• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Dental Practice Law
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Medicaid and Elder Law
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Carmel, Indiana Elder Resources
        • Fishers Indiana Elder Law Resources
        • Greenfield, Indiana Elder Law Resources
        • Greenwood Elder Resources
        • Indianapolis Elder Law Resources
        • Lawrence Elder Law Resources
        • Plainfield Elder Resources
        • Zionsville Elder Law Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning for Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
        • Business Succession Planning
      • Elder Abuse
      • Elder Law
        • Medicaid
        • Medicaid Planning
        • Planning for Long-Term Care
      • Estate Planning
        • Avoiding Estate Taxes
        • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
        • LGBTQ Estate Planning
        • Women and the Need for Estate Planning
      • Financial Planning
      • Incapacity Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Philanthropy in Your Estate Plan
      • Probate
      • Power of Attorney
      • Small Estate Administration
      • Trusts
        • Trust Administration
        • Trust Administration
        • Serving as Executor
      • Understanding Your Social Security Retirement Benefits
      • Wills
        • Contesting a Will
    • Newsletter
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss Of A Loved One
      • Probate Resources
        • Carmel, Indiana Probate Resources
        • Greenfield Probate
        • Greenwood Probate
        • Indianapolis Probate
        • Plainfield Probate
        • Indiana Probate
        • Zionsville Probate
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • Areas We Serve
    • Boone County
      • Lebanon
      • Zionsville
    • Hamilton County
      • Carmel
      • Fishers
    • Hancock County
      • Greenfield
    • Hendricks County
      • Brownsburg
      • Plainfield
    • Johnson County
      • Franklin, Indiana
      • Greenwood
    • Marion County
      • Central Indiana
      • Indianapolis
  • Blog
  • Contact Us

Frank & Kraft, Attorneys at Law

Indianapolis Estate Planning Attorneys

CONNECT WITH US TODAY(317) 684-1100

Attend a Free Workshop
Home » Disabled Citizens Needs Unmet in Indiana

Disabled Citizens Needs Unmet in Indiana

November 16, 2017Elder Law

Indiana elder law attorney

An elder law attorney provides help with many of the issues that matter most to protecting your family and protecting your assets. One of the services offered by elder law lawyers is disability planning. With help from attorneys at Frank & Kraft, you can plan ahead in case you become disabled. You can also make appropriate plans to provide financial support and assistance to a loved one in your life who is disabled. 

Many people with special need rely on government benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income – both of which are means tested. While you may want to provide a financial gift to a disabled person because these benefits are often inadequate to maintain the highest quality of life, giving a gift could cause a loss of access to these needs-based programs.

An elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft works with you to structure your financial gift in an appropriate way so money and assets don’t count as disqualifying resources even as they enhance the options available to a disabled person.

Making plans to provide for a person with disabilities who you care about is very important because, as Indy Star explains, the needs of disabled citizens are not being met in Indiana.

The Needs of Seniors are Not Being Met

According to the Indy Star, many older people and many disabled people have indicated they want to age in their own homes rather than moving to institutional environments. In response to the growing demand for home-care services, Indiana has worked to develop better community-based services. The state has also expanded the reach of managed home healthcare services being provided. However, even with these efforts, older adults and people with disabilities are not receiving sufficient support or the services that they need.

One example of a patient who has been poorly served is a quadriplegic who was featured in an article in Indy Star. She wants to return to her own home, but while there are 80 licensed home health care agencies that could potentially provide her with services that would allow her to live independently, these health agencies indicate that she does not have the resources to afford the costs of the home care that she needs. It would cost less to care for the patient at home than it costs to keep her in a nursing home, but the state is not willing to provide funding to those who could provide the home-care she needs and the agency claims they do not have the workers to offer this care.

A lawsuit was filed on behalf of this patient against the Family and Social Services Administration in Indiana. The claim alleges that this Administration has failed to provide a suitable network of care providers to offer coverage under the patient’s Medicaid long-term plan of care. In other words, the patient’s plan is not being respected because The Family and Social Services Administration is not giving the patient enough choices in caregivers who could care for her at home and whose services would be covered.

The lawsuit against the Family and Social Services Administration also alleges that the patient is being discriminated against in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The goal is to get the patient home as soon as possible after she was moved to a nursing home against her will, and a preliminary injunction has been sought to force the state to provide services that the patient needs through the Family and Social Services Administration.

It remains to be seen what the outcome of this case will be, but unfortunately, this is just one of many examples of how disabled patients are often not able to take full advantage of the services that would provide them with the best quality of life.

Getting Help from An Elder Law Attorney

An elder law attorney at Frank & Kraft can assist you if you want to make sure that a loved one in your life with a disability is provided for or if you want to plan ahead to protect yourself in case you some day become disabled. To find out more about the disability services our legal team can provide, join us for a free seminar. You can also give us a call at 317-684-1100 or contact us online to find out more about how an elder law attorney can assist you.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Paul A. Kraft, Estate Planning Attorney
Paul A. Kraft, Estate Planning Attorney
Paul Kraft is Co-Founder and the senior Principal of Frank & Kraft, one of the leading law firms in Indiana in the area of estate planning as well as business and tax planning.

Mr. Kraft assists clients primarily in the areas of estate planning and administration, Medicaid planning, federal and state taxation, real estate and corporate law, bringing the added perspective of an accounting background to his work.
Paul A. Kraft, Estate Planning Attorney
Latest posts by Paul A. Kraft, Estate Planning Attorney (see all)
  • Updated Federal Gift and Estate Tax Figures for 2023 - January 26, 2023
  • Why Estate Planning Is Important for Multi-National Couples - January 24, 2023
  • When Do I Need to Update a Trust Agreement? - January 19, 2023

Other Articles You May Find Useful

caregiver
What You Need to Know If You Are a Caregiver
Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
November is Alzheimer’s Awareness Month
Indianapolis elder law attorneys
A Pre-Paid Funeral Plan Might Not Be a Wise Choice
Indianapolis elder law attorney
How to Find the Right Caregiver for a Parent
Indianapolis elder law attorneys
What You Need to Know about Elder Financial Exploitation
Indianapolis elder law attorneys
What Options Are Available for Elder Care?

Primary Sidebar

Frank & Kraft, Attorneys at Law

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube

Blog Subscription

Where We Are

Frank & Kraft Attorneys at Law
135 N. Pennsylvania Street Suite 1100
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2485
Phone: (317) 684-1100
Fax: (317) 684-6111

See Larger MapGet directions

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Map

frankkraft_sidbr_map

Footer

  • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
  • About The American Academy
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
footer-logo

Frank & Kraft Attorneys at Law
Attorney Advertisement

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.

© 2023 · American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc. | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Contact Us