Estate Planning and Probate · Long-Term Care Planning
Long-Term Care Planning in Michie
Long-term care planning is not only a question of how care may be paid for. It also involves identifying the care you prefer, who can make decisions, what information is available, and how the people involved will coordinate. Dale Law Group, PLLC offers long-term care planning for clients in Tennessee, including Michie.
Compare the care plan with the authority to act
Start by comparing two things that are easy to confuse: your care preferences and the legal authority of another person to act for you. A healthcare directive can record preferences and name an agent and alternate. A financial power of attorney authorizes someone to act on your behalf, but its scope, duration, and limits matter; it should not be assumed to grant every power. These documents address different needs.
For each person you may rely on, identify the role and the document that establishes it. An agent under a power of attorney, a trustee, a court-appointed guardian or conservator, and a government-appointed benefit fiduciary are not interchangeable roles. Your plan should make clear which decisions each person is expected to handle and what information they may need.
Prepare a one-page care and resources summary
A useful first step is a concise summary you can update as circumstances change. Record the care setting and support you would prefer to explore, people to contact, existing insurance or other resource information, and questions that still need answers. Keep factual information separate from assumptions: for example, note a policy or benefit to verify rather than treating it as available funding.
Include where relevant the names and contact details for people involved, the location of important documents, and who has copies. The Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care form addresses an agent or alternate and healthcare preferences, and includes instructions about signing and sharing copies. Consider how the people you name will obtain the information needed to understand your wishes.
Treat TennCare as a question to assess, not a funding promise
TennCare’s CHOICES program is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program. Both medical and financial requirements apply. Whether it may be relevant to a particular person depends on assessing those requirements; planning should not assume eligibility, coverage, or that the program will pay for a particular care arrangement.
Bring current information about care needs, insurance, income and resources, along with questions about what should be verified. A planning discussion can help organize those questions and consider how benefit questions fit with your documents and preferences. It cannot replace a determination by the program.
Questions to bring to a planning conversation
Consider asking: What care would I prefer, and what alternatives should my family understand? Who should make healthcare decisions, and who should handle financial matters? Do my current documents match those roles and the authority I intend to grant? What insurance or resources need confirmation? If CHOICES may be relevant, what medical and financial information should be reviewed?
Dale Law Group, PLLC offers long-term care planning as part of its Tennessee estate-planning services. The firm’s office is in Murfreesboro; no Michie office is identified here. A conversation can help you organize your preferences, documents, resource information, and next questions into a practical coordination plan.
Questions to bring to the discussion
Does a healthcare directive give someone authority over my finances?
A healthcare directive addresses healthcare preferences and an agent or alternate. Financial authority is a separate matter; a power of attorney’s scope, duration, and limits depend on the document.
Does CHOICES guarantee payment for long-term care?
No. CHOICES is a Tennessee long-term-services-and-supports program, and both medical and financial requirements apply. Do not assume eligibility or funding without an assessment.
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.