Farr Law Firm

Farr Law Firm http://www.FarrLawFirm.com

Phone Numbers:
Fairfax, VA: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg, VA: 540-479-1435
Rockville, MD: 301-519-8041
DC: 202-587-2797

http://www.FarrLawFirm.com
The Farr Law Firm is an Estate Planning, Elder Law, and Special Needs Planning firm dedicated to helping protect seniors, people with special needs, and their families by preserving dignity, integrity and financial security. We serve all of Virginia, Maryland, and DC. Visit us online at:
http://www.FarrLawFirm.com;

Phone Numbers:
Fairfax, VA: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg, VA: 540-479-1435
Rockville, MD: 301-519-8041
DC: 202-587-2797

Excited to share this recent article in which Evan Farr was quoted.
08/26/2026

Excited to share this recent article in which Evan Farr was quoted.

What should you do when your attempt to give your parents the generous gift of a home backfires because they want the cash instead? Experts weigh in.

A home is often the largest asset parents leave to their children. It can also become the largest source of expense, del...
08/25/2026

A home is often the largest asset parents leave to their children. It can also become the largest source of expense, delay, confusion, and family conflict.

Parents tend to think about the value of their home. Children who inherit the home must deal with everything attached to it: the deed, mortgage, insurance, taxes, repairs, utilities, belongings, occupants, liens, maintenance problems, and sometimes years of deferred decisions.

A recent article titled “What to Do Now So Your Kids Don’t Inherit a Real Estate Mess” provides a useful practical overview of this problem. The article identifies many of the nonlegal details families overlook, including missing keys, lapsed insurance, unpaid bills, deferred maintenance, undocumented property problems, and homes packed with decades of possessions.

Those practical issues matter. But they must be coordinated with proper Estate Planning, Incapacity Planning, asset protection planning, and tax planning.

    A home is often the largest asset parents leave to their children. It can also become the largest source of expense, del

Maryland has officially joined AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, committing the state to a long-ter...
08/16/2026

Maryland has officially joined AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, committing the state to a long-term strategy intended to make Maryland a better place to grow older.

That sounds impressive. It is also dangerously incomplete.

Maryland may now carry the label “Age-Friendly,” but Maryland’s Medicaid system for older adults who need long-term care at home remains, in my professional experience, the worst in the country.

The AARP designation is not an award for services already delivered. It is not a finding that Maryland seniors can obtain adequate in-home care. It is not an audit of Maryland Medicaid. It is not proof that older adults can safely remain in their homes when they become frail, disabled, or cognitively impaired.

    Maryland has officially joined AARP’s Network of Age-Friendly States and Communities, committing the state to a long-t

A Health Care Agent (also called a Health Care Proxy, Health Care Surrogate, Agent under Advance Medical Directive, Agen...
08/05/2026

A Health Care Agent (also called a Health Care Proxy, Health Care Surrogate, Agent under Advance Medical Directive, Agent under Health Care Power of Attorney, Medical Agent, or Medical Representative) is someone who will advocate for you if you should become unable to advocate for yourself.

The following are characteristics that are helpful for a health care proxy:

- An understanding of your health condition, symptoms, and possibly your medical history;
- An understanding of how you want to be treated and the treatments you'd like to receive and not receive;
- Attention to detail;
- An understanding of his or her duties, and a commitment to taking those duties seriously;
- Good communication skills.

In addition, your Health Care Proxy should be someone you trust, who you believe understands your values, and will do his or her best to act in your best interest.

A Health Care Agent (also called a Health Care Proxy, Health Care Surrogate, Agent under Advance Medical Directive, Agent under Health Care Power of Attorney, M

Q. I read in one of your recent newsletters that nursing homes in the metro DC area cost $12,000 - $14,500 a month. I th...
08/02/2026

Q. I read in one of your recent newsletters that nursing homes in the metro DC area cost $12,000 - $14,500 a month. I think you made a typo, and I wanted to bring it to your attention. Those amounts are for a year, right? If nursing homes cost THAT MUCH per month, then nobody could afford them without going completely broke.

Please tell me I’m right, and the word “month” should have been “year”!

A. Thanks for your inquiry but, unfortunately, you read that right. The cost of a nursing home in the metro DC area is $12,000 - $14,500 A MONTH, an amount that is catastrophic for most of us.

Each few years, Genworth conducts surveys of long-term care across the U.S. and summarizes the data in a Cost of Care Study, in an effort to help Americans plan for the potential cost based on their preferred location and setting. The 2025 survey is now out, and provides state-specific cost of care data for all 50 states and comparison to the national median.
&News

Q. I read in one of your recent newsletters that nursing homes in the metro DC area cost $12,000 - $14,500 a month. I think you made a typo, and I wanted to bri

2026 Tax-Deductibility Limits for Long-Term Care Insurance PremiumsThe Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2026 l...
08/02/2026

2026 Tax-Deductibility Limits for Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums
The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2026 limits on the amount of qualified long-term care insurance premiums that may be treated as medical expenses for federal income tax purposes.

Premiums paid for a qualified long-term care insurance policy may be included with the taxpayer’s other unreimbursed medical expenses. This treatment applies to eligible premiums paid for the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s spouse, and qualifying dependents.

For taxpayers who itemize deductions on Schedule A, the IRS states:
“You can deduct on Schedule A (Form 1040) only the part of your medical and dental expenses that is more than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI).”
Accordingly, eligible long-term care insurance premiums do not automatically produce a tax deduction.

2026 Tax-Deductibility Limits for Long-Term Care Insurance Premiums The Internal Revenue Service has announced the 2026 limits on the amount of qualified long-

Why Virginia Medicaid Planning Is Different from Maryland Medicaid Planning and DC Medicaid PlanningFamilies often assum...
07/29/2026

Why Virginia Medicaid Planning Is Different from Maryland Medicaid Planning and DC Medicaid Planning

Families often assume that Medicaid Planning works the same way throughout Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.

That assumption is wrong.

Medicaid is partly federal, but long-term care Medicaid is administered jurisdiction by jurisdiction. Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia each have their own Medicaid agency, eligibility rules, forms, manuals, waiver programs, verification practices, application procedures, and local processing customs. That means Virginia Medicaid Planning, Maryland Medicaid Planning, and DC Medicaid Planning are not interchangeable. The goal may be similar in each jurisdiction: helping a person qualify for long-term care Medicaid while protecting a spouse, preserving assets when legally possible, avoiding preventable penalties, and preventing a family from spending more than necessary on nursing home care or other long-term care.

    Why Virginia Medicaid Planning Is Different from Maryland Medicaid Planning and DC Medicaid Planning Families often a

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10640 Main Street, Ste 200
Fairfax, VA
22030

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Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

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+17036911888

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