My wife and I are in a service-oriented business, so we appreciated dealing with Judd Matsunaga. He educated us and carefully walked us through the somewhat daunting task of estate planning. Judd is a very knowledgeable, professional attorney and a pleasure to work with. Without reservation, we both recommend him to anyone who needs a good attorney.
S. Norris
Visit Elder Law Services of California for more information on Med-Cal Planning & Estate Planning and contact Judd Matsunaga, an experienced attorney for a free consultation. You’ll find the most up-to-date answers to important questions about Medi-Cal and Medi-Care for California residents, including:
Additional articles and information on Medi-Cal Planning by Judd Matsunaga can be accessed at the following sites:
Judd Matsunaga was very thorough, courteous and methodical in our estate planning, tailoring to our needs for our specific situation. We recommend him highly.
- Taylor J.
Excellent and friendly service was provided. Judd Matsunaga is very well informed and knowledgeable in all aspects of estate planning. He and his staff were able to explain all the details of the plans patiently and clearly. Highly recommended!
Paige J.
Through the use of Living Trusts, Wills, Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Irrevocable Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, and Charitable Gifting Strategies, Judd Matsunaga of Elder Law Services of California helps families preserve their wealth for future generations, minimize estate taxes, and avoid the expense and headaches of probate.
When it comes to estate planning, one of the most common concerns is how to properly manage estate taxes. Judd Matsunaga will help you plan for inheritance and all tax issues related to inheritance. Judd will make sure you have a plan that protects you and your family for years to come. Depending your your needs, we may use a combination of the following estate planning tools to define your estate plan:
Probate
Probate is a legal process for settling an estate in accordance with the will of the deceased. Assets owned and registered in the individual name of the deceased that do not already have a beneficiary—including cash, investments, personal property, and real estate—make up what’s called the “probate estate.” These assets are controlled by the will and “pass through” the probate process in order for ownership to be transferred. All other assets “pass outside” the probate process.
Size of Estate
The manner in which estates are settled varies from state to state, but options also vary according to the estate’s overall value. A large estate generally involves having the state’s probate court validate the will or certify that the deceased died intestate which means ‘without a will’.
Settling a large estate also involves fulfilling other administrative matters, called “probating the estate.” Sometimes smaller estates can be settled through a more informal means of administration.
Judd Matsunaga is devoted to handling his clients’ advanced estate planning needs. If you have questions regarding the planning of your estate, or if you are about to start planning your estate, it is in your best interest to speak with a qualified attorney.
Call Judd Matsunaga, an experienced, estate-planning attorney at Elder Law Services of California today at (800) 403-6078 or send an e-mail to info@ elderlawcalifornia.com , and we will contact you to set up a free, initial consultation.
Judd Matsunaga did a great job helping us prepare an estate plan. My wife and I had very limited knowledge of revocable and irrevocable trusts and other estate planning tools prior to meeting Judd. He did an outstanding job explaining to us how an effective estate plan could benefit us. He patiently listened to our questions and made certain we understood the various estate planning and medi-cal planning concepts. Judd made a number of suggestions that allowed my wife and I to make informed decisions about our future. We felt very comfortable meeting with Judd and were appreciative of how generous he was with how much time he spent with us. We continue to use Judd for all of our estate planning needs and the people at Elder Law Services continue to provide us with excellent service. I highly recommend Judd Matsunaga, he is truly an expert attorney in his field.
William H.
Judd Matsunaga’s emphasis is on Medi-Cal planning and preservation of assets, revocable living trusts, special needs trusts, powers of attorney and medical directives.
Because of the increasing costs of skilled nursing care, Judd provides expert legal advice on how to qualifiy for Medi-Cal by using legal strategies to preserve assets through transfers, gifting and conversion. Judd Matsunaga prepares all of the necessary legal documents to accomplish qualification and preservation.
Judd Matsunaga provides comprehensive Medi-Cal Planning and Estate Planning services which provide you the opportunity to state your personal desires for health care and the handling of your financial affairs during your lifetime and to direct to whom your assets will be distributed upon your death. These services include the preparation of revocable living trusts to avoid probate, estate tax avoidance trusts, irrevocable trusts, wills, powers of attorney for financial affairs, medical directives, special needs trusts for disabled children or adults, and all the related documents required to ensure that your wishes and needs and taken care of.
Medi-Cal is the California state version of the joint federal-state program which provides health insurance coverage to low-income children, seniors and people with disabilities. Medi-Cal also covers the cost of nursing home care for those who qualify. In the absence of any other public program covering long-term care, Medi-Cal has become the default nursing home insurance of the middle class.
While Congress and the federal Health Care Financing Administration create the rules under which Medi-Cal operates, each state runs its own program. It is for this reason that the rules vary from state to state. Elder Law Services of California specializes in these issues. Call attorney Judd Matsunaga today at 1-800 403-6078 for a free consultation.
Medi-Cal Planning is about asset preservation. The high costs of nursing home care have been the cause of many middle-income families losing their homes and life savings. With Medi-Cal planning, those families could have preserved their major assets and could have had their nursing home bills paid for by Medi-Cal.
Medi-Cal is California’s Medicaid health care payment program. It is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. Medi-Cal is designed to pay for the medical care of those California residents who have very limited income or resources. However, with some planning, people in the middle-income tax brackets can qualify as well. Medi-Cal planning is complicated and often times the rules are updated each year. There are many rules governing which assets a person can keep, which assets can be transferred and to whom, and how much can be transferred at one time. If Medi-Cal Planning is done incorrectly, then it could lead to a period of ineligibility or disqualification. Elder Law Services of California has expert elder law attorneys available to provide you with a free consultation if you or a family member are considering applying for Medi-Cal.
The expert elder law attorneys at Elder Law Services of California can help you through the application process and design a plan for you that will preserve the maximum amount of your assets and income. Some accountants and financial planners will attempt to provide the same services for their clients. However, they may not know the intricacies of this area of law and are not authorized to give legal advice. Call attorney Judd Matsunaga today at 1-800 403-6078 for a free consultation.
Some people are able to pay for long-term care out of their own funds while others were able to get long-term care insurance before they became ill. Unfortunately, most people who need long-term care have already become ill and as a result can no longer obtain long-term care insurance. They are also unable to pay for the cost of long-term care themselves without depleting all of their life savings and having to sell their other assets, including the family home. People who find themselves in these circumstances are forced to look to public benefits programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, for help.
The attorneys at Elder Law Services of California who specialize in elder law can help you through the application process and design a plan for you that will preserve the maximum amount of your assets and income. Some accountants and financial planners will attempt to provide the same services for their clients. However, they may not know the intricacies of this area of law and are not authorized to give legal advice. Call attorney Judd Matsunaga today at 1-800 403-6078 for a free consultation.