Jones Elder Law, LLC

Jones Elder Law, LLC Helping Missouri and Illinois families protect their home, savings and spouse through elder law and estate planning. Jones Elder Law now two locations! Our St.

Louis office is by appointment only.
2085 Bluestone Drive, St. Charles, Missouri 63303

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JonesElderLaw

Connect with us on LinkedIn by following are company page: http://www.linkedin.com/company/jones-elder-law-llc?trk=hb_tab_compy_id_2779372

Find us on YouTube at JonesElderLaw

You can view our blog where we get all of our articles from at http://www.joneselderlaw.com/?page=1

If you'd like to view the Jones Elder Law attorneys you can find both on LinkedIn and Avvo! Just look for Rosalind M. Robertson, or Stephen C. Jones!

Hello, October.Pumpkin patch weekend, corn maze with the grandkids, or the porch light staying off this year? We'd love ...
10/02/2026

Hello, October.

Pumpkin patch weekend, corn maze with the grandkids, or the porch light staying off this year? We'd love to hear how your family spends the month.

There's something fitting about fall and family planning showing up in the same season. Both are really about the same thing: making sure the people you love are taken care of, this month and beyond.

Tell us below how you're spending October.

Nobody plans to leave these decisions to a judge. Most families just never got around to deciding otherwise, and then it...
10/01/2026

Nobody plans to leave these decisions to a judge. Most families just never got around to deciding otherwise, and then it was too late to decide at all.

That is what happens without an estate plan. Missouri law steps in and answers every question you didn't: who raises your kids, who controls your money, who gets your home, whether your family spends a year and thousands of dollars in probate court to sort out what you would have simply told them.

October is National Estate Planning Awareness Month. We're using it to walk families through exactly what's at stake and exactly what to do about it.

You don't have to figure this out alone, and you don't have to keep putting it off. Call our St. Charles office at (636) 493-3333 to get started.

An outright inheritance can create serious problems for a beneficiary who receives SSI, Medicaid, or another needs-based...
09/30/2026

An outright inheritance can create serious problems for a beneficiary who receives SSI, Medicaid, or another needs-based public benefit.

The question is not whether the family wants to help. The question is how that help should be structured. Leaving money directly to the beneficiary may increase the resources available to that person and disrupt important benefits.

A properly designed third-party special needs trust may allow the inheritance to support the beneficiary’s quality of life without giving the beneficiary direct control of the assets.

Protection must be built into the estate plan before the inheritance is distributed.

A parent can legitimately pay a child or another family member for caregiving. The problem arises when the arrangement i...
09/29/2026

A parent can legitimately pay a child or another family member for caregiving. The problem arises when the arrangement is informal and there is no reliable record of what the parent received in exchange for the money.

Missouri Medicaid may examine family payments during its five year review period. A written caregiver agreement, reasonable compensation, current time records, and traceable payments can help establish that the parent purchased real services rather than transferred money as a gift.

Document the arrangement while care is being provided. Paperwork created after a nursing home admission cannot replace records that should have existed from the beginning.

Learn more: https://joneselderlaw.com/pay-family-member-care-missouri-medicaid-penalty/

Here's the question underneath almost every assisted living conversation, even when families don't say it out loud: what...
09/28/2026

Here's the question underneath almost every assisted living conversation, even when families don't say it out loud: what happens when the money runs out?

Missouri Medicaid doesn't take over an assisted living bill the way people assume. It covers a personal care benefit and a small cash supplement, but not the room and board charge, which regularly runs $6,000 to $7,500 a month in St. Charles and St. Louis County. Many communities require a resident to move once private funds are gone.

The families who come out ahead are the ones who ask that question early, not the ones who wait until the bank account forces the issue. Our latest blog breaks down what Medicaid actually covers, when Nursing Home Medicaid becomes the better option, and how to protect a spouse who stays at home. Read it here: https://joneselderlaw.com/does-missouri-medicaid-pay-for-assisted-living/

Gold Star families carry a loss that began with service to our country and continues long after the ceremonies end.On Go...
09/27/2026

Gold Star families carry a loss that began with service to our country and continues long after the ceremonies end.

On Gold Star Mother’s and Family’s Day, we remember the service members who died while serving our nation. We also honor the parents, spouses, children, and families who carry their memory forward.

Their sacrifice is not forgotten. Neither are their families.

Dying without a will does not allow a Missouri family to avoid probate.When someone dies without a will, Missouri law de...
09/26/2026

Dying without a will does not allow a Missouri family to avoid probate.

When someone dies without a will, Missouri law determines who inherits probate property. The court may still need to appoint a Personal Representative, identify assets and creditors, and supervise distribution.

The absence of a will does not make administration simpler. It removes the person’s written instructions from the process.

Learn more: https://joneselderlaw.com/what-happens-if-someone-dies-without-a-will-in-missouri/

Medicaid approval solves the immediate question of who will pay for nursing home care. It does not necessarily answer wh...
09/25/2026

Medicaid approval solves the immediate question of who will pay for nursing home care. It does not necessarily answer what will happen to the home, farm, rental property, or other remaining assets after death.

An asset may be exempt for eligibility and still face a lien or estate recovery later. Families need to ask two questions: Will this asset prevent Medicaid approval? Will it remain protected after Medicaid has paid for care?

A plan that answers only the first question may leave the family exposed.

Learn more: https://joneselderlaw.com/missouri-medicaid-estate-recovery-liens/

Life insurance can create an unexpected problem during a Missouri Medicaid application.Some policies have cash value tha...
09/24/2026

Life insurance can create an unexpected problem during a Missouri Medicaid application.

Some policies have cash value that may count as a resource. Surrendering a policy without proper analysis can also destroy a death benefit the family hoped to preserve. Ownership, policy type, face value, cash value, and beneficiaries all matter.

Review the policy before filing. A Medicaid application should not be the first time the family discovers what the policy contains.

Learn more: https://joneselderlaw.com/how-missouri-medicaid-treats-life-insurance-when-applying-for-nursing-home-benefits/

A nursing home admission does not automatically mean that every planning opportunity is gone.The available choices may b...
09/23/2026

A nursing home admission does not automatically mean that every planning opportunity is gone.

The available choices may be narrower than they were earlier, but Missouri families may still need to address Medicaid eligibility, spousal protection, the home, beneficiary designations, powers of attorney, and transfers made before admission.

Do not assume it is too late or start spending blindly. Determine what can still be done before more options disappear.

Learn more: https://joneselderlaw.com/too-late-estate-planning-nursing-home-admission/

Address

2085 Bluestone Drive, Suite 204
Saint Peters, MO
63303

Opening Hours

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

Telephone

+16364933333

Website

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