Medicaid estate recovery (MERP) can take a parent's home after death. How it works, probate vs expanded states, and what protects the home.
How the Medicaid look-back gift penalty is calculated, with 2026 state divisors and a worked example showing what a gift really costs.
An elder law planning checklist ordered the way an attorney works it: the documents and powers you need before a parent enters a nursing home.
Why a generic power of attorney fails for Medicaid planning: the gifting, trust, and asset-transfer powers it needs, and why timing decides everything.
Is long-term care insurance worth it? A three-question test on assets, health, and age, the policy mechanics that decide it, and a worked break-even.
Nursing home care runs $9,800+/month. The funding stack-private pay, LTC insurance, VA benefits, Medicaid-and the look-back traps that drain estates.
Medicaid spend-down for nursing home: state-by-state asset limits, the 5-year look-back, exempt transfers, and 2026 planning strategies.