Areas of Practice
Peggy A. Pratscher carefully analyzes the individualized needs and objectives for each client to provide legal guidance. She is well versed in the changing needs for aging and disabled persons encompassing legal, estate and long term care planning. Planning for long term care may include different types of services that may include creation of durable legal instruments such as power of attorney, wills or trusts, and living wills; guardianships; and Medicaid eligibility and application processes.
Peggy assists clients to create plans that promote quality health care, preserve independence and dignity, legally protect valuable assets and foster successful qualification for Medicaid if and when the need arises.
Peggy Pratscher offers services in the following areas:
Special needs planning involves specialized knowledge to work with and ensure that disabled persons who have special needs are provided for. Peggy is knowledgeable and experienced in how to maintain continued eligibility for Medicaid and disability benefits while allowing supplements to be received from special needs trusts.
- Trusts for Dependent Children
- Trust for Disabled Adults or children
- Trusts with or without Medicaid paybacks
- Pooled versus unpooled trusts
- Trusts with corporate trustees versus individual trustees
Some special exempt trusts are possible for adult disabled clients who must apply to Medicaid. They must be drafted to follow the specific rules for Medicaid and they may require reimbursement to Medicaid upon the death of the recipient. In addition, the age of the recipient and the source of the funds will help to determine the issue of reimbursement and whether the trust can be individually managed or must have a corporate trustee or placed in a pooled fund.
Every adult should have a Will or some written means of transferring their property according to their wishes after death (called a “testate estate” and the person creating the Will is called the “testator”). Wills pass property that is not otherwise transferrable by beneficiary designations, through Probate Court, which is an orderly process for distribution of estate assets. Each Will should be carefully crafted according to what each client wants and according to the laws governing transfers of wealth. Even people who think they do not have much, should have a Will to make their wishes known.
- Wills
- Trusts: Individuals and couples with or without Children’s Trusts, Spousal transfers & Tax Planning
- Power of Attorney for Property, Healthcare, Mental Health
- Living Will
- Land Trusts, Transfer on Death Instruments, initial trust funding transfers
- Integration with Special Needs Trusts