Elder Law, Estate Planning, Wills, Trusts, Medicare, Medicaid, Planning for Non-Traditional Families

Serving Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hernando Counties

Attorney Information
While all lawyers are allowed to advertise, only certified attorneys are allowed to identify themselves as “Florida Bar Board Certified” or as a “specialist.” Certification is the highest level of recognition by The Florida Bar of the competency and experience of attorneys in the areas of law approved for certification by the state Supreme Court. Find out more about Board Certification here http://www.floridabar.org/DIVCOM/PI/CertSect.nsf/CertificationPamphlets/Elder+Law?opendocument.

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys http://www.naela.org/.

Academy of Florida Elder Law Attorneys http://afela.org/.

The Florida Bar Elder Law Section also has valuable information regarding Elder Law and Elder Law Attorneys

http://www.eldersection.org/.

Nursing Homes and Assisted Living
You can use this nursing home guide to find a Nursing Home and see descriptive information about the facility, as well as the facility’s performance on past inspections. http://apps.ahca.myflorida.com/nhcguide/GuideIntro.aspx.

Assisted Living Facility Information can be found at http://www.floridaaffordableassistedliving.com/.

Special Information for Veterans
The Veterans Administration offers special benefits and programs for veterans and their families. Visit  http://va.gov/.

The complete Veterans benefits guide and handbook are available at http://www.va.gov/opa/publications/benefits_book.asp.

Other Resources for Seniors
If you or someone you know is being exploited or abused please be sure to call the Elder Abuse Hotline at (800) 962-2873 or report the situation at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/programs/abuse/.

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs http://elderaffairs.state.fl.us/.

The Medicare web site will help you learn about your insurance benefits. http://www.medicare.gov/default.aspx.

The Social Security Administration can answer questions about retirement, disability and survivors benefits. http://ssa.gov/.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services offers information on all the different programs available through Medicare and Medicaid. http://www.cms.gov/default.asp.