MEDICAID ATTORNEY IN TAMPA, FLORIDA
Can the nursing home
take everything you’ve
saved?
Can the nursing home take
everything you’ve saved?
Not if you plan. Florida nursing home care can cost more than $10,000 a month. The right Medicaid plan can help protect your home, your savings, and your spouse — legally.
Not if you plan. Florida nursing home care can cost more than
$10,000 a month. The right Medicaid plan can help protect your
home, your savings, and your spouse — legally.
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Which of these sounds like your family?
It’s rarely too early — and often not too late. Here’s where we usually start.
What a Medicaid plan can
protect
Florida’s protections are strong, but they aren’t automatic — and one
wrong move, like selling a parent’s home or giving away money, can
undo them.
How it works
①
Free consultation
Meet at one of our offices or by video from home. Bring your questions — we’ll review where things stand.
②
A plan built for your family
We explain your options in plain English and recommend the steps that protect the most.
③
We handle the paperwork
From documents to the Medicaid application and follow-up, we take it off your plate.
MEET YOUR ATTORNEY
Michelangelo Mortellaro, Esq.
Michelangelo Mortellaro, Esq., is the founding attorney of Mortellaro Law, dedicated to helping Florida seniors and their families navigate estate planning, elder law, and asset protection. With a passion for providing peace of mind and protecting family legacies, he brings compassionate guidance and personalized solutions to every client.
What families say
Common questions
If you have a significant unpaid mortgage or lien on the property, or if you want to pass the house to multiple people, a Lady Bird deed could lead to complications. This is especially true if the potential beneficiaries do not get along and cannot cooperate to sell the property after your passing.
In such cases, a trust might be a better choice than a Lady Bird deed, as it offers more flexibility in selling the property.
Untimely Beneficiary Deaths
Lady Bird deeds do not account for beneficiaries’ descendants who might pass away before you. A living trust enables you to appoint a successor trustee and a backup beneficiary. If the backup beneficiary is a close relative, it might also help reduce property taxes.
At Mortellaro Law, our experienced attorneys provide personalized legal services to assist you in creating a Lady Bird Deed. We guide you through the entire process, starting with a thorough consultation to understand your goals. We prepare the deed in compliance with Florida laws, assist with its execution and recording, and remain available for any future questions or estate planning needs.
While Lady Bird Deeds offer many advantages, they may not be suitable in all situations. If you have a significant mortgage on the property or intend to pass the house to multiple beneficiaries who may not get along, this deed could create complications. Additionally, Lady Bird Deeds do not address issues related to beneficiaries’ descendants who may pass away before you.
Yes, a Lady Bird Deed can be advantageous for those seeking Medicaid coverage for long-term care. It allows property owners to retain their primary residence while potentially qualifying for Medicaid. Unlike traditional life estate deeds, Lady Bird Deeds are not considered asset transfers, which means they can help avoid disqualification when applying for Medicaid benefits.
The benefits of a Lady Bird Deed include:
- Retaining Control: You keep full rights to your property while you’re alive.
- Avoiding Probate: The property automatically transfers to your heirs upon your death, bypassing probate.
- Asset Protection: It can help shield your home from creditors.
- Tax Benefits: Beneficiaries may receive a step-up in basis, which can reduce capital gains tax upon selling the property.
A Lady Bird Deed, also known as an enhanced life estate deed, allows property owners to transfer their property to heirs while retaining full control during their lifetime. Unlike a traditional deed, which transfers ownership immediately, a Lady Bird Deed lets you maintain the right to sell, modify, or revoke the deed at any time without needing consent from beneficiaries.
MEET YOUR ATTORNEY
Medicaid Benefits in Florida
Medicaid is the single largest health insurance provider in the United States, covering over 65 million American citizens and other qualified individuals in all 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC), and all U.S. territories. In one of the most sweeping healthcare efforts in our nation’s history, The Social Security Act Amendments of 1965 was signed into law by President Lyndon Baines Johnson on July 30, 1965. In this landmark legislation, the U.S. federal government partnered with state governments to provide coverage for basic health care.
This historic partnership requires states to provide certain mandatory benefits and allows states the choice of covering other optional benefits. States establish and administer their own Medicaid programs and determine the type, amount, duration, and scope of services that meet the framework set forth by federal guidelines. A Medicaid benefits attorney in Tampa from Mortellaro Law can explain the specifics of Florida Medicaid and eligibility requirements.
What is Covered by Florida Medicaid?
All Medicaid beneficiaries, in every state and territory, receive the following essential services:
– Care provided in community health centers and rural health clinics
– Care provided in nursing facilities for people 21 years of age and older
– Care provided by physicians, nurse midwives, and nurse practitioners
– Early and periodic screening, diagnostic, and treatment (EPSDT) services
– Family planning services and supplies
– Home health care for people eligible for nursing facility services
– Laboratory and imaging services
– Transportation for medical reasons
In Florida, Medicaid recipients receive benefits through one or more parts of the Statewide Medicaid Managed Care program. This program includes:
Who is Eligible for Florida Medicaid? How Our Medicaid Attorney Can Help You.
Eligibility requirements for Florida Medicaid include residency in the State of Florida, United States citizenship or meeting certain immigration status, a need for health insurance assistance, being aged 65 or older, being pregnant or having a child under 18, being blind or disabled or having a parent, spouse, or child in your household who is blind or disabled, and having a household income determined to be at or below the current federal poverty level.
The Florida Medicaid eligibility process can be complicated, as can the application process. Michelangelo Mortellaro, Esq., is an experienced Medicaid Benefits Attorney in Tampa who can help you determine Medicaid eligibility and provide assistance with completing the application process. If you have applied for Florida Medicaid and your application has been denied for any reason, call Mortellaro Law today for a thorough review of your case and application.
Michelangelo Mortellaro is a talented and knowledgeable Medicaid Attorney in Tampa FL who can explain how to best reapply for Medicaid coverage, including any information that details problems you have or assistance you may need with the activities of daily living, or other important factors that can help you qualify.
Protect what you’ve worked for.
Give us a call at 813-367-1500 or fill out the following form to get in touch with one of our representatives.
We’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
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