Washington Elder Law

Serving Clients in Bellevue and the Surrounding Area

Our elder law practice is focused on you

Gregorek and Associates, PLLC is committed to protecting our seniors and assisting with the issues that affect the fast-growing aging population. We welcome our elder law clients and offer a friendly and productive atmosphere where often difficult decisions can be made in the confidence of a seasoned team that includes an experienced elder law attorney and tax professionals.

Everyone faces the question of how to pay for long-term care and still protect a nest egg that they have worked so hard for. We provide sound counsel so you can make the right legal, financial and care decisions for your specific set of circumstances. We help our clients:

• Identify the level of care needed for yourself or a loved one
• Locate appropriate care facilities
• Educate you and your family on your options
• Protect your assets
• Advise and assist with private and public resources such as Medicaid, Medicare and Veterans Pension Benefits
• Set up special needs trusts or guardianships

Helping Washington seniors with Medicaid planning, guardianships and special needs trusts

Bellevue elder law attorney Richard J. Gregorek compassionately and skillfully develops strategies to give you peace of mind when it comes to long-term care and Medicaid planning. The costs for long-term care in nursing homes can be covered at your own expense, through a long-term care insurance policy or through Medicaid. We navigate you through the Medicaid eligibility process.

For those who are qualified for nursing homes in Washington State but choose to live at home, Medicaid will pay for daily care services even from family members if they can be obtained at a lower cost. The waivers that enable this include:

• The Community Options Program Entry System Waiver (COPES) ― Eligibility requires needing assistance with two daily living activities and financially qualifying for Medicaid.
• Medicaid Personal Care (MPC) ― Requires needing assistance with three or more daily living activities and financially qualifying for Washington’s Non-institutional, Categorically Needy Medicaid program (which has different limits from standard Medicaid).

Guardianships ― When an elderly person becomes incapacitated by a serious illness, the care provider may need to go to court to be appointed to make financial, legal and healthcare decisions. This appointee is called a conservator or guardian, and the legal proceedings are called conservatorship or guardianship hearings. This responsibility includes making sure seniors receive all the financial benefits they are entitled to including Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Medicare, Medicaid, disability, insurance and pensions.

Special needs trusts ― These trusts provide money for the “special needs” of a person as a supplement to the assistance received from a need-based government program.

Contact an elder law attorney who goes the extra mile

When you need assistance with long-term care planning, call Gregorek and Associates, PLLC at 425.284.3450 or contact us online to discuss how we can help.