Attorney John H. Licht has dedicated his legal practice to serving seniors and their families in metropolitan Denver and throughout Colorado. Mr. Licht provides comprehensive elder law services to meet a wide range of seniors' needs.  His services include providing:

• Living Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Probate - Estate Administration
• Guardianships - Conservatorships
• Wills - Trusts
• Medicaid Planning
• Assistance to Enforce or Pursue Health Care Benefit Claims
• Advance Medical Directives
• Assistance with Real Estate Transactions and Problems

John H. Licht is an experienced elder law attorney who handles Medicaid issues and disputes, powers of attorney, advance health care directives, nursing home issues and comprehensive estate planning through wills, trusts and other techniques--all with compassion and respect.

Attorney John H. Licht always works closely with clients to make sure he understands their needs and their wishes so that he can help their futures turn out as they pictured.  John Licht listens to his clients and spends time getting to know them before making legal recommendations. He explains the reasons for his advice and discusses possible options. Attorney Licht is available to meet with clients at his office, in their homes or at other convenient locations. He provides prompt, efficient, professional representation of clients at reasonable rates. It is always his goal to help clients be proactive and put their affairs in order so that they and their families will have peace of mind as they contemplate the future.

"I am deeply interested in my clients, and am proud of my ability to listen to their concerns and understand their goals. This interest and my extensive legal background enable me to help my clients face the challenges of aging with independence and confidence."

-Denver, Colorado Elder Law Attorney John H. Licht

If you or someone you know in Denver or throughout the State of Colorado needs the assistance of a capable elder law attorney, contact John Licht today at 866-435-2822, or use the contact form provided on this site.

Practice Areas

Aging clients and their families face troubling issues when confronted with the possibility of financing long-term carefor themselves or for their loved ones. As people live longer and longer due to over-all advances in medicine, the likelihood that a family member will require nursing home care or significant and costly assistance at home increases. And once in a nursing home, people tend to live much longer than they did in the past.

Unfortunately, payment for nursing home care is not part of Medicare's basic entitlement package. If one needs nursing home care, one either has to pay for this cost oneself (privately or with long term care insurance), or qualify for Medicaid. The average cost of nursing home care is approaching $6,000 per month in Colorado.

Medicare's nursing home benefit is limited in duration and amount, and covers only skilled care, and then only after hospitalization.  Medicare does not cover custodial or residential care. Medicaid, on the other hand, is a welfare program for health care expenses that does cover nursing home custodial and/or residential care. To be eligible for Medicaid benefits the patient (and spouse, if any) must meet three conditions: one of wealth or resources, one of income, and one of need for assistance. The value of the patient’s countable assets cannot exceed $2,000.

If the patient’s spouse is also seeking Medicaid benefits, the value of their combined or total countable assets cannot exceed $3,000. But if living in the community, the spouse may retain countable assets worth slightly over $100,000. The patient’s monthly income must not exceed approximately $5,000 (or approximately $1,800 to be eligible for at-home help). The income of the community spouse, however, is not a limiting factor and is not taken into account in the patient’s eligibility determination.

Medicaid has additional rules penalizing the transfer (or giving away) of assets, and rules under which Medicaid may seek to be reimbursed for benefits paid after the patient dies (Estate Recorvery). One of the available estate recovery mechanisms is to impose a lien on the patient’s residence during the patient’s lifetime. Another is to assert a claim for reimbursement  against the estate of a patient when the patient dies. Therefore, without planning, a family can face financial devastation in the event of nursing home placement. There may be insufficient funds for the community spouse or the inheritance intended to be left behind can be consumed and, even worse, a disabled dependent child can be left without supplementary support.

Fortunately, all is not bleak. Elder law attorneys can help elderly clients and their families avoid some or all of the devastation through application of techniques found in the Medicaid statutes and regulations. In short, within the rules, sophisticated planning strategies can be employed and the proper use of these strategies can help preserve precious resources for the community spouse and future generations.

If you or someone you know in Colorado needs the assistance of a trusted elder law attorney, contact John Licht today at 866-435-2822, or use the contact form provided on this site to schedule a consultation.

