Wright Elder Law – Wisconsin Estate Planning, Medicaid, & Elder Law

Short. Simple. Human. Correct.

These are the values I hold as an elder law attorney. Whether I’m helping a client with estate planning, navigating Medicaid, establishing a Wispact special needs trust, or getting through probate, I strive to make each legal matter as short, simple, human, and (like any lawyer) correct as possible.

—Attorney Benjamin Scott Wright

p.s. That’s my family you see in the background, on the swinging bridge in River Falls.

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Schedule 15-minute phone consult

Estate Planning

I help clients of all ages provide for their families with an estate plan. My clients want to keep things simple. They often want to avoid probate and ask Do I need a trust?

I explain your options and guide you in making the big decisions involved in estate planning. You’ll be happy to know I charge flat fees that include as much custom drafting as needed. And I make my documents short, simple, and human by avoiding legalese and using plain language.

Estate planning includes:

Wills
Trusts
Powers of Attorney for Finances
Powers of Attorney for Health Care
Marital Property Agreements
Deeds

Medicaid Planning

I help elderly clients and their families plan for long-term care. For most of us, that means planning for Medicaid, which is the de facto long-term care insurance policy for the middle class. Whether you’re planning 5 years ahead or your family is facing a long-term care crisis, I’m here to explain the complicated rules and give you clarity.

My Medicaid services include:

Preserving resources for your family
Maximizing resources while planning for Medicaid to pay for long-term care
Accelerating Medicaid eligibility
Applying for Medicaid and solving application errors and denials
Solving divestment problems
Paying family for personal care and services without endangering Medicaid
Reviewing long-term care facility admissions contracts (so you know what you’re signing)

Estate Administration

After a loved one dies, figuring out the final affairs can be daunting. Without help, it can take years. Do you need to go through probate? What if there isn’t much money? What happens to debts? I can guide you through the process and avoid the speed bumps that slow things down.

Estate administration includes:

Informal probate
Trust administration
Summary procedures, such as Transfer by Affidavit

Special Needs Planning

If you or a loved one have a disability and receive means-tested government benefits—such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid—you need special planning. Special needs trusts can provide money for a person with a disability without endangering their benefits.

When a person who receives SSI or Medicaid gets an inheritance directly, it can be more trouble than it’s worth. Often, the inheritance disqualifies them from their benefits and is used up paying for things the benefits used to cover. That does no one any good. Thankfully, special needs trusts solve that problem.

I can help with:

Wispact Trust I pooled special needs trust accounts
Wispact Trust II pooled special needs trust accounts
Custom special needs trusts
Emergency planning to preserve benefits

Get started by scheduling a phone call.

If you have questions or want to see if I can help you, the best thing is to schedule a short phone call. Being a solo lawyer helps me keep things simple and human for my clients—but it also means I’m not always available to take calls. Guarantee I’ll take your call by putting it on my calendar using my online scheduler.

Click the button to get started with a free 15-minute phone consultation. Don’t worry, my scheduler is easy to use.

SCHEDULE CALL

If you have problems, don’t want to use the scheduler, or need a time that’s unavailable, you can call me at 715-575-5635 or email me at [email protected].

I serve Wisconsin clients in Pierce County, Polk County, and St. Croix County.

My offices are located in New Richmond and River Falls.

What my clients say

Wright Elder Law

5.0

Based on 13 reviews

kristine husby

15:52 10 Nov 20

I found Ben just by chance in a list of recommendations for will and estate planning. What a great experience, so kind, honest and patient. This process was long overdue for me and I was so happy I found Ben and had such a great experience.... would highly recommend him !!!

Diane McLean

19:24 15 Jul 20

After our consultation with Ben, my husband and I knew he would do a thorough estate plan that met our needs. He was very easy to work with answered any questions we had, and prompt in putting our estate plan together. We will consult with again on Medicaid information when the time comes. Diane M.

