Experience Matters…Certification Matters
Long-Term Care Planners Kristin Daugherty and Tammy Zilske are two of the only three certified in Pennsylvania as Certified Medicaid Planners™
Qualifying for Medicaid long-term care benefits is not a “Do It Yourself Project.” The goal of the Federal Deficit Act of 2005, implemented on February 8, 2006, was to reduce the amount of those qualifying for Medicaid benefits by imposing a five year gifting look-back rule and changing how the gifting penalty was calculated. A simple wedding gift could create a Medicaid ineligibility period and cause an unpaid nursing home bill making children vulnerable to cover the bill.
Kristin Daugherty and Tammy Zilske as Certified Medicaid Planners™ work alongside the experienced and knowledgeable attorneys of Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak to help clients of the firm develop and implement a legal and financial plan that allows them to both qualify for Medicaid long-term care benefits while protecting their assets. Protecting assets is possible even if you have not planned in advance of a health care crisis, but pre-planning provides a much better outcome.
Kristin Daugherty has been with the firm for more than five years. She primarily assists clients out of the State College office. Prior to her employment at the firm, she was a case manager with an Agency on Aging.
Tammy Zilske has been with the firm for more than 10 years. She primarily assists clients out of the Williamsport office. Prior to her employment at the firm, she was a hospice social worker, and a case manager with an Agency on Aging.
Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak elder care and special needs law firm has two convenient locations in Williamsport and State College for your FREE consultation. You can reach either office by calling 1-800-351-8334.
Pennsylvania Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act)
Brittany L. Moore, Esquire
In 2014, the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (ABLE Act) opened a door at the federal level to give each state the opportunity to set up programs for people with disabilities and their families to establish tax-advantaged savings accounts without impacting the disabled individual’s public benefits.
On April 18, 2016, Governor Wolf signed the Pennsylvania Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (PA ABLE Act). The PA ABLE Act was passed to provide more financial options and security to individuals whom became disabled prior to age 26. This is to be accomplished through savings accounts established for benefit of the disabled individual in which funds may accumulate tax-free to pay for qualified disability expenses without jeopardizing their eligibility for need-based programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid.
My husband and I are both in our 70's
“My husband and I are both in our 70’s so it was time to get something done. We have four children so we wanted documents prepared that would make sure they were all well taken care of in the future. We also wanted to make sure we were prepared financially in case either of us had to receive care in a nursing home or assisted living. The people at Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak were so warm and personable. Just about my entire immediate family came with my husband and me to see them. We were welcomed in such a comfortable and friendly way! I’d had other family members who’d received assistance there in the past and spoke so highly of the staff, so the choice was easy as far as who to go to. I can see why they came so highly recommended. I can’t say enough about having the peace of mind that comes when you know things have been taken care of and are now completed. My one daughter was a little apprehensive as to how all of this was going to get done but they met all of our needs. We now feel like the staff at Steinbacher, Goodall & Yurchak are a part of our family.”
Mary Jean Ayres, Troy, PA
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