility:
You must:
- Be 60 years of age or older
- Have no more than $8000.00 in liquid assets (does not include exempt resources);
- Have income of less than 300% of SSI (Supplemental Security Income, currently $1869.00 per month).
Under changes instituted in late 2005 the Waiver Program has less benefit for married couples where one spouse is receiving Waiver services. This can be remedied to a point but you must understand the eligibility requirements.
B. Bridge Eligibility:
You must:
- Be 60 years of age or older
- Have between $8000.00 and $40,000.00 in liquid assets (does not include exempt resources);
- Have income of less than 300% of SSI (Supplemental Security Income, currently $1869.00).
C. Waiver v. Bridge
The Waiver program operates similar to the standard Medicaid grant: once you qualify, Medicaid pays for all of the care covered under the program.
Unlike Waiver, the Bridge program pays 50% of the cost of care (which they arrange and is assumed to be at competitive rates) as long as the consumer has assets over $8000.00.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: Qualifying for Medicaid, Waiver or Bridge program is complex. There were significant changes in the law in 2006 that dramatically limit the tools available to shield assets from the costs of nursing home care.
The tools that can be used to preserve assets for the healthy spouse or your loved ones are limited and the planning complex. Qualification for public benefits while preserving assets has risk and should be done only with the advice of an experienced Elder Law attorney. The consequences for poor planning or no planning are costly.
11. SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
A few points of interest:
A. Age for full Retirement Benefits: 65 (increasing to 67);
B. Earliest Age for Retirement Benefit: 62;
C. Income Limit for SSI (Supplemental Security Income): $603.00 (if you have less than $2000.00 in assets);
D. Divorced Spouse: You must have been married at least 10 years to get social security based on a prior spouse’s earning record.
12. TAX CONSIDERATIONS
Since many of the tools of estate planning are used to minimize taxation, the reader should have a general understanding of how taxation affects estates. The examples used will relate to Pennsylvania and Federal Taxation only.
A. Federal Estate and Gift Tax: Federal Estate and Gift Tax will not be assessed until you have made gifts either during life or after your death (or a combination of both) that exceed $2,000,000.00 in 2007. Many people think that if they do not have a lot of money that they do not need to consider taxes. Not True_ Financial planning is only one part of estate planning. When calculating the value of property that can be taxed, the IRS looks at everything you own. This includes life insurance, real estate, all personal property (such as jewelry, furniture, antiques, etc.) stocks and bonds, cash, etc.
Each individual can make of gift of up to $12,000.00 to anyone each year without having to file a federal gift tax return. Spouses can make joint gifts of up to $24,000.00 per person each year. If the gift is larger, you have to file a gift tax return but will not pay taxes until the total of your gifts (during lifetime) exceed $1,000,000.00. The law currently does not increase the gift tax exclusion (as it does the amount that can be transferred after death). However, certain gifts made within three (3) years of death will be considered part of your estate for federal tax purposes at the fair market value at the date of death. Spouses can make unlimited tax free gifts to each other during life or in their estates.
When your estate exceeds $2,000,000.00 (or $4,000,000 for a married couple with a competent estate planning lawyer), the tax rates are very steep starting at 45%+.
In 2001 legislation was enacted that theoretically reduces estate taxes and repeals the estate tax law in 2010. This law has a “Sunset Provision” that re-institutes the estate tax and reduces the tax free amount back to $1,000,000.00 in 2011. Furthermore, since the repeal was not made permanent successor legislators could modify the law. With the huge numbers of Baby Boomers retiring in the next few years and Social Security and Medicare looking at a troubled future, re-instituting the estate tax is a politically expedient way to raise revenue. If your estate is over $1,000,000.00, federal estate tax planning should be a part of your planning.
B. Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax: There is no gift tax in Pennsylvania. However, any gift you make within one year of your death is considered part of your estate for tax purposes.
Pennsylvania has a simple method of calculating tax, 4.5% on property going to lineal descendants (son, daughter, mother, father, etc.) and 12% to siblings and 15% for everyone else. Pennsylvania does not tax transfers between spouses or gifts to charity.
C. Federal and State Income Taxes: This is not an income tax course, but estate planning decisions have an effect not only on the amount of death taxes paid, but the amount of income tax paid during life (yours or your beneficiary’s).
For example, you believe that it may be wise to give your house to your son to avoid paying death taxes on that piece of property. However, you paid $15,000.00 for the house and it is worth $200,000.00 now. If you give the property away during life and your son sells the property at any time, he will pay substantial capital gains tax on the transaction. Had he received the house when you died, he would have paid much less in capital gains tax even though the inheritance tax would be higher. With the case of highly appreciated property, the capital gains tax can be larger than the death taxes. The point of this example is that estate planning decisions must consider all of the possible tax consequences, not simply the death tax consequences.