Shari Bruce

22:46 08 May 20

Professional, personable, knowledgable, and efficient. What more can you ask for.

Aaron Thibault

03:56 20 Jan 20

If you're looking for someone who is professional, courteous, flexible, and willing to answer a million questions for you look no further! Ben did an outstanding job of creating and explaining every last detail to my wife and I when creating our Wills and Power of Attorney's. In addition he did all of this at lower price point than others quoted us. Would recommend 100%!

Nellie Thibault

17:16 17 Jan 20

Ben has been wonderful to work with and someone we really trust. What made a huge difference is that he tailored everything to our particular situation, and made it easy as possible for us while producing trusted documents. Additionally, he was extremely flexible with our schedules. We are two working parents with very little extra time to schedule in meetings in person so he handled those digitally and executed our documents at different times for each of us. Also, he was quick and responsive by completing our Wills, Trusts, and POAs within a week. Having these done gives us a huge sense of relief! Its been worth it!

Sherri Skogen

21:33 21 Dec 19

Benjamin Wright helped us with our estate planning. He is very knowledgeable, and made the process very easy as well as easy to understand. We would highly recommend Mr. Wright.

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My parents originally met with a general practice attorney to seek help with their estate planning. The general practice attorney was unsure of Medicaid rules and offered confusing and uncertain answers to their questions. They left the appointment completely overwhelmed. My parents needed to know all of their options so that they could make educated decisions. At that point, we decided we needed to consult an elder law attorney.

Thankfully, we found Ben Wright. We live several hours from Ben’s office, but Ben was able to answer all of their questions through emails and phone calls. Most importantly, he simplified the complicated Medicaid laws and used language that my parents could understand. Because of this, they felt they could make confident decisions about their future.

There are times when you need to consult an expert. Estate planning is definitely one of those times. We strongly recommend Ben Wright!

Brenda H.

My husband and I highly recommend Benjamin Wright. He assisted us in our will & POAs and was personable, welcoming, informative, professional, patient, timely, organized. Having been our first experience creating a will, he did an excellent job explaining all aspects of it, as well as informing us of options with each decision. He is a patient listener, facilitator, and guide. We are grateful for his expertise and would definitely recommend.

Ali H.

My siblings and I saw Ben for a Medicaid consultation related to our Mother who has dementia. He helped us tremendously in understanding how the process works and the implications of any decisions we made. He was also great to answer our follow-up questions.

Mark E.

Start with a short phone call.

Attorney

Benjamin Scott Wright

I became a lawyer to help families like mine. I came to elder law because it’s all about the biggest challenges families face: providing and caring for loved ones.

In today’s world, that means navigating the bureaucracies of law, money, and health care. I’ve seen too many people overwhelmed, unable find their way through these bureaucracies that make everything so complicated.

As an elder law attorney, I have the knowledge and training to cut through bureaucracy. I believe making things simple is good for everyone. So I’ve made it my mission to take things that are often complicated—estate planning and Medicaid—and make them simple for my clients.

My Mission

My work saves families from bureaucracy in times of crisis and grief.

“Excessively complicated procedures that prevent action”—that’s bureaucracy. It’s what you’ll find in the legal, financial, and health care systems when you face a crisis.

Traditional law firms, financial institutions, health care, and government agencies are full of complicated procedures. Families are forced through these bureaucracies at their most vulnerable times—when a loved one falls ill, when medical bills pile up, or when there’s no other choice but the nursing home. It’s so complicated that you don’t know what to do, just when you absolutely must do something.

My mission is to be the opposite of those bureaucracies: simple, clear, and human. My mission is to get my clients through the red tape or avoid it altogether. My mission is to save Wisconsin families from bureaucracy in times of crisis and grief.

My Values

Be short.

I believe your time and attention are valuable.

Be simple.

I believe my job is to make things as simple as possible for you.

Be human.

I believe practicing law is about people and doing good.

Be correct.

I believe accuracy and detail are essential to good legal services.