At Brumbaugh Law Firm, we help Ohio families plan for long-term care so a nursing home stay does not quietly drain the savings built over a lifetime.
Michael Brumbaugh has guided families through these decisions since 2002, and the firm is a BBB Accredited Business with an A+ rating and Michael is a member of Ohio NAELA, the state chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.
Long-term care planning is the legal work of getting a person’s assets, documents, and care arrangements in order before or during a nursing home, assisted living, or in-home care need. It usually involves Medicaid planning. Oftentimes, a simple will does nothing to address any of that.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, roughly 17.6% of Ohio’s population was 65 or older as of the 2020 Census, and Erie County skews older still. Many families only call after a fall or a diagnosis, and even then there are usually options worth knowing about.
We start by explaining your choices, not by selling you documents.
What People Say About Brumbaugh Law Firm
“We were going to lose our house, cars, everything… we were able to keep our house and cars.” John W
“They walked us through every Medicare hoop with patience, kindness, and true compassion, turning what felt like an overwhelming process into something we could actually understand.” Terra U. (2026)
“We both feel a lot better and relieved that everything will be taken care of as we get older. A huge burden off of our shoulders and our children’s plates.” James & Linda T.
“We attended the group 3 Secrets to Estate Planning, and the Blueprint session. My husband and I both found Michael Brumbaugh very informative and personable.” Susan M. (2026)
“Everyone there went out of their way to make things pleasant… Even today, I know if I should ever need further assistance, I can call and be treated wonderfully well.” Karen B
Why Clients Come To Brumbaugh Law Firm
Education Before Any Commitment
Our free workshop, “3 Secrets of Estate Planning and Asset Protection,” explains your choices before you decide anything. Cost conversations happen upfront, so nothing about the process is a surprise.
Steady Help In A Medicaid Crisis
If a parent has already fallen, entered the hospital, or moved to a nursing home, options often still exist. Medicaid has a five-year look-back period in Ohio, and understanding how it applies to your situation is the starting point.
Planning That Looks Past The Documents
A simple will does nothing to address spend-down or estate recovery. We look at health, family roles, and care costs together and build plans that work to preserve the home and savings, including strategies for shielding assets before a care need arrives.
Plans That Get Finished
Trusts get funded and deeds get recorded. Half-completed plans are the most common reason families lose protection they thought they had.
Local Roots Since 2002
More than 20+ years serving Erie County and surrounding rural counties, with BBB Accreditation, an A+ rating, Ohio NAELA membership, and a 5.0-star client rating.
Long-Term Care Attorney Services in Ohio
Brumbaugh Law Firm handles every stage of long-term care planning for Ohio families working to keep a home or farm in the family.
- Long-term care needs assessment
- Medicaid eligibility planning
- Crisis Medicaid applications
- Asset protection trusts
- Power of attorney
- Nursing home spend-down strategy
- Estate recovery protection
- Memory care legal planning
Get Trusted Legal Support Today
For straightforward legal advice and representation, contact Brumbaugh Law. Call (419) 504-4674 to schedule your consultation.
When Should My Family Start Talking To A Long-Term Care Attorney In Ohio?
The best time is before a health crisis forces a nursing home decision, because Ohio Medicaid uses a five-year look-back period on asset transfers. Property moved too close to an application can trigger a penalty, which is exactly how a family farm or home ends up on the chopping block.
Most families do not call that early, and that is okay. Plenty of first conversations happen from a hospital room after a fall, or a week after a parent moves into a facility. Options narrow in a crisis, but they rarely disappear.
A diagnosis like dementia or Parkinson’s is its own signal to call. Your parent needs to be able to understand and sign documents such as a durable power of attorney, and that window closes quietly.
According to the U.S. Administration for Community Living’s LongTermCare.gov resource, someone turning 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services and support.
The gaps that cost families the most are quiet ones: a trust that was signed but never funded, no financial power of attorney, and no plan for Ohio’s estate recovery claim after death. A will alone does not address any of those.
Can An Attorney Help Protect My Parents’ House If They Need Nursing Home Care In Ohio?
Yes. Ohio elder law attorneys regularly work with families on strategies for the home and farmland, including certain irrevocable trusts, revocable trusts, transfer-on-death designations, and caregiver child or sibling exemptions, depending on timing and the family’s circumstances.
Timing drives the options. According to the Ohio Department of Medicaid, the state applies a 60-month (5-year) look-back period for long-term care eligibility and generally limits an individual applicant’s countable assets to $2,000. Medicaid is the government health program that pays for most long-term nursing home care in Ohio. The earlier a family plans, the more tools are usually on the table and the more in assets that can typically be protected.
If a crisis has already started, you are rarely out of options. Families who call after a fall, a dementia diagnosis, or a facility admission still have planning tools available, though the choices narrow. An attorney reviews the actual deed, income, and health picture rather than handing out generic advice.
Rules change, and so do circumstances. Revisit the plan after a new diagnosis, a sale of farm ground, a death in the family, or a move into assisted living.
About Brumbaugh Law Firm
Michael Brumbaugh started Brumbaugh Law Firm in 2002, and for more than twenty years has helped Ohio families plan ahead with confidence and compassion. What started as a general practice became a trusted elder law and estate planning firm built on education, transparency, and community ties.