Also remember that older adults are entitled to special tax credits. Additionally, medical expenses exceeding 7.5% of your adjusted gross income are deductible on your return. For more information on special tax information for people over 65 contact the IRS at the number below and get IRS Publication 554.
Tax planning is one of the most complex areas of estate planning. Keeping taxes and other transfer costs to a minimum requires the advice of a competent estate planning professional.
There are many important non tax factors that must be considered and estate planning is not only for tax reduction. You have individual needs and only after consideration of all of your family, personal and business concerns can you determine what is most suitable for you.
13. REVERSE MORTGAGES
Many people have modest retirement income but have a valuable home. A reverse mortgage allows you to use the equity in your home to improve your quality of life while allowing you to stay in the house as long as you like.
The difference between a reverse mortgage and a home equity loan is that you do not have to pay back a reverse mortgage until you pass away or move from the house. If you pass away, your heirs may pay the loan off or sell the house to pay the loan off. The maximum amount owed will be the value of the house even if it has gone down in value. If the house has appreciated in value, any excess received over the value of the loan is paid to you or your estate. Because of the risk for lenders, reverse mortgages allow the lender to share in any gains in value of the house.
To qualify for a reverse mortgage, you must be at least 62 years old, use the house as your primary residence, and the home must be in reasonably good repair either before the loan or from the loan proceeds. Your income and credit history are irrelevant.
With a reverse mortgage you can take a lump sum or payments over a period of time. The amount of the payment will be based on the value of the home, the interest rate and the age of the youngest borrower. Any payments made to you are not taxable as income.
If you are receiving any public benefits (SSI, Medicaid, etc), the monthly payment may reduce those benefits.
14. TIPS ON ELDER LAW
The following are a few notes on protection and assistance for the elderly provided to residents of Pennsylvania:
A. Older Persons Protective Services Act - Provide a means of reporting and dealing with abuse of the elderly. Call your local Area Agency on Aging in the Blue Pages of your local telephone book;
B. Realty Tax Rebates - Provides property tax rebates to low income elderly. See your local Area Agency on Aging;
C. PACE (PACENET)- Assistance for prescription drug purchases for low income elderly. See your local Area Agency on Aging;
D. Unfair Trade Practices Act - Again, not specifically for the elderly but is intended to regulate fraudulent business practices which are often perpetrated on the elderly. This law provides for punitive damages and the payment of attorneys fees. Pennsylvania has other more specific laws that include violations of this act (i.e. the Lemon Law is specific to automobiles but if one violates that act, there is an automatic violation of this law). See an attorney.
15. ELDER ABUSE
Look for: New confusion, weight loss, bruises, guarded responses, poor eye contact, can’t be alone with visitors, lapses in care, genital lacerations or bleeding, witnessed verbal abuse, odd pattern injuries, refused home visits, poor environmental conditions in the presence of assets.
What can be done: Increase social contacts and reduce isolation, adult day care, local Area Agency on Aging, police, Adult Protective Services.
Area Agencies on Aging for Metropolitan Philadelphia:
Bucks County: www.buckscounty.org/seniors/area_agency_aging
Montgomery County: www.montcopa.org/mcaas
Chester County: http://www.chesco.org/aging/
Delaware County: www.delcosa.org
Philadelphia County: www.pcaphl.org
16. CONCLUSION
This primer is intended to be as clear and understandable as possible. However, there is a great deal of information that may be unfamiliar and other information that is not included due to space limitations. This is not intended to be comprehensive, but to give you a basis to help you begin the planning process. For further information on estate planning and legal issues of the elderly, you may contact the organizations listed below.
PHONE NUMBERS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
1. Robert Slutsky, Esq., Elder Law Attorney . . . (610) 940-0650
(Montgomery, Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester and Bucks Counties)
2. Local Area Agency on Aging. . . . . . . . . . . . BLUE PAGES OF TELEPHONE BOOK
3. Alzheimer's Association . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 272-3900
4. Children of Aging Parents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 227-7294, www.caps4caregivers.org
5. Internal Revenue Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 829-1040, www.irs.ustreas.gov
6. Social Security and Medicare Questions . . . . . (800) 772-1213, www.ssa.gov
7. PACE and PACENET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 225-7223
8. Veterans’ Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (800) 827-1000
Robert M. Slutsky Associates
Wills and Trusts Lawyer
Office Location:
470 Norristown Road • Suite 100
Blue Bell, PA 19422
Mailing address:
1950 Butler Pike, PMB 260
Conshohocken, PA, 19428
Phone: (610) 940-0650
Fax: (610) 940-0638
