Page 26 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JunE 13, 2025 Sa nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller Essential Legal Documents All Seniors Should Have Dear Savvy Senior, What kinds of legal documents do I need to help my family take care of me in my elder years? I would like to get my aff airs in order but could use some help. Approaching 80 Dear Approaching, All adults, especially an older adult like yourself, should have at least fi ve legal documents to protect yourself and your family. These documents will make sure your wishes regarding your estate are legal and clear and will help minimize any confl icts and confusion with your family and your health care providers if you become seriously ill or when you die. Here are the key documents you need, along with some tips to help you create them. Durable Power of Attorney: This document allows you to designate someone you trust to handle your fi nancial aff airs if you become incapacitated. Advance Directive: This includes two documents that spell out your wishes regarding your end-of-life medical treatment. The two documents are a “living will” which tells your doctor what kind of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated. And a “health care power of attorney” (or health care proxy), which names a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf if you’re unable. To complement your advance directive, you should also consider getting a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment – see POLST.org. This is a state specific form that your doctor would fi ll out that translates your end-of-life wishes into medical orders to ensure your wishes are carried out. A Will: This lets you spell out your wishes of how you’d like your property and assets distributed after you die, whether it’s to family, friends or a charity. It also allows you to designate an executor to ensure your wishes are carried out and allows you to name guardians if you have dependent children. In addition to a will, if you own real estate or have considerable assets, another option you may want to consider is a “revocable living trust.” This functions like a will but allows your estate to avoid the time and expense of probate (the public legal process that examines your estate after you die) and helps ensure your estate’s privacy. HIPPA Release: This form gives your healthcare provider permission to discuss your medical care and medical bills with those you designate. You may need specifi c HIPAA release forms for each medical professional or health care establishment you deal with. Do-It-Yourself If you have a simple estate and an uncomplicated family situation, there are do-it-yourself resources that can help you create all these documents for a few hundred dollars. Some top-rated options to consider include Quicken WillMaker & Trust software (see WillMaker. com), Trust & Will (TrustandWill.com) and Legal Zoom (LegalZoom.com). Get Help If, however, you want or need assistance or if you have a complicated fi nancial situation, blended family or have considerable assets, you should hire an attorney. An experienced lawyer can make sure you cover all your bases – especially when writing a will or living trust – which can help avoid family confusion and squabbles after you’re gone. Costs will vary depending on where you reside, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $500 and $2,000 for a basic estate plan that includes a will, power of attorney and advance directive. If you want your estate plan to include a living trust, that can run anywhere between $1,500 and $5,000. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA.org) and the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC.org) are two good resources that have directories on their websites to help you fi nd someone in your area. If money is tight, check with your state’s bar association (see FindLegalHelp.org) to fi nd low-cost legal help in your area. Or call the Eldercare Locater at 800-677-1116 for a referral. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. nior ior DIDOMENICO | FROM PAGE 22 city and town—and leave no corner of the Commonwealth behind. The proposal includes $1.337 billion in funding for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), the primary source of direct state aid to Massachusetts towns and cities, an increase of $38.7M over FY25. UGGA funding supports resources for municipalities as they collectively confront increased fi scal constraints at the local level. The budget establishes a special commission to study how local aid is distributed, evaluate its effectiveness and equity and make recommendations to maximize the equity of the distribution. In addition to traditional sources of local aid, this budget also increases payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land to $54.5M. PILOT funding is a source of supplemental local aid for cities and towns working to protect and improve access to essential services and programs. To further help communities thrive, the Senate Budget proposal gives communities, not the Legislature, the final say when issuing liquor licenses for restaurants and bars. Other local investments include: • $214M for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support regional public transportation systems, including funds to maintain and continue expansions to regional bus service, sustain systemwide fare free transit service and support RTA commuter operations • $116M for local housing authorities • $54.5M for PILOT to cities and towns for state-owned land • $52.9M for libraries • $29.9M in grants to Councils on Aging • $26.2M for the Mass Cultural Council The FY26 budget codifies fare-free RTA service, which will require all RTAs to eliminate passenger fares for fi xed routes and ADA-required paratransit service. With this measure, the Senate continues to prioritize regional equity, supporting RTAs as an essential public service that connects communities and provides a crucial connection for commuters, students, seniors and people with disabilities. Health, mental health, and family care The Senate’s FY26 budget funds MassHealth at $22.41 billion, an increase of $2.34 billion over the last fi scal year. As the largest cost driver in the state’s budget, MassHealth alone accounts for 65 per cent of the total spending increase over the FY25 budget. Amid uncertainty in Washington, this budget maintains access to comprehensive health care coverage for over 2 million Massachusetts residents. MassHealth covers affordable, accessible and comprehensive health care services for more than one in four residents, nearly half of all children and seven out of every 10 nursing facility residents. To help keep healthcare costs down, the Senate Budget proposal includes a provision which will target high-cost prescription drugs and ensure that the price for the drugs does not far exceed the value. Other health investments include: • $3.2 billion for a range of services and focused support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities • $1.73 billion to support the Personal Care Attendant program and its historic collective bargaining agreement that raised the wage scale to $25 per hour • $694M for adult support services, including $19M to support jail diversion initiatives to better serve individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders and connect them with appropriate treatment • $582.1M for nursing facility Medicaid rates, including $112M in additional base rate payments to maintain competitive wages • $386.4M for Department of Mental Health (DMH) hospital and community-based services • $237.7M for Department of Public Health (DPH) hospital operations • $179.9M for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services (BSAS), including $1.5M in new funding to develop the state’s recovery coach workforce, which will support key initiatives from last session’s Substance Use Disorder and Recovery Coach Licensure Act • $132M for children’s mental health services • $102M for nursing facility enhanced Medicaid rates to begin implementation of the 2024 Long-Term Care Act • $79.9M for domestic violence prevention services • $39.3M for Early Intervention (EI) services • $35M for Family Resource Centers (FRCs) to maintain mental health resources available to families • $26.5M for family and adolescent health, including $11.2M for comprehensive family planning services and $6.7M to enhance federal Title X family planning funding • $22.6M for school-based DIDOMENICO | SEE PAGE 27
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