Michael is a teacher at heart and believes informed decisions are what lead to real protection and peace of mind. His wife, Pam, who is not a lawyer, comes from a social work background with decades of community service, and she guides families through the hardest conversations with care and clarity.
Together they have built an education-first approach, with workshops, webinars, and personalized planning designed to help families protect their independence, work to preserve assets, and look after the people they love.
Working With Us in Ohio, Step by Step
1. Free Educational Workshop Or Webinar
Start by attending our free session, “3 Secrets of Estate Planning and Asset Protection,” where you learn how Medicaid treats a home, a farm, and family savings. You leave with information, not a sales pitch.
2. Initial Consultation
We talk through what is happening with your parent’s health, the property involved, and what the family hopes to keep. Scope and cost are discussed openly up front.
3. Needs And Asset Assessment
We review deeds, farm acreage, retirement accounts, insurance, and any care already in place. This is where we see whether a will alone is enough or whether long-term care planning is needed to work toward protecting the property.
4. Plan Design
We lay out your realistic options, including trusts, spend-down strategy, and protection against Medicaid estate recovery. You choose the direction before any documents are drafted.
5. Document Drafting
We prepare the trusts, powers of attorney, deeds, and related paperwork that carry out the plan, written to meet Ohio requirements.
6. Funding And Implementation
Signed documents mean little until property is retitled and accounts are properly aligned. We can help you complete that work so the plan actually functions when a county Medicaid office reviews it.
7. Ongoing Review
Health changes and Ohio rules change too. We revisit your plan as care needs shift so it keeps doing what your family intended.
Frequently Asked Questions About Long-Term Care Planning in Ohio
Is It Too Late To Do Anything If Mom Is Already In A Nursing Home Or About To Enter One?
No, families still have options after a crisis starts. Crisis Medicaid planning works with the assets that exist right now, using legally permitted strategies like spousal allowances, annuities, and corrective transfers.
How Does Ohio’s Five Year Medicaid Look Back Period Actually Work?
Ohio reviews the five years of financial records before the Medicaid application date. Gifts, below-market land sales, or transfers to children during that window can trigger a penalty period where Medicaid will not pay, and the penalty does not start until the applicant is otherwise eligible.
Do We Really Need An Elder Law Attorney, Or Is A Simple Will Enough?
A will only directs who receives property after death and does not protect from probate. A will does nothing to shield assets from nursing home spend-down, Medicaid rules, or estate recovery while a parent is still living.
Can My Father Give Me The Farm Now To Protect It From Medicaid?
Transferring property outright is usually the wrong move. An uncompensated transfer inside the five year look-back creates a Medicaid penalty, exposes the land to your creditors and divorce risk, and can cost the family favorable tax treatment.
Does A Standard Power Of Attorney Let Me Do Medicaid Planning For A Parent Who Has Dementia?
Often it does not. Many general durable powers of attorney lack proper gifting and trust authority, which blocks the exact planning steps a Medicaid application requires.
Will My Mother Be Forced To Sell The House If My Father Needs Nursing Home Care?
Usually not. Ohio protects the spouse who remains at home through the community spouse resource allowance and a homestead exemption, so the house generally is not counted while that spouse lives in it.
What Does Estate Recovery Mean For Property Passing To The Kids?
After a Medicaid recipient dies, Ohio’s Attorney General may file a claim against the assetsto recover what Medicaid paid. That claim can reach the house or farmland if no planning was done.
How Will We Know What This Costs Before Committing To Anything?
Cost is discussed openly at the start, before any work begins.
Local Resources in Ohio for Long-Term Care
- Supreme Court of Ohio
Oversees Ohio’s court system and sets the rules county probate courts follow for guardianship, conservatorship, and estate matters.
- Ohio Department of Medicaid
State agency administering Ohio’s Medicaid program, including nursing facility and home-care coverage.
- Ohio Department of Aging
State agency coordinating services and programs for older Ohioans across the state.
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services
State agency overseeing the county job and family services offices where Ohioans apply for Medicaid.
- Ohio Legal Help
Statewide nonprofit providing legal information and referrals to Ohioans who need civil legal assistance.
- Pro Seniors
Cincinnati-based nonprofit offering legal hotline services and advocacy for older adults statewide.
- State Medical Board of Ohio
Licenses and disciplines physicians and other medical professionals practicing in Ohio.
- Ohio Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program
Independent advocates who investigate complaints and protect rights of residents in nursing and assisted-living facilities.
- Ohio Association of Area Agencies on Aging
Statewide network of Ohio’s 12 regional agencies connecting older adults and caregivers to local support and community services.
Talk to a Long-Term Care Attorney at Brumbaugh Law Firm in Ohio
The family home or farm can often be part of a long-term care plan rather than the first thing sold off, but the options narrow once a crisis is already underway. Even if a parent has just had a fall or a diagnosis, families in Erie County and the surrounding rural townships, and throughout Ohio, usually still have choices worth understanding.
We will explain how Medicaid treats a home, farmland, and savings, and what the work will cost before you commit to anything.
Call us to pick a time. The sooner you know where things stand, the more options stay on the table.