Professional Profile

Attorney John Licht is an experienced litigation attorney. In the early 1990's he changed the direction of his practice to focus on legal problems having particular impacts on the elderly. He offers long-term care planning services to seniors and their families. In this area he offers advice about long-term care insurance and Medicaid eligibility, and he drafts powers of attorney, health care advance directives and living wills. When appropriate he institutes guardianship or conservatorship proceedings in the probate courts. He assists clients with medical benefit disputes, prepares wills and provides legal advice and know-how in estate administration.

If you or someone you know in the Colorado the assistance of a trusted elder law attorney, contact John Licht today at 866-435-2822, or use the contact form provided on this site.

FIRM ADDRESS:
John Licht
Law Offices of John H. Licht
1181 S. Parker Rd., Suite 100
Denver, CO 80231
Phone: 866-435-2822
Hours: M-F, 8:00AM-5:00PM and at other times by arrangement

• University of Denver College of Law, J.D., 1973
• Northwestern University, M.B.A., 1967
• Stanford University, B.S., 1965

COURTS ADMITTED TO:

• United States Supreme Court
• United States Circuit  Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
• United State Disctrict Cour for the District of Colorado
• All Colorado State Courts

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS:

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Colorado Chapter (officer and director)
• Colorado Gerontological Society
• Colorado Bar Association, Elder Law Section
• Colorado Bar Association, Alternate Dispute Resolution Section
• Guardianship Alliance of Colorado

PRACTICE AREAS:

• Elder Law
• Living Wills
• Powers of Attorney
• Probate - Estate Administration
• Guardianships - Conservatorships
• Wills - Trusts
• Medicaid Planning
• Health Care Benefit Claims
• Advance Medical Directives
• Real Estate

John has a wide range of interests. He is a voracious reader of history with a great love of language. He reads and recites cowboy poetry and other verse, and he has appeared in community theater. With Priscilla, his wife since 1965, he raised two successful daughters. As a member of the Radio Historical Association of Colorado, John has authored, directed, and participated in historical radio broadcast recreations and has been instrumental in arranging several old-time radio conventions. He is a past officer of the Rocky Mountain Canoe Club and is a frequent participant and leader of white-water canoe trips. John is an enthusiastic supporter of Denver's folk music community. He can often be seen volunteering at concerts and other events at Swallow Hill Music Association.

BUSINESS

• Better Business Bureau
  • National Site www.bbb.org
  • Denver site www.denverbbb.org
• United States Chamber of Commerce www.uschamber.com
• Denver Chamber of Commerce www.denverchamber.org

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT

• U.S. Government web portal www.usa.gov
• Congress
  • Library of Congress www.loc.gov/
  • House of Representatives www.house.gov
  • Senate www.senate.gov
• Courts -- Government Printing Office (GPOAccess) www.gpoaccess.gov/judicial.html
• White House www.whitehouse.gov
• Medicare www.medicare.gov/
• Social Security www.ssa.gov/
• Internal Revenue Service www.irs.gov/
• National Weather Service www.nws.noaa.gov/

COLORADO GOVERNMENT

• Governor www.colorado.gov/governor/
• General Assembly www.leg.state.co.us/
• Judicial Department www.courts.state.co.us/
• State Medicaid office www.chcpf.state.co.us/
• State Department of Human Services www.cdhs.state.co.us/
• Colorado Secretary of State www.sos.state.co.us/
• Colorado Department of Revenue www.revenue.state.co.us/main/home.asp

GENERAL

• Mapquest www.mapquest.com/
• AARP www.aarp.org/
• Assisted living facility search Healthcare Marketing and Process Management Consulting
  
  Michelle Clopton-Davis, 1806 S. Evanston Street Aurora, Colorado 80012
  Phone: 720352-2657
  Fax: 303-337-7793
  Email: chroniclesmd@wcox.com
• CO Council of Mediators and Mediation Organizations www.coloradomediation.org
• Denver Area Senior Resource Guide www.seniorsresourceguide.com/
• National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers www.caremanager.org/
• National Center on Elder Abuse www.elderabusecenter.org
• National Senior Citizens Law Center www.nsclc.org
• Senior Answers and Services information source www.senioranswers.org/

SEARCH ENGINES

• Google www.google.com/
• Yahoo search.yahoo.com/