Kristen Matthews Law

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Kristen Matthews Law

Kristen Matthews Law is an Estate Planning and Elder Law Firm located in Downingtown, PA. We help families navigate the complex issues life brings with age.

Kristen R. Matthews's law career has been exclusively devoted to helping clients with estate planning and elder law issues. She works closely with individuals and their families on all aspects of estate and trust planning and administration, by implementing necessary legal documents, such as a Will, Living Will, and General Durable and Healthcare Powers of Attorney. Kristen counsels families through the emotional and often daunting process of qualifying for government benefits such as Medicaid, Veterans Benefits, and Social Security. Through strategic planning, Kristen helps individuals and families facing the high costs of long-term care to safeguard their lifetime savings. Kristen also assists families with disabled loved ones through establishing and administering special needs trusts, as well as obtaining permission from the Pennsylvania Orphans Court to appoint a guardian. Kristen assists veterans and their surviving spouse with qualifying for the Aid & Attendance benefit, a monthly cash payment that can be used to offset escalating medical expenses. Kristen has achieved the designation of Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA) from the National Elder Law Foundation. The CELA designation is recognized and authorized by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and is only awarded to attorneys who have demonstrated extensive experience in practicing in the areas of estate planning and elder law, passed a day