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Supporting Kansas and Missouri Families Throughout The Elder Care Journey For Over 25 Years

Elder Law and Estate Planning for Kansas and Missouri

At KC Elder Law, we're here to be a trusted guide along The Elder Care Journey ©. Kansas and Missouri families have turned to us when they're dealing with the endless red tape of applying for benefits to pay for care, or safeguarding loved ones so they don't end up out of money and out of options.

We strive to help families find solutions for their legal and financial frustrations, as well as find support and services to aid them. The practice of elder law, when done right, is about 50% legal work and 50% social work… we're here to help you find all the resources you need.

If your loved one is beginning to have memory or mobility issues, it is likely the right time to start planning. The earlier you begin, the more options you may have. However, if your family is in crisis, the time to call is now. It's not too late!

You may have been told by a case worker or a well-meaning friend that there's nothing you can do but let your loved one lose all their hard-earned savings to chronic healthcare needs. That's often not the case. We work hard to employ honest, legal solutions so that your loved one can live with dignity, no matter what stage of life and health they're in.

  • VA Benefits

    It never ceases to amaze us when we talk to the families of veterans how little they understand the VA's benefit programs that are available to those honorably discharged veterans who are over 65 and are struggling with the cost of their care. Imagine the difference up to $2,019 extra each month (that's an additional $24,228 per year) TAX-FREE would mean to you and your loved ones?

    If you or a member of your family is an honorably discharged veteran who served at least one day during a period of wartime (the definition of “wartime” may be broader than you think), and if you are in an assisted living facility or are spending several hundred dollars a month or more on the cost of your health care, then you may qualify for benefits under the VA Aid and Attendance Pension Program. We know the steps you should be taking right now to find out if you or your loved one qualify.

  • Medicaid Planning

    Medicaid is a benefits program primarily funded by the federal government and administered by each state. Unlike Medicare, which only pays for rehabilitation in a skilled nursing home, Medicaid pays for long term care. As life expectancies and long term care costs continue to rise, the challenge quickly becomes how to pay for these services. Many people cannot afford to pay $6,000 to $8,000 per month or more for the cost of a nursing home.

    The rules of Medicaid are nearly impossible for the layperson to understand. In fact, most likely, your family attorney will say things like, "It's too late to do anything!" and offer you the same will and power of attorney that he prepares for his healthy clients. We know more solutions. We help people deal with the mind-boggling, complex maze of Medicaid paperwork and the frustration that accompanies it. We help clients avoid having to spend more that they should and avoid having their family security jeopardized.

  • Elder Law

    When trying to find an elder law-focused attorney, it's important to understand how elder law differs from traditional estate planning (death planning). A traditional estate plan is typically designed to do three things:

    1. Minimize estate taxes
    2. Avoid probate court
    3. Distribute assets from the deceased person to his or her heirs.

    Elder law, on the other hand, is death planning plus long-term disability and care planning – what we call "longevity planning." The elder law attorney is not only dealing with your estate plan, but must also think ahead for life care issues in the event that you or your spouse has long term health care needs during your lifetime.

    These days, it is quite common to see families spend several hundreds of thousands of dollars when both a husband and wife have long term care needs. The key focus of our office, as elder law attorneys is to help the family to try to protect their assets during their lifetime, to avoid such a catastrophic loss.

  • Trusts & Wills

    Individuals work a lifetime at accumulating assets, personal property and mementos. It only takes a little time to make sure those valued items pass on to your loved ones. If executed correctly, a Last Will and Testament can clearly state your wishes and ensure they are carried out.

    Depending on your situation, a Revocable or Irrevocable Trust may be more appropriate. A trust, like a will, is a legal document that includes instructions regarding what should be done with your assets when you die. The key difference between the two is that a trust prevents the assets from being probated (tied up in the court system) at your death - a will does not.

    There are lots of issues to consider when deciding if a will or a trust is right for you. We've spent more than twenty years assessing clients' individual situations and helping them understand their options based on current laws which estate planning documents will help them achieve their goal of distributing their assets.

  • Probate

    Probate - When an individual who has written a will dies, and he or she owns property solely in his or her name, a formal court procedure ("probate") is usually required to confirm to whom the property will pass.

    If the person dies without a will, the property also goes through probate court and will pass to the individual's heirs at law. The state laws determine who the individual's heirs are and what they receive.

    Keep in mind that although it is often beneficial to avoid probate, because it can be costly and time consuming, such devices have pitfalls; probate is sometimes the best option. Our office has years of experience dealing with probate and we can examine your specific situation and advise you and your loved ones on what is best for your family.

Whether it's Alzheimer's or dementia, Parkinson's, ALS, MS, the after-effects of a stroke, or a host of other issues your loved one may have, we're here to provide peace of mind and offer solutions for care.

Our Legal Team

Courtney Roy Attorney

You might not see her when you come to our offices to visit, but if you're one of KC Elder Law's clients, you'll feel Courtney's influence. Courtney is involved in every detail of our operations, managing the daily processes that allow our team to effectively serve our clients.

Her detail-oriented, behind-the-scenes efforts have helped build KC Elder Law's reach in the metropolitan area. She leads our team of attorneys, working with them to craft comprehensive, personalized plans for clients. As the nucleus of our office, she trains staff, helps plan marketing strategy, checks details, solves problems, and keeps our team moving forward on the same track.

Courtney's mission for KC Elder Law is to change lives, and it all starts with her love the firm's clients and its staff. Recognizing that clients may be facing stress they never imagined, her goal is for KC Elder Law's work to help alleviate their burdens.

Courtney has been with the firm since April of 1999. She completed undergraduate degrees in Economics and Psychology at Salisbury State University and earned her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law. Prior to joining the firm, Courtney was an attorney for the Maryland Disability Law Firm. Courtney is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

In her free time Courtney cherishes moments spent with her family, traveling and watching her two sons play lacrosse. She and her family are active in sports. She enjoys reading, cooking, baking, spending time with friends and generating ideas on how she can make a bigger impact on the world.

Our Contact Information

Lee's Summit (By Appointment Only)
301 Northeast Mulberry Street,
Suite 204
Lee's Summit, Missouri 64086

816-220-4119

Overland Park 9200 Glenwood Street,
Suite 102
Overland Park, Kansas 66212
913-338-5713
Kearney (By Appointment Only) 302 S. Platte Clay Way,
Suite 203
Kearney, Missouri 64060
816-903-5713