Plans designed to meet your needs

 Not every client needs to apply for Medicaid.  Many families are choosing to care for aging parents in their homes.  Others clients are at various stages of care, from senior housing to assisted living, are are trying to figure out how to make their money last and when they can expect funds to run out.  Long-term Care Planning Meetings are beneficial for these clients as well because many will have questions about the potential for Medicaid eligibility in the future and what things can be done now to prepare.  Examples of services Hammond Law provides to these types of clients include, but are not limited to, the following: 

• Caregiver Agreements
• Contribution Agreements
• Promissory Notes
• Life Estate Deeds
• Sustainability Calculations
• Surrogate Decision-Maker Affidavits
• Pre-Need Gifting Strategies 

The Hammond Law Process

• Phone Consultation: The long-term care planning process begins with a brief phone consultation with an experienced member of our staff. During the consultation, we will discuss your concerns and solicit additional important information so that we can be certain we are the right firm for you.  If your issue is more complex than most, a follow-up phone call with an attorney will be scheduled.  There is no charge for either of these calls.  At that time, we will schedule an initial long-term care planning meeting.  

• No Obligation: There is absolutely no obligation to retain Hammond Law beyond the initial planning meeting. Regardless of your needs, you will leave the meeting with a tangible plan (called "Hammond Law Homework") in place.  You are free to take the plan an implement it on your own, or, if you'd like to retain Hammond Law to help with all or part of your plan, we will discuss estimated fees at the conclusion of the meeting.  

• Pre-Meeting Materials: We will email (or mail) you a confirmation letter, with the date and time of your meeting, as well as instructions for other important documents to gather and bring to the meeting.  In addition to the confirmation letter, we will send you directions to our office, our fee schedule, and a detailed, Long-Term Care Planning Questionnaire.  The Questionnaire is a fillable PDF file and can be completed on the computer or printed out and completed by hand. Although the Questionnaire is fairly detailed, the more thorough you are with your answers, the more in-depth the initial planning meeting will be.  These questions are merely designed to get you thinking about the questions that we will ask during the initial meeting.  

• Plan Development: During the meeting, you will provide in-depth background and history regarding you or the loved one for whom we are planning, including family dynamics, estate planning documents, and medical history, as well goals and objectives. The attorney will keep detailed notes and will create a list of "Homework" or follow-up items that require further attention after the meeting.  Often during these meetings, professional referrals are made to vetted and trusted geriatric care managers, financial planners, and tax professionals.  You may also be provided with a number of different forms to be completed and returned to the attorney, including medical evaluations necessary to obtain advisory opinions from the State, self-help information regarding Medicare appeals, or other types of physician certificates, each of which serves a different and unique purpose.  The attorney will conclude the meeting with a thorough review of the plan, as well as the Homework assignments, and Engagement Agreement, if applicable.  There is absolutely no high-pressure sale.  The attorney will review each provision of the Engagement Agreement with you and discuss applicable fees.  You are always welcome to take the Engagement Agreement with you for further review or for consultation with other involved family members.

• Follow-Up: Our office will touch base with you approximately two weeks after your initial meeting to see if you have any additional questions or if you would like to schedule a follow-up planning meeting.  Even in cases where there is no immediate work to be done, we will keep you on our calendar to check in every six months (or more frequently) to help guide you through the ever-evolving long-term care process.