Medicaid Planning Lawyer in Troy, MI

Troy’s Only Medicaid Team with Nine Years Inside MDHHS

Long-term care is one of the largest financial risks Michigan families face as parents, grandparents, or spouses age. Nursing homes, assisted living, adult foster care, and in-home services can quickly deplete a lifetime of savings without careful preparation.

Medicaid may help cover those costs, but qualifying isn’t simple. Michigan Medicaid has strict financial eligibility rules, asset limits, look-back periods, and application requirements that confuse even well-prepared families.

At Axis Estate Planning, we help clients access the care they need while preserving what they’ve worked so hard to build. We take time to review your full financial picture, explain how Michigan law treats different types of assets, and coordinate your long-term care planning with your broader estate planning goals so everything works together rather than at cross-purposes.

Call (248) 290-8306 or contact us online to schedule a consultation. Appointments are available in-office, virtually, or in the convenience of your home.

Why Medicaid Planning Matters More Than Most Families Realize

Many families come to us after being told they must “spend everything down” before qualifying for Medicaid. Others are shocked to learn they may be denied simply because they saved responsibly throughout their lives.

Stefanie Osborne, our Medicaid Services Director, spent nine years as a Medicaid Eligibility Specialist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Inside MDHHS, she saw firsthand how hard-working families were denied benefits or penalized for doing everything right. When her own father was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia and needed care, she applied that professional knowledge to protect her family from financial devastation. That experience drives our mission to help Oakland County families find better solutions while protecting what they’ve built.

Families often face urgent questions and serious misinformation when long-term care becomes necessary. Common concerns include:

• The high cost of nursing homes or in-home care, which can quickly drain a lifetime of savings
• Complex Medicaid eligibility rules that vary depending on the type of care required and can lead to delays or denials if handled incorrectly
• Protecting the assets of a healthy spouse while qualifying the spouse in need of care under Michigan Medicaid rules
• Properly timing a Medicaid application to avoid penalties under the five-year look-back period and prevent costly disqualification periods

With the right legal guidance, many assets can be preserved legally and ethically. Families in Oakland County often feel added pressure because decisions about nursing home placement must be made quickly when a health crisis hits. We help you understand how your choices about facility type, timing of admission, and payment sources affect Medicaid eligibility so you can make informed decisions rather than react under pressure.

Our Medicaid Planning Services

Medicaid planning requires more than filling out paperwork, especially when a family is facing a long-term care crisis. When we work with a family, we gather detailed information about income, assets, family dynamics, and care needs to design a plan that fits both current and future circumstances. Every situation is different, and no strategy is one-size-fits-all.

We help individuals and families with:

• Medicaid pre-planning, which allows clients to preserve assets and maintain eligibility before care is needed. This approach can also protect spouses, children, and long-term financial stability.
• Crisis planning, which may still allow families to qualify for benefits even when care is needed immediately. Many clients are surprised to learn legal options remain available in urgent situations.
• Medicaid application assistance, ensuring documentation is complete, accurate, and submitted correctly to reduce the risk of unnecessary delays or denials.
• Asset protection strategies, including trusts and other legal tools designed to safeguard savings while complying with Michigan Medicaid rules. These strategies must be carefully structured to avoid penalties.
• Spousal protections and estate recovery planning, helping families take advantage of the safe harbors created by Congress to help prevent the healthy spouse from being financially devastated.

We coordinate our legal strategies with financial advisors, care coordinators, and providers when appropriate, so your legal plan supports the care plan your medical team recommends.

Coordinating Medicaid with Other Estate Planning Tools

Many families already have wills, living trusts, or beneficiary designations in place and aren’t sure how Medicaid planning affects those documents. We review your existing estate plan to identify conflicts, gaps, or outdated provisions so your long-term care strategy doesn’t unintentionally undo your wishes. Aligning your Medicaid plan with your broader estate plan helps you maintain control over who receives your assets while working within Michigan’s eligibility rules.

We also explain how tools like durable powers of attorney and patient advocate designations work in real situations, such as hospitalizations or moves into assisted living. These documents make it easier for trusted family members to communicate with providers, manage finances, and respond quickly when MDHHS requests additional information. Proper coordination reduces delays, confusion, and family conflict during an already difficult time. We serve families dealing with facilities, providers, and courts throughout Oakland County, including matters involving the Oakland County Probate Court in Pontiac.

Common Medicaid Myths Michigan Families Believe

Michigan Medicaid rules are more flexible than most families realize when strategies are applied correctly. Here are three myths that lead families to make costly mistakes.

• Myth: “You must have less than $2,000 to qualify.” Michigan raised the single-applicant countable asset limit to $9,950 (as of 2026, subject to annual adjustment). The old $2,000 figure no longer applies, and with proper planning, many assets can be preserved well beyond that threshold.
• Myth: “I’m too wealthy to qualify.” Even individuals with significant savings may still qualify through strategic planning. Without guidance, long-term care costs can quickly consume an estate regardless of its size.
• Myth: “It’s too late to plan.” Crisis planning options may still exist even when care is needed immediately. The strategies differ from advance planning and require prompt action, but moving quickly with the right legal support can make a significant difference.

Medicaid Mistakes to Avoid

The following missteps can delay approval, trigger penalty periods, or cost a family far more than expected. Avoiding them starts with consulting a Medicaid planning attorney before taking action.

• Submitting a Medicaid application before consulting with an elder law attorney
• Submitting a Medicaid application either too early or too late
• Assuming a living trust will automatically protect assets from Medicaid; it generally won’t unless structured as a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust funded well before the look-back window
• Assuming an existing annuity will protect assets from Medicaid without proper structuring
• Attempting to hide assets from MDHHS
• Giving away assets prematurely or without a coordinated plan, which can trigger look-back penalties
• Ignoring the safe harbors created by Congress that protect certain transfers
• Failing to take advantage of protections for the spouse of a nursing home resident
• Failing to prepare for Michigan’s Medicaid estate recovery program

Why Troy Families Choose Axis Estate Planning

Medicaid planning requires experience, creativity, and compassion, especially when families are navigating emotionally difficult decisions alongside financial ones. What sets our team apart is a combination of direct attorney involvement and state-system knowledge that few Troy-area firms can match.

Attorney Involvement and Direct Access
Attorney Victor Veprauskas personally guides clients through the Medicaid planning process, answers his phone directly, and works with each client from start to finish. Our background in litigation and commercial law gives us a deeper understanding of how to protect assets and anticipate disputes before they arise.

MDHHS Insider Perspective
Stefanie Osborne brings nine years of experience as an MDHHS Medicaid Eligibility Specialist, giving our team operational knowledge of how the department reviews applications, flags transfers, and calculates penalty periods. That combination of legal strategy and state-system fluency is something few Troy-area Medicaid planning attorneys can offer.

Local Presence and Flexible Meetings
We’re based in Troy and regularly assist families dealing with facilities, providers, and courts throughout Oakland County, including the Oakland County Probate Court in Pontiac. Whether we meet in our office, virtually, or in your home, we stay with you through every step of the process.

Call (248) 290-8306 or contact us online to speak with our Troy Medicaid planning team today.