Elder Law | Virginia Beach Elder Law Attorneys

Somewhere between being the child and becoming the decision-maker, the ground shifts. Suddenly, you’re the one asking a doctor to explain “activities of daily living,” or wondering whether a parent’s savings will cover the assisted living care they clearly need. Elder law lives in that in-between space, and the families who come to us are usually navigating it for the first time, often while managing a job, their own kids, and a parent who isn’t always ready to accept help.

At Alperin Law & Wealth, our Virginia Beach elder law attorneys have sat across the table from enough of these conversations to know that good legal advice has to account for the whole person, not just the paperwork. That’s why we don’t hand you off between a lawyer for the legal work, a separate advisor for the money, and a stranger to help you find a care facility. Our attorneys work alongside an in-house life care planning coordinator and our tax and wealth management teams, so protecting a parent’s assets, pursuing the benefits they’ve earned, and finding the right care happen as one coordinated effort instead of three disconnected ones.

You don’t need to have all the answers before you call us, and you don’t need to feel guilty about decisions you haven’t made yet. We’ll ask the right questions, explain your options in plain language, and help you move forward at a pace that makes sense for your family.

Who We Help
How Our Elder Law Attorneys Can Help
You Don't Have to Face Long-Term Care Needs Alone

Who We Help

Elder law planning looks different depending on where you are in the journey, so we tailor your plan instead of starting from a template. Here is how we typically help the families and individuals we work with.

Families Caring for Aging Parents

If you’re helping a parent navigate declining health or a move into assisted living, you’re likely juggling medical decisions, finances, and family dynamics all at once. We help families caring for aging parents put legal authority, benefit applications, and a care plan in place before a crisis forces the decision.

Families Facing a Long-Term Care Crisis

If a parent or spouse already needs nursing home care, it can feel like the planning window has closed. It hasn’t. We help families facing a long-term care crisis protect what assets can still be protected while moving quickly to pursue the benefits needed to pay for care.

Retirees and Individuals Planning Ahead

If you’re planning for your own future rather than a parent’s, the best time to protect your assets from long-term care costs is before you need care at all. We help retirees and individuals planning ahead put Medicaid-compliant trusts, powers of attorney, and long-term care strategies in place while every option is still available.

Veterans and Their Families

If you or your spouse served, you may be entitled to a pension benefit that helps pay for in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home costs. We help veterans and their families pursue VA Aid and Attendance benefits alongside Medicaid planning so you can access the resources you’ve earned.

How Our Elder Law Attorneys Can Help

Whatever your needs are as you look towards the future for yourself or your parents, Alperin Law & Wealth has the legal services to support you.

Life Care Planning

Life care planning is a cutting-edge approach to long-term care planning that bridges the gap between elder law and the practical assistance that our clients often need, and we’re proud to offer this service. While our attorneys will see to the estate planning and asset protection piece, our elder care coordinator will assess your needs for care and identify the benefits and resources that can help you. Our life care planning team will even help you sell your house and find the perfect assisted-living situation for you or your loved one.

Medicaid Planning

You may be surprised to learn that you could qualify for Medicaid to pay for a nursing home or other long-term care facility, regardless of your earnings and assets. Our team can help you navigate the Medicaid process as we develop a plan that will allow you to afford a quality nursing home while protecting the assets you have worked so hard for.

Veterans Pension Benefits

The Aid & Attendance benefit can help eligible veterans pay for in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home costs. It is a pension benefit, so veterans don’t need to have a service-related injury to qualify. However, they must meet certain income and medical requirements.

You Don't Have to Face Long-Term Care Needs Alone

Whether you're helping a parent adjust to a health change, weighing the cost of assisted living, or thinking ahead to protect your own independence, our elder law attorneys are ready to listen and help you build a plan that fits your unique needs. Schedule your confidential discovery meeting today. Alperin Law & Wealth serves communities throughout Eastern Virginia, including Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Newport News, Isle of Wight County, Hampton, and the Eastern Shore.

FAQ About Elder Law

What is elder law, and how is it different from estate planning?

Estate planning generally focuses on what happens to your assets after you pass away, while elder law focuses on protecting your assets, your access to care, and your independence while you're still alive. Because the two overlap so much, it helps to see how elder law and estate planning compare side by side, and most people benefit from addressing both at the same time.

When should I start elder law planning for myself or a parent?

The earlier, the better. Advance planning gives you access to strategies, like certain trusts, that aren't available once a care need becomes urgent, which is why families often start building the ideal long-term care plan years before it's needed. That said, planning can still help even if a parent or spouse already needs care, so it's worth talking to an elder law attorney no matter where you are in the process.

Can Medicaid planning really help me avoid losing my life savings to a nursing home?

In many cases, yes. Medicaid has rules that allow certain assets to be protected or transferred under the right circumstances, and the right strategy can help you avoid going broke in a nursing home while still qualifying for benefits.

What is the Medicaid look-back period, and how does it affect my planning options?

Medicaid reviews financial transactions made during a set period before you apply, and transfers made during that time can delay your eligibility. This is one of the biggest reasons advance planning matters — it's easy to make mistakes in qualifying for long-term care Medicaid without realizing it until an application is denied. The earlier you start, the more options you have for protecting assets without running into look-back penalties.

What is VA Aid and Attendance, and who qualifies?

Aid and Attendance is a pension benefit that can help eligible veterans and surviving spouses pay for in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home costs. Veterans don't need a service-related injury to qualify for VA Aid and Attendance pension benefits, but they do need to meet certain income, asset, and medical requirements, which our attorneys can help you navigate.

What happens if my parent can no longer make their own medical or financial decisions?

If your parent doesn't have documents like a power of attorney or advance medical directive in place, you may need to petition the court for guardianship or conservatorship to gain the legal authority to act on their behalf. Putting these documents in place before that happens helps your family avoid living probate, giving you more control and preventing added cost and delay.

How is life care planning different from traditional elder law services?

Traditional elder law services focus on the legal and financial side of aging, such as asset protection and benefits planning. Life care planning adds a coordinator who assesses your care needs directly and helps you find and evaluate resources like in-home care and assisted living, so your legal plan and your care plan work together.

Can elder law planning still help if we're already facing a long-term care crisis?

Yes. While advance planning offers the most options, our elder law attorneys can also help

families who are already navigating a care crisis identify what assets can still be protected and move quickly to pursue Medicaid or veterans benefits to help pay for care. If you're weighing your options right now, our answers to common Medicaid planning questions are a good place to start.

Protecting Dignity and Independence — Virginia Beach Elder Law Attorneys

Table of Contents