Wondering if I need a CELA?

KathyF1

Hoping you all can enlighten me, i need to redo my will and am trying to find an attorney that does estate planning, wills. What can a CELA offer that an estate planning attorney can not? My DH is at home with me, stage 6. Hoping to keep him at home but I’m also investigating MC homes just in case at some point I can not care for him. We have the funds to cover his care. So not eligible for Medicaid. Thanks, I need to understand the role of a CELA!

Carl46

You need financial and personal powers of attorney, so you can act in his behalf. A CELA can do that, and can help you minimize the financial burden of paying for care.

SDianeL

CELA attorneys are excellent if you need help with Medicaid which is very complicated. They also are experienced in trusts. What if something happens to you? Would he still have enough to cover his care. I used an attorney experienced in wills and estate planning not a CELA attorney. He also completed all the documents I needed, DPOA, HIPPA, will. My husband was a veteran so there was no worry about having enough money to cover his care.

Marchbanks

Just my personal opinion, but if you know you won’t qualify for Medicaid you don’t really need a CELA. I used one early on when my DH was engaging in reckless behavior and I thought an attorney experienced with dementia issues could give me advice. He did, but mostly he just confirmed what I already knew. Mine cost $400/hr. Any attorney experienced in estate planning can complete a will, trust, or POAs.

Bluebird

The CELA specialize in Medicaid eligibility for nursing homes. Every state has different laws and can be very complex. In my area it costs around $500 for a 1 hour consultation. For me setting up a complete estate plan cost $4,000. I think it’s worth having a consultation with one even if you have enough money for nursing care and don’t use any of their services. A perfect example of why I think I think it’s important is a friend of mine was trying to make plans for the care of their disabled son after they die. They had a consultation with a CELA and found out the money that was being paid for nursing home care for their son’s grandmother could have been placed in a special needs trust for their son and Medicaid would have taken over the cost of the nursing home for the grandmother. They were very upset that they had paid over $1,000,000 to the nursing home and that money could have been used for their son’s care. The only way someone would ever find this out is if they have a consultation with a CELA.

To me it’s worth the cost of a one hour consultation of make sure I have everything is set up correctly financially and if you do use the CELA to set up your estate it’s less than 1 month of nursing home care.

KathyF1

Thank you everyone for your replies. I appreciate the people on this forum!