Whether you or your parents are about to embark on a move to a nursing home, assisted living or a rehabilitation center or you are thinking ahead to the future of your loved one with special needs, the Elder Law Practice of Scott E. Collins, PLLC, is here to guide you. We are committed to helping ease your anxiety, alleviate your fears and answer your many questions. The high cost of health care can be daunting. We can help you protect your home, retirement and savings for your spouse and heirs. We have made it our mission to help families during times of crisis, transition and future planning, from creating wills to navigating through Kentucky’s complicated Medicaid and Veterans benefits programs and probate courts.
Helping Seniors & Their Loved Ones
The heart of elder law is the people we serve – seniors and their loved ones. Health care costs are rising at a rate faster than most people’s finances can afford.
People are living longer because of advances in medicine and healthcare. In fact, while everyone has heard that 10,000 baby boomers turn 65 every day, many don’t realize that the fastest growing segment of the American population is people over age 80.
Planning to protect your nest egg for when, not if, a long-term care event strikes your family, can make all the difference when it comes to your ability to leave a legacy.
Our Practice Areas
Our law firm is wholly dedicated to elder law. We focus on helping families protect all they have worked for throughout their lives from the crushing effects of high health care costs. We have a comprehensive understanding and knowledge of the intricate laws and details that go into making these essential plans, that requires specialization and education beyond a general attorney’s scope of practice. Bottom line: when you are facing losing everything you own, you want someone who knows absolutely everything about elder law. We devote our entire practice to this specialty.
Medicaid & Medicare Planning
Medicaid rules for long-term care are convoluted and confusing. Assistance is essential. Our extensive knowledge of the exceptions to the rules allow us to guide you through many ways to protect your assets and home.
Special Needs Planning
Special Needs Planning requires intricate calculations for protecting children and adults with a disability. Only trust a firm that is exclusively dedicated to Special Needs Planning.
Veteran's Disability Compensation
Veteran’s Disability Compensation – Our care for veterans is a top priority. We can help with your most complicated compensation appeals and we can provide a review of your case to suggest a path forward in the uphill battle with the VA.
Veteran's Wartime Pension
Veteran’s Wartime Pension rules are written to be nearly impossible to qualify. We can guide you to qualify when others say you cannot. We also work to ensure that your unique situation and need for other benefit programs are woven into a seamless plan.
Estate Planning & Probate
By planning in advance, you will reduce the stress on your children and loved ones when they are already going through the difficult time of loss and grief.
Guardianship/Conservatorship
Guardianship in Kentucky is one of the most unique in the country. Guardianship can be the protection that a family needs for care and financial protection. Once in place, the necessary next steps for VA or Medicaid planning is essential.
Meet Our Team
Elder Law Guidance, the Elder Law Practice of Scott E. Collins, PLLC, is owned and led by Scott a U.S. Army veteran and former minister. His passion is to help others build a better future for themselves and their families.
Scott E. Collins, Esq.
Firm Owner & Managing Attorney
Scott is a VA accredited attorney and a leader in Medicaid Law. He is trained to help claimants understand and pursue the VA benefits available to them. Scott is a Member of ElderCounsel and National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. Scott was selected to Rising Stars for 2021. Rising Stars is an exclusive list of top-rated attorneys in specific practice areas who were chosen after thorough evaluation of numerous criteria.
Derik C. Taylor, Esq.
Associate Attorney
Derik is a University of Kentucky Law School graduate, and he was a staff attorney at the Fayette County Circuit Court under Hon. Judge Kimberly Bunnell prior to joining the team in 2019.
Gina E. Collins
Operations Manager/Paralegal
Gina is the Operations Manager and a Paralegal at Elder Law Guidance. She joined the team in 2019. Gina graduated from Eastern Kentucky University with a Bachelor of Arts in Paralegal Science. She has worked as a paralegal for over 15 years and has over 10 years of experience managing offices and paralegal staff.
Upcoming Events
We are constantly providing educational resources to help you understand the legal issues you face and how we can help. Three of our upcoming webinars are listed at the right. Additional events, with times and topics, can be found by pressing the button below.
Estate Planning Basics: The Fast Track to Getting your Will~Living Will~Durable Power of Attorney
Description: At this webinar we will lead you through the key choices that help you make the decision for your will, your Power of Attorney and your Living Will. When you finish this workshop, your core estate planning documents are ready to go.
Medicaid Standards: Your Guide to Understanding Medicaid Income & Asset Standard for Long Term Care
Description: Understanding the rules of the Medicaid qualification standards and the solutions that we can provide to protect your home and your savings and how to receive long-term care coverage.
VA Pension Planning: Wartime Veterans – The Best Track to Qualify for VA Pension
Description: Up to $26,000 annually is provided to War time Veterans, but only 7% of all eligible veterans take advantage of this benefit that you’ve earned. In this Webinar, we will lay out the standards and the key steps to get you qualified.
What Our Clients Say
“I would recommend anyone nearing retirement to talk to Scott and get what needs to be done prepared for the future … A lot of times we think the future is way off, it’s not. I found that out myself.”
C.W., Richmond KY
Veterans Pension, Estate Planning
“He was right there with me all the time to help me take care of everything… I had a small farm my mommy and daddy left me, which is the first thing they wanted…. He saved me a lot of things I could have lost if it hadn’t been for him.”
B.C., Irvine, KY
Guardianship, Medicaid Planning
“We were dealing with a lot of emotions, a lot of really hard times and then you have to worry on top of that if somebody is going to hurt your family more… I never felt that with Scott and his team … Every time I came in, I felt welcomed and at that time I really needed that because it showed compassion when you’re going through a crazy, Topsy turvy life.”
S.H., Kirksville, KY
Medicaid Planning, Probate
“I tried to do everything myself and the bills got so overwhelming with parents in assisted living and the nursing facility. I quickly realized I was not going to be able to make the money work so that’s the point I started searching for help ….Scott sat down with us and made us feel very comfortable … we went over the options we had and the things he could help us with…. There was no pressure.”
V.F., Union City, KY
Estate Planning, Medicaid Planning, Probate
Here Wherever And Whenever You Need Us
We want to make your life easier, whether that’s through thoughtful counsel or making meetings as convenient as possible. We can meet you at our downtown Richmond office situated in a beautiful historic home; we can arrange for a phone or video conference; meet you at a care facility; or make special arrangements for those who are impaired with limited mobility. We are here to assist you.