From our “Ask a Question” Mailbag: Caregiver Reimbursement From Bucks County Decedent Estate

Most Recently Updated July 16, 2018. 

“Before she died, my mother-in-law lived in my Bucks County, Pennsylvania house and required round-the-clock care, which I provided. My husband’s brother and sister did not even visit. Now that she has died, her estate is being divided up between the children. They refuse to compensate me for all the work I did caring for their mother. Can I make a claim to be paid?”

Caregiver Reimbursement From Bucks County Decedent Estate

Caregiver Reimbursement From Bucks County Decedent Estate

Your mother-in-law’s estate is to be divided up between the heirs as her will dictates, or through the rules of intestacy if she had no will. Prior to the division of the assets, all creditors must be paid. Because you had no agreement showing that you were doing the work for a fee, it will be difficult to prove that you are a creditor.

Family members often take care of other ill family members without compensation, so you would need to prove that this work was done under an agreement with her so you would be paid. That being said, the heirs can agree to give you some of the estate as compensation for your work. But, if they would agree to that, I imagine you would not have needed to write this question.

More Planning Questions?

Elder care is only a piece of the Estate Planning process. By all means, if you want to learn more, please read my more detailed article, Estate Planning Everything You Need to Know.

In Conclusion: Caregiver Reimbursement From Bucks County Decedent Estate

I hope that this article was helpful in explaining reimbursement for elder care. Further, I included links to even more detailed information on my website so you can learn more. Therefore, please contact me and let me know how I did. Certainly, your comments and questions are welcome!

Let our Estate Planning lawyers help walk you through what can be a confusing process. To begin with, call to speak to one of our experienced estate planning lawyers.  By all means, our lawyers are ready to answer your questions. In fact, feel free to contact our office for a free consultation. Ultimately our goal is to make the process as painless as possible!

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