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Helping Someone With Dementia Sell the Home

On By Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.In Dementia, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Guardianship, Long-term care, MedicaidLeave a comment

Selling the home through guadrianship

Sometimes, a home must be sold, but the homeowner is no longer able to sign a listing or sale agreement due to cognitive impairment, confusion, advanced dementia or severe and persistent addiction issues (i.e., Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome), or new onset dementia after recovering from COVID-19.  covid-19-pneumonia-increases-risk-of-dementia-study-says  Others may be temporarily incapacitated due to cardiac issues, surgery, or severe illness.  These conditions can prevent an adult from being temporarily or permanently able to make important financial, medical or legal decisions.  Adults who can no longer make decisions may be incapacitated.  And in real estate bubble with many residential properties reaching their peak value, it’s critical to act fast to accept the best home sale offer.

Unfortunately, incapacitated adults are unable to enter into a binding contract, such as an agreement to list or sell the home. When this happens, one option may be to use a general durable power of attorney or a real estate power of attorney to sell the home.  But that can only be successful where there is already a valid general durable power of attorney or real estate power of attorney in place.  If there is a power of attorney, and the homeowner is able to make decisions, the home cannot be sold through a power of attorney without the homeowner’s consent to the sale.  Giving a power of attorney to a trusted adult child or friend is like giving them an extra set of keys to the car. You can always take back the keys when you wish.

More to the point, a power of attorney is an important legal document by which the principal (i.e., the person signing the power of attorney) gives authority to an agent to carry out the affairs of the principal.  The catch-22 is that in order to make a power of attorney, the principal must have legal capacity.  Unfortunately, there are many incapacitated persons who never bothered to obtain a power of attorney before they lost capacity.   Another risk is that there may be a valid power of attorney, but the agent named may be deceased, very ill, or no longer available to serve.  Once again, there is no one with legal authority to sign the home sale agreement and the house cannot be sold even if there is a buyer.

The solution is to seek a court order for authority to sell the home.  This involves filing a lawsuit in the Superior Court for a judgment of incapacitation and award of guardianship.  The guardianship process is not a simple one. There are several different types of guardianships and the correct type must be selected.  Various court rules, required information and forms must be complied with.

The guardianship process requires doctor’s reports and an investigation into the finances and health of the alleged incapacitated person. As part of the process, the Superior Court judge appoints an independent attorney to investigate these matters and to write a report.  This attorney is referred to as the court-appointed attorney.  Often, that attorney’s report carries great weight with the court.  Testimony by the doctors may be waived, or if the guardianship is disputed, there may be an adversarial hearing.  If the evidence, any testimony and the court-appointed attorney’s report indicates that the alleged incapacitated person cannot make any significant decisions as to his person or property, then a plenary guardianship may be awarded.

But this is only the first step in obtaining court-authority to sell the home of the incapacitated person, who may urgently need the anticipated net home sale proceeds to pay for long-term care.  The next step is to file a motion with the court to sell the home through the guardianship.  The court can potentially award the requested order.  Only when such an order is in place, can the home be legally sold.

Not surprisingly, this process requires additional legal work and documentation.  The guardian must show that the proposed sale is fair and reasonable and in the “best interests” of the incapacitated person. In deciding whether this standard is satisfied, the judge may consider whether the incapacitated person will ever be able to return to the home to live there independently or with the assistance of paid caregivers, provided there are sufficient funds.  The fair market value and the tax-assessed value of the home will also be considered, as will the outcome of any prior attempts to sell the property, the cost of continued homeownership, and whether the anticipated net house sale proceeds are needed to pay for long-term care. In many cases, the home must be sold as a condition of Medicaid eligibility for the former homeowner in a nursing home.

This process takes time.   In limited cases where the safety of the alleged incapacitated person is endangered, or a very good purchase offer may be lost without swift court approval, the guardianship process can be expedited in New Jersey.

The bottom line, is that when capacity is in issue, selling the home a general durable power of attorney or a real estate power of attorney is much more efficient than through a guardianship. However, selling the home through a guardianship can be done in the difficult cases where there is no legal authority in place to sell the home.

