This program is eligible for 3 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 3.6 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
Navigating Medicaid’s complex eligibility rules is critical for attorneys advising aging clients and their families. This essential CLE program offers a comprehensive overview of the Medicaid lookback period and its implications for asset protection and long-term care planning.
Participants will:
- Gain practical knowledge of the five-year lookback rule
- Understand how asset transfers are evaluated
- Identify the penalties that may result from improper planning
- Identify exceptions to the five-year lookback rule
The course will also explore permissible strategies for preserving assets, including irrevocable trusts, annuities, caregiver agreements, and spousal protections. Emphasis will be placed on proactive planning and real-world case examples to help practitioners craft legally sound and effective plans.
Faculty
Erik D. Spurlin, Esq., LLM, CELA
Mr. Spurlin practices law in the areas of estate planning and administration and long-term care planning. Before establishing his firm in York County, Mr. Spurlin was a principal of the Elder Law Firm of Robert Clofine and an associate of Appel & Yost. Before that, he served as a judicial law clerk to the York County Orphans’ Court. He is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys, the Elder Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the York County Bar Association. He serves as a board member to multiple sections of the York County Bar Association and a professional adviser to Leave a Legacy York County. He frequently presents seminars for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, most recently presenting the following courses: Elder Law Update (2019); Practical Medicaid Planning (2018); Fixing Broken Trusts (2018 and 2016); Medicaid Basics (2017); Guardianship Updates and Trends (2016); Protecting Assets While Qualifying for Medicaid (2016); Estate Planning for the Alzheimer’s Client (2015); and Guardianship Practice and Procedure (2015). Mr. Spurlin is a graduate of Arizona State University, where he received his bachelor’s degree, summa cum laude, in political science, and master’s degree, summa cum laude, in international relations. He earned his J.D., cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law, where he also received his LL.M. (Master of Laws) in taxation, with distinction. During this time, he earned a graduate certificate in estate planning and was the sole recipient of the Joseph Price Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Tax Law in 2010.
Carol Sikov Gross, Esq., CELA
Ms. Sikov Gross is the managing partner in the Pittsburgh law firm of Sikov and Love, P.A. She is a certified elder law attorney (CELA) through the National Elder Law Foundation as authorized by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania and was admitted as an ACTEC Fellow in 2012. In 1998, Ms. Sikov Gross became the founding chair of the Elder Law Committee of the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA). She is a past chair of the ACBA Probate and Trust Law Section Council. Ms. Sikov Gross is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA). She is a past Vice President of the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA) and has served on the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Elder Law Section Council. She writes for the Pittsburgh Legal Journal. Ms. Sikov Gross is a frequent speaker for PBI and others as well as for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes at Carnegie Mellon University and at the University of Pittsburgh. She has been listed as an elder law attorney in Best Lawyers in America and has been selected for inclusion in Pennsylvania Super Lawyers®.
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