What is Elder Law
Elder law is a specialized area of legal practice focused on the unique needs of older adults, individuals with disabilities, and their families. It focuses heavily on ensuring your quality of life, protecting your autonomy, and preserving your resources while you are living. Elder law encompasses many legal aspects including estate planning, trusts, long-term care, public benefits, advance directives, guardianships and conservatorships.
Our Elder Law Services
- Long-term Care and Medicaid Planning — There may come a time when you or a loved one is no longer able to care for themselves. Unfortunately, the cost of long-term care, assisted living, or nursing home facilities in Colorado can rapidly drain a lifetime of savings. We help families navigate the strict eligibility rules for Health First Colorado (Colorado's Medicaid program) to help cover care costs without impoverishing the healthy spouse.
- Comprehensive Estate Planning — Planning ahead with documents such as trusts, advance healthcare directives, and powers of attorney can help protect your assets while ensuring your wishes regarding your medical care are clearly documented.
- Guardianships and Conservatorships — When a loved one loses the cognitive capacity to make safe decisions or manage their finances, and no valid powers of attorney are in place, court intervention may be necessary. We guide families through the Colorado probate courts to establish guardianships (for medical and personal decisions) and conservatorships (for financial management).
- Special Needs Trusts — These specialized legal instruments allow you and others to provide financial support for a disabled individual without jeopardizing their eligibility for vital, means-tested government benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid. Special needs trusts are a key asset protection tool that often permit greater financial flexibility while maintaining eligibility for public benefits.
- Elder Law — In addition to Medicaid, our firm works with clients to ensure they, or their loved ones, meet the eligibility requirements of various government benefit programs.
Coordinating Multiple Benefits
One of the most important aspects of public benefits planning is understanding how different programs interact. Receiving one benefit can sometimes affect eligibility for another. We help families navigate these interactions to build a comprehensive support strategy that maximizes overall assistance.
Appeals and Denials
If a benefits application has been denied, you have the right to appeal. We assist with preparing appeals, gathering supporting documentation, and representing clients at hearings to fight for the benefits they are entitled to receive.