Questions, or if you need help clearing title to sell a home through a guardianship? Let Jane know.

Master Your Finances Radio Show Appearance

On By Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.In Medicaid, Radio Appearances, SECURE ActLeave a comment

Special thanks to Kurt Baker, host of the radio show “Master Your Finances,” for inviting me on his show to discuss how recent legal, economic and social changes, including the COVID-19 pandemic, can impact the finances of the elderly and disabled and their families, what you can do to protect your life savings. The segment aired on Sunday, September 13, 2020 at 9:00 AM on 107.7 FM TheBronc and is now available on demand on the Master Your Finances website.

Other topics we discussed during the segment on practical financial issues include:

  • How the SECURE Act really impacts your retirement plan and why it is very important to update estate planning for your tax-qualified retirement accounts (i.e., individual retirement accounts, 401(k)’s, 403(b)’s, 457(b)’s) 
  • Why life insurance and long term care policies are important investments in your family’s future
  • Estate planning strategies you might not have thought of, including a ROTH IRA conversion
  • How to ensure that your estate plan accomplishes what you intended 
  • Tips and traps for retirement income planning, including how the new individual retirement rollover rules affect your bottom line 
  • Health insurance tips and traps (and how to avoid them) in the event of a job loss
  • How to protect your home and your life savings while getting your loved one the best long-term care
  • How to navigate the changes to the long term care and Medicaid application process landscapes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • How the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating the mental health crisis and the important steps you can take to protect yourself and your finances if you are faced with an involuntary commitment

Medicaid and Gifts

On By Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.In Elder Law, Medicaid & GiftsLeave a comment

Medicaid in New Jersey

Medicaid will not pay for long term or home and community based care during a Medicaid penalty period. A penalty period will generally be imposed where uncompensated gifts have been made during the five years immediately preceding the filing of the Medicaid application. This period is known as the Medicaid lookback.  The length of the penalty period is computed based on the total amount of gifts during the look back period. Under the current Medicaid divisor, approximately one month of ineligibility is imposed for every $10,000 given away during the lookback period.

Many applicants are unaware that there is a rule, which applies to Medicaid applications filed in New Jersey after May 26, 2010, as well as to Medicaid applications filed in other states, including Ohio, preventing recalculation of the penalty period where some, but not all of the gifts made during the lookback period, were returned. The rule, as stated in New Jersey, is found in Medicaid Communication 10-06 and requires that the penalty period cannot be decreased for the returned gifts unless all of the assets given away have been returned.  This rule can have very harsh consequences, which are illustrated in a recent case from Ohio.

In Paczko v. Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Servs., (2017 OH 9024 (Oh. Ct. App., 8th Dist., Cuyahoga County, No. 105783, Dec. 14, 2017), an elderly woman transferred the sum of $146,122 to a trust, which would benefit her children. She later applied for Medicaid during the five year lookback period. The sum of $89,227.38 was returned from the trust to the elderly woman to pay for her care. She sought to reduce the original Medicaid penalty period computed on the total transfers during the preceding five years, by the sum of the returned gifts.  At the Board level, the Ohio Medicaid agency gave her limited for her returns, and denied her request for additional credit for all of the gifts returned. Her appeal was denied at both the Staff Hearing Officer and Court of Common Pleas levels.

While the Paczko case is not binding on the New Jersey courts, the case is a good illustration of what can happen when there is a partial return of gifts without further planning and a Medicaid application is filed within the five year lookback period. The take away from Paczko is that, in New Jersey, as in Ohio, applicants for Medicaid re well-advised to be mindful of the “no credit for partial returns” rule and to consult an attorney before filing any Medicaid application, or proceeding to a Medicaid Fair Hearing, to determine what solutions may be available.

Questions? Let Jane know.

Gifts and Medicaid: Gifting to Children and Grandchildren

On By Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.In Elder Law, Medicaid & Gifts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Gifts and Medicaid in New Jersey

Clients often ask me, can they make gifts to their children and grandchildren without a problem concerning Medicaid?  Often, what they have in mind is the $15,000 annual exclusion, which is a federal provision, not a Medicaid regulation. The $15,000 annual exclusion permits a taxpayer to give up to $15,000 away per year without being required to file a gift tax return. Married couples may split gifts and currently give up to $30,000 per person per year if they both agree.

