Janet Colliton has practiced law for over 36 years, 35 of them in Chester County, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. Her practice, Colliton Law Associates, PC, is limited to elder law, Medicaid, including advice, applications and appeals, and other benefits planning including Veterans benefits, life care and special needs planning, guardianships, retirement, and estate planning and administra
tion. She practices in all of the suburban Philadelphia counties including Chester County, Delaware County, and Lancaster counties and, in conjunction with a related business, Life Transition Services, LLC, headed by Jeffrey M. Jones, Certified Senior Advisor, provides comprehensive support for the elderly, their spouses and families, and special needs individuals as they transition from independent living to assisted living or skilled long term care whether at home or in a facility. Special focus is placed on helping spouses to survive financially while their spouse is receiving long term care. Janet Colliton was elected twice to the Board of Directors of the Chester County Bar Association and has been Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Chester County Bar for over ten years. She is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys (PAELA), the Pennsylvania Bar Association Elder Law Section, and the Chester County Estate Planning Council. She was a Charter Member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. Colliton is co-author with Jerry A. of The Medicaid Program: Interstate Planning Opportunities in Pennsylvania and Delaware published by Half Moon, LLC, Eau Clair, Wisconsin, 2004 and co-author with Jeffrey Marshall, Esq. and other Pennsylvania elder law attorneys of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute primary reference source in the field Elder Law in Pennsylvania 3rd ed. 2012 where Ms. Colliton was responsible for the Social Security section. She has lectured extensively on elder law topics including financing of long term care and incorporating long term disability into estate planning. JanetCollitonFor the past 16 years, Ms. Colliton has authored a popular weekly newspaper column, “Planning Ahead” on senior planning issues in West Chester’s Daily Local News, totaling over 800 columns on subjects including Social Security, Medicaid, long term care insurance, Medicare supplemental insurance and Family Agreements for care. She co-hosts with Phil McFadden, Home Instead Senior Care, a weekly radio program on Wednesdays on WCHE 1520, “50+ Planning Ahead.”
Janet Colliton is a graduate of Chestnut Hill College (1969) and James Beasley Temple University School of Law (JD, Class of 1977) and has background in public and private practice. Before establishing her private practice, Mr. Colliton was First Assistant County Solicitor for Chester County, Pennsylvania where she supervised counsel for Department of Aging, Mental Health and other County social service agencies. She also served as a Hearing Examiner for the Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement Service (SERS). She is a former Board President of the YWCA of Greater West Chester and lives in the West Chester area with her daughter.
