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William R. Blumer Esq., CELA

Leisawitz Heller

William R. Blumer Esq., CELA

Leisawitz Heller

William R. Blumer Esq., CELA

Leisawitz Heller

William Blumer is a shareholder in the firm of Leisawitz Heller and handles a wide variety of elder law matters. These include estate planning, Medicaid planning, fiduciary and guardianship litigation, trust and estate administration and tax planning. He is the only attorney practicing in Berks County certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. He is a graduate of Bucknell University (B.A.), the Dickinson School of Law (J.D.) and Villanova University (L.L.M., taxation). He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the immediate past president of the Berks County Estate Planning Council. He is the former chairman of the board of Berks Encore and teaches a course for Berks Encore on fiduciary service for those acting as agents under powers of attorney and court-appointed guardians. He is a frequent speaker on elder law issues and is a past instructor in elder law for Penn State University's paralegal program.  Currently, Bill serves as a trustee of the Berks Community Trust, a pooled supplemental needs trust for individuals with disabilities.

Firm Description

Our firm provides a variety of elder law services. These include Medicaid planning, preparation of wills and trusts, tax planning, estate and trust administration, will contests and trust litigation, guardianships and planning for distributions from qualified retirement plans.  I have a standard $370 charge for the initial consultation and it's a lot more than a "get to know you" meeting. The purpose of a consultation is to come up with a unique plan to meet your needs. Once we’ve done that, we can usually quote a fixed cost to implement the plan.  If you engage our service the consultation fee gets applied to your invoice.  I am available for evening appointments, Saturday mornings and home visits by special arrangement.

Hours

Day From To
Monday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Tuesday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Wednesday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Thursday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM
Friday 8:00 AM 5:00 PM

Cost

What Is an Elder Law Attorney?

Main Office

2755 Century Boulevard
Wyomissing, PA 19610

On the web

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Social Media


Medicaid 101
What Medicaid Covers

In addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.

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How to Qualify for Medicaid

To be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.

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Medicaid’s Protections for Spouses

Spouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.

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What Medicaid Covers

In addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.

READ MORE
How to Qualify for Medicaid

To be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.

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Medicaid’s Protections for Spouses

Spouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.

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Medicaid Planning Strategies

Careful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.

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Estate Recovery: Can Medicaid Take My House After I’m Gone?

If steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.

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Help Qualifying and Paying for Medicaid, Or Avoiding Nursing Home Care

There are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.

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Are Adult Children Responsible for Their Parents’ Care?

Most states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.

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Applying for Medicaid

Applying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.

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Alternatives to Medicaid

Medicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.

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ElderLaw 101
Estate Planning

Distinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.

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Grandchildren

Learn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.

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Guardianship/Conservatorship

Understand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.

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Health Care Decisions

We need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.

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Estate Planning

Distinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.

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Grandchildren

Learn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.

READ MORE
Guardianship/Conservatorship

Understand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.

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Health Care Decisions

We need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.

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Long-Term Care Insurance

Understand the ins and outs of insurance to cover the high cost of nursing home care, including when to buy it, how much to buy, and which spouse should get the coverage.

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Medicare

Learn who qualifies for Medicare, what the program covers, all about Medicare Advantage, and how to supplement Medicare’s coverage.

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Retirement Planning

We explain the five phases of retirement planning, the difference between a 401(k) and an IRA, types of investments, asset diversification, the required minimum distribution rules, and more.

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Senior Living

Find out how to choose a nursing home or assisted living facility, when to fight a discharge, the rights of nursing home residents, all about reverse mortgages, and more.

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Social Security

Get a solid grounding in Social Security, including who is eligible, how to apply, spousal benefits, the taxation of benefits, how work affects payments, and SSDI and SSI.

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Special Needs Planning

Learn how a special needs trust can preserve assets for a person with disabilities without jeopardizing Medicaid and SSI, and how to plan for when caregivers are gone.

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Veterans Benefits

Explore benefits for older veterans, including the VA’s disability pension benefit, aid and attendance, and long-term care coverage for veterans and surviving spouses.

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