But the federal tax rules and the Medicaid rules are “apples and oranges” in this case. Different rules apply here for Medicaid than for tax purposes. While a gift of less than $15,000 would not require a federal gift tax return, even small gifts, payments of medical and educational expenses of others, and gifts to children and grandchildren and others, of any amount, can jeopardize Medicaid coverage for long-term care for New Jersey residents.  This is because of the rules which apply during the five year Medicaid look back period. If there are any gifts made by the Medicaid applicant within the five years immediately preceding the filing of the applicant’s first Medicaid application, all of the gifts made during that five year period will be totaled and a Medicaid penalty period corresponding to the value of the total gifts will be imposed. Due to the Medicaid penalty period, Medicaid will generally deny coverage for long-term care, for a period of time corresponding to the total amount of all of the gifts made during the five years immediately prior to the filing of the Medicaid application.  Under the current New Jersey policy, even if some of the gifts are returned, the total amount of all of the gifts made during the lookback period can be subject to a Medicaid penalty period. This can have disastrous results on a Medicaid application.

For example, assume that Billy and Sue are husband and wife and they together make $92,000 in gifts to their children between February 1, 2012 and January 31, 2017. If a Medicaid application was filed for Billy in the month of February, 2017, even if $90,000 of the gifts are returned by the children back to Billy and Sue, a Medicaid penalty in the sum of $92,000 can be imposed on Billy and Sue because that was the amount of the total gifts made during the five year Medicaid look back period for Billy.

Fortunately, there are sometimes strategies available to push back against this very harsh result.  When filing any Medicaid application in New Jersey, consulting with an experienced elder law attorney is advised.

Questions? Let Jane know.

Estate Planning Check Up and the New Tax Laws

On By Jane Fearn-Zimmer, Esq.In Estate Planning, Tax ReformLeave a comment

Estate planning tax reform

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 enacted the most sweeping changes to the federal tax code since 1986. Many people assume that due to the increase in the basic exclusion amount (BEA) to $11,180,000 per individual, only the wealthiest need now estate planning. That is just not true!

Certainly, many fewer federal estate tax returns will be required to be filed. However, it is still important to periodically review your documents and your estate plan.  Most clients should review their existing wills and trusts. Particularly where a formula bequest was incorporated, the estate plan must be reviewed to ensure consistency with the client’s legacy goals.  This is due to the increase of the BEA.  The BEA functions like a sponge to limit or prevent a decedent from any federal estate tax liability at death. The BEA soaks up the decedent’s aggregated lifetime gifts and the assets remaining in the decedent’s estate at the moment of death, allowing the donor’s wealth up to the BEA limit to be transferred free of federal estate and gift taxes. Beyond the BEA, the estate will incur federal estate transfer tax liability. When the BEA was significantly lower, it was very common for estate planners to draft formula bequests, which allocated all of the decedent’s assets up to the decedent’s basic exclusion amount, to a “credit shelter trust” for the benefit of the surviving spouse and/or the descendants of the decedent. The remaining assets would pass outright to or in trust for the surviving spouse. With the doubling of the BEA and with credit shelter trusts which do not name the surviving spouse as a trust beneficiary, those estate plans will now disinherit the surviving spouse, and the surviving spouse will then be entitled to a one-third elective share of the decedent’s augmented estate in New Jersey.  The solution is to update the estate planning now, possibly with a disclaimer formula.  The new law sunsets on December 31, 2025.

At least until the new law sunsets, under the current regime, family limited partnerships remain a viable planning strategy, with the possibility of discounts for lack of marketability and lack of control. Trusts will continue to be useful for non-tax reasons, including privacy by avoiding the probate process, creditor protection, curbing spendthrift children, centralizing asset management, fostering family harmony through controlled asset disposition, and preserving a fund for a special needs beneficiary while protecting the beneficiary’s Medicaid and SSI eligibility.

Questions? Let Jane know.