Willis Law Group helps Westchester County, New York individuals and families organize estate plans, prepare for incapacity, and address Medicaid and long-term care questions. Start with the decision in front of you: updating documents, arranging a parent’s care, or handling an estate after a death.
Michael T. Willis, Esq. is admitted in New York and New Jersey and brings 25 years of legal experience. Our review connects your family’s goals with the documents, ownership arrangements, and New York rules that matter to the proposed work.
Request a Westchester County initial meeting and identify your main concern, the person’s residence, and any care, agency, or court deadline.
Explore New York guidance: Medicaid planning and applications · Care and family planning situations · Common Westchester questions
Build an Estate Plan Around the Decisions Your Family May Face
A plan should address more than who inherits. We review who may manage financial affairs, who may make health care decisions, how property is owned, and whether beneficiary designations support your wishes. Existing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health care proxies are important starting points, especially after a move, family change, or change in health.
- Planning for incapacity: discuss the people you trust, the decisions they may need to make, and the authority your documents provide.
- Coordinating property: identify real estate, accounts, retirement benefits, insurance, and any business interests.
- Considering a trust: review its purpose, proposed funding, administration, and effect on broader care and family goals.
Explore New York powers of attorney and health care planning for financial authority, medical decision-making, existing-document review, and meeting preparation.
Review New York wills, trusts, and estate-planning steps, including trust funding, beneficiary coordination, and the questions to ask before retaining counsel. Considering a trust for future care? Review New York Medicaid trust planning, retained rights, and funding.
Medicaid and Long-Term Care Planning in Westchester
Tell us whether care is needed at home, during a transition from rehabilitation, or in a nursing facility. We can review the applicant’s finances, a spouse’s situation, past transactions, existing trusts, and the status of any benefits application. Financial eligibility and care-assessment questions must be evaluated for the New York program involved.
New York’s official Medicaid application guidance explains that the correct application route depends on eligibility category. The Westchester County Department of Social Services is a local resource for benefits and application information. Confirm the appropriate unit before submitting documents.
For a pending application, bring the complete request or decision notice, the response date, and the records already submitted. We explain potential issues and the proposed scope of representation before accepting the matter. Fees, follow-up responsibilities, and any covered reapplication work belong in the written agreement. No eligibility result or agency turnaround is guaranteed.
New York Planning for Families With New Jersey Connections
If a parent lives in Westchester while a child lives in New Jersey, or the family owns property in both states, the planning review should account for those connections. Tell us about a possible move before changing ownership or assuming an existing plan will meet a new care need. Our New Jersey Medicaid pages describe that state’s program and should not be read as New York eligibility instructions.
Probate and Estate Questions After a Death
An executor or family member may need help identifying property, understanding existing documents, and reviewing court correspondence. The Westchester County Surrogate’s Court provides official local court information. We can discuss your role, the estate’s circumstances, and the legal assistance that may be needed.
Planning Questions for Westchester Homeowners and Caregivers
How does the home fit into a long-term care plan?
Start with the deed, mortgage, estimated equity, and the names of anyone living in the property. Explain whether the goal is to remain there, preserve housing for a spouse, or prepare for a possible move. We review ownership and care goals together before discussing a deed change or trust.
What if much of the family’s savings is in retirement accounts?
Bring account statements, beneficiary designations, and information about distributions. An account’s title and payment arrangements matter to the analysis; do not liquidate or transfer retirement savings simply because a balance appears too high. The Medicaid review and estate plan should account for the same assets.
What if an adult child is coordinating care from another state?
Identify who can speak with providers, obtain financial records, and participate in planning. Bring existing authority documents and explain where each person lives. We can then discuss the legal work and participation arrangements appropriate to the matter.
Explore New York Medicaid planning and application guidance, including home-care and nursing-home questions, document preparation, and pending agency requests.
Make Your Decision-Making Documents Work Together
A New York health care proxy lets you appoint an agent for health care decisions if you cannot make them yourself; it does not authorize financial decisions. Financial authority needs separate review. Bring your power of attorney as well as your health care documents so we can examine the roles, named decision makers, and proposed transactions.
Also identify where the originals are kept and whether the people you have chosen know their responsibilities. A document review is an opportunity to connect legal authority with practical access to the records and institutions involved.
Questions About Working With Us in Westchester
Do you have a Westchester office?
Our current New York meeting location is in Pearl River, Rockland County, by appointment only. Contact our team about your Westchester matter to arrange a meeting and confirm the location before traveling.
Can we review an existing plan rather than start over?
Yes. Bring the full documents, amendments, property information, and beneficiary designations. Explain what has changed, such as a move, death, marriage, diagnosis, or new care need. We explain which issues need attention and the proposed scope before you decide to proceed.
What if Medicaid has already requested more information?
Bring the complete request and the date a response is due, along with the application and records already supplied. We review the status and explain what additional work may be needed. Do not assume that requesting a meeting extends the agency’s deadline.
What to Bring and What Happens Next
For the initial meeting, gather your existing planning documents, an outline of assets and debts, relevant care information, and any benefits or court notices. Identify who can participate and which records are missing. Avoid sending confidential records through the public inquiry form; ask our team how to provide them.
We explain the issues requiring review, proposed work, fees, and next steps so you can make an informed decision. Contact Willis Law Group about your Westchester matter. Explore our locations and service areas for related regional guidance.