Online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Mr. Miller has many years of experience in designing and implementing a comprehensive variety of Trusts, Wills, and other estate planning documents, as well as settling estates in the most expedient and appropriate method. Further, he counsels and assists clients on becoming eligible for VA benefits and Medi-Cal.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been active in the area of VA Pension and Medi-Cal for well over a decade. He uses various specialized types of Trusts as well as non-trust strategies to gain eligibility for his clients and save the family money.
Learn moreMr. Miller has been settling estates (both simple and complex) for well over 40 years. The starting point is always to create a strategy to settle the estate in the most efficient manner possible with a minimum of taxes. Often times the strategy created allows the family to bypass Probate Court proceedings.
Learn moreOn those rare occasions when we are faced with the thought of our own mortality, the idea of dying slowly is uncomfortable. Often we see spry 90 year olds and hope to be them. We assume that when their time comes, it will be easily and in their sleep, just like we imagine it will … Read more
Congress has been heating up over another hot button issue in recent days: immigration. Securing the border, the status of long-term illegal immigration, and the apparent inhumanity of many deportations has made immigration a top priority in Obama’s second term. In California, the issues of both legal and illegal immigration are particularly acute. Current estimates … Read more
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments on January 8, 2013 regarding an interesting Medicaid reimbursement case. After a person’s death, Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) will often attempt to recover some of the medical expenses spent on behalf of the Medicaid beneficiary from the estate. In a lesser known cost recovery … Read more
When Is a Couple Legally a Couple? California State Law Purposes Veterans Benefits Medi-Cal Income Tax This seems like such an easy question, but it isn’t. Why? Because it depends on for what issue one asks this question. And there are numerous issues for which one could ask this question. The most frequent areas for … Read more
Last week a tragedy in sleepy Newtown, CT rocked the nation as a killer claimed the lives of 26 people in an elementary school, his mother, and himself. The sheer atrocity of the act has brought gun control and mental health to the forefront of political debate. It should be noted that the shooter has … Read more
During the recently concluded presidential election, we were consistently reminded of how dysfunctional the relationship between Democrats and Republicans had become. With the threat of the fiscal cliff looming, it seemed especially important that we, as voters, make the right choices in the election. At stake were the estate tax, the Bush era income tax … Read more
Question Medicaid and Medi-Cal Deficit Reduction Act Look Back Period Status of California’s version of DRA California’s Current Look Back Period Conclusion Question: What is the status of Medi-Cal and any drastic changes. I have heard that there is a 5 year look back period but then others tell me there is only a 36 … Read more
For many elderly individuals, the possibility of requiring a skilled nursing facility either for long-term care or following a health crisis is a very real concern. Skilled nursing tends to be very expensive; when it is required for long-term care, it can be financially devastating. Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) provides some of the funding necessary … Read more
The state of California has a number of health care programs designed to help the elderly (Medicare) and low income individuals and seniors (MediCal). Among the programs is Healthy Families, which helps insure approximately 860,000 children around the state. The program is currently helping children who do not come from impoverished families, but do come … Read more
As the election cycle continues, Governor Mitt Romney has been increasingly pressed to clarify his position on Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California). President Obama’s position, of course, is to expand Medicaid eligibility under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. For most of the election, Governor Romney’s position has been overturning Obamacare. … Read more
About Living Trusts is hosted by the Law Offices of Merwyn J. Miller, as your online resource center to help you explore these key issues, and others, regarding your estate.
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother is 82 and still lives alone. Over the last year, she has become noticeably more forgetful. She repeats stories, sometimes f...
Dear Mr. Miller: My mother passed away recently, and I have been named the Successor Trustee of her trust. I expected to be sad after losing her, but ...
Dear Mr. Miller: About ten years ago, my husband and I paid an attorney to create a Living Trust. We signed all the documents and put them in a safe p...
