Guardian Trust

Congratulations to Co-Trustee Kole Long on becoming Board Certified in Elder Law. Kole joins only 113 other Florida lawyers to hold this distinction. Board Certification recognizes attorneys’ special knowledge, skills and proficiency in various areas of law and professionalism and ethics in practice. Approximately 7% of all Florida lawyers are Board Certified in any specialty. In addition to serving as Co-Trustee for Guardian Trust, Kole is a practicing attorney with Special Needs Lawyers, PA which is the only law firm with 4 Florida Bar Board Certified Elder Law Attorneys. Help us to congratulate Kole for achieving this commendable honor!

Many of our referral sources and beneficiaries have inquired as to the effect the recent stimulus checks will have on their or their client’s benefits. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has stated that the stimulus checks will not be considered income for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. The stimulus checks will be excluded as a resource for 12 months from receipt by the SSI recipient. This is also the case for Florida’s Medicaid programs. More information can be found at ssa.gov/coronavirus . The Department of Children and Families (DCF) is also making accommodations for Medicaid applicants and recipients due to the Corona virus pandemic. A complete list of those accomodations can be found at https://www.myflfamilies.com/covid19/access.shtml .  In particular, DCF will maintain eligibility for all current recipients through the end of the state of emergency. Meaning no recipient will lose their benefits during this time. DCF has also extended ce

Attorney and Co-Trustee Travis D. Finchum had the pleasure of speaking with the members of the Elder Law section of the Jacksonville Bar Association on Tuesday, February 11, 2020. He was asked to present on Special Needs Trusts and various Medicaid planning strategies.