Long-Term Care Planning
Long-Term Care Planning in New Union
A useful plan connects the kind of care you would want with who can make decisions, what resources or insurance information is available, and what questions need follow-up. Dale Law Group, PLLC offers long-term care planning for people in Tennessee, including New Union in Coffee County.
Start with the care decision
Consider the choices that matter to you: where you would prefer to receive care, what support you would want, and who should be involved if you could not communicate your wishes. Separate preferences from assumptions about what a particular policy, program, or family member can provide.
A practical first step is a one-page care-planning worksheet. Note your preferences, people to contact, known insurance and financial resources, and unresolved questions. Mark estimates or unknowns clearly rather than treating them as confirmed coverage or available funds.
Compare authority and responsibilities
Review who may act in each area, and identify the document or appointment that gives them that role. A healthcare agent’s authority is not the same as a financial agent’s authority. A power of attorney authorizes another person to act on someone’s behalf, but its scope, duration, and limits matter; do not assume it covers every decision.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau distinguishes agents under powers of attorney from court-appointed guardians or conservators, trustees, and government-appointed benefit fiduciaries. List each person’s role and the decisions they are expected to handle. If authority or document scope is unclear, make that a question for planning rather than relying on an informal assumption.
Gather the information that affects the plan
Bring current insurance information, a list of income and assets, existing estate-planning documents, and any available care preferences or provider information. For each item, note whose name it is in, who can access it, and whether the information has been confirmed. Keep healthcare preferences and financial authority separate: the Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences, while financial authority depends on its own role and document.
Ask what a policy appears to cover, what limits or conditions need confirmation, and whom to contact for a definitive answer. Do not treat a policy summary or an estimate of resources as a determination of benefits or program eligibility.
Consider TennCare as a question, not an assumption
Tennessee’s CHOICES program provides long-term services and supports. Both medical and financial requirements apply, so having a care need or limited resources alone does not establish eligibility or funding. If CHOICES may be relevant, identify the facts that need to be checked and seek current program information before making a care or financial decision based on an assumed outcome.
A planning discussion can help organize care preferences, authority documents, insurance and resource information, and questions about Medicaid planning. It cannot promise program approval or a particular source of payment.
Plan for coordination in New Union
New Union is an unincorporated Census-designated place in Coffee County, not a separate municipality. Dale Law Group’s office is in Murfreesboro; no New Union office is represented here. For a plan involving several people or documents, keep a current contact list and a record of where relevant documents and account information can be found, while sharing access appropriately.
The goal is a workable coordination plan: who should be contacted, what each person is authorized to do, what information is still missing, and which questions need an answer before care arrangements change.
Questions to bring to the discussion
Does CHOICES guarantee that long-term care will be funded?
No. CHOICES is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program with both medical and financial requirements. Eligibility and funding should not be assumed; check current program information for your circumstances.
Does a power of attorney let someone make every kind of decision?
Not necessarily. The document’s scope, duration, and limits matter. Financial authority, healthcare decision-making, trustee responsibilities, and court-appointed roles are distinct; identify the role and review the applicable document.
Discuss your next step with Dale Law Group
Begin with a brief, non-confidential overview. The firm will discuss your needs and appointment arrangements.
General information, not advice for a particular situation. Sending an inquiry does not create an attorney-client relationship.