Shober & Rock, P.C is a Bucks County law firm devoted to the legal issues affecting the elderly and disabled. These legal services are often referred to as “elder law.” The practice of elder law encompasses a wide range of legal issues and specialties that are of particular importance to the elderly and infirmed. These groups can be at risk of losing assets and/or independence due to medical conditions requiring some type of continuing and significant medical care. As elder law attorneys we employ our legal knowledge and experience to meet the needs, goals and objectives of our clients.
At Shober & Rock, we bring more to our practice than legal expertise. We bring a practical knowledge of having worked with thousands of families facing elder law and disability issues. We tailor our approach and seek legal solutions that avoid difficulty and solve the problems that our clients and their families and caretakers may face. This “custom” approach means better results and more satisfied clients. We are tied into a system of social workers, psychologists, geriatric care managers and other elder care professionals who can also be of assistance to our clients.
The attorneys of Shober & Rock assist clients in planning for possible long-term care events. These include nursing home care, assisted living and at-home care. We assist in the determination of capacity, acuity level and coordinate private and public resources to finance the appropriate care. Working to ensure our clients’ rights to quality care is an important part of our elder law practice. Working to provide our clients with flexibility and choices in care is an important part of our practice. Working to protect family members and children from liabilities of the parent or loved ones’ care is also vitally important in this era of “shared-liability.”
The elderly are growing in number and so is the complexity of their legal problems. The recent changes to the federal laws have created a situation where actions taken by older people with regard to a single matter may have unintended legal effects. We bring a broad understanding of the laws that may have an impact on a given situation, to avoid future problems.
Shober & Rock provides comprehensive case management services for families facing long term care issues – this gives the families time to focus on what is important to them.
Our elder law and disability attorneys review nursing home applications, address liability issues and prepare and present applications for Medical Assistance (“MA” is a form of Medicaid that is made available as an entitlement under the Social Security Act).
Shober & Rock’s fees are structured so we can act as a true support system to families . We are able to spend more time with our clients on the phone and in person. It is during this “extra” time, that some of the most important information is gained about the case. Our clients know ahead of time exactly what it will cost for our services. This is factored into the planning. Additionally, legal fees paid by the elder are deductible against the amount of assets that may be lost in the event of a confinement to a nursing home. Using potentially lost assets to obtain help makes good financial sense. Working with an experienced elder law firm is an investment that may save our clients and their families’ both time and money.
Shober & Rock attorneys investigate all clients’ assets and personally administer transfers and spend-down payments (“spend-down” is the Medicaid term for lowering your assets enough to qualify for assistance). It only takes one missed life insurance policy or savings bond for an individual to be considered ineligible for assistance. This discovery of unknown or unreported assets can lead to gaps in coverage. Our elder law and disability lawyers also work with families to make sure that previous gifts do not cause ineligibility for assistance. If this happens and the applicant is out of money, the children are personally responsible for the medical bills under Pennsylvania law. In this era of long term care, the protection of assets is sometimes about the assets of the caretakers and not their parents!
If you have questions or concerns regarding elder law or disability issues, please call us today. We’re here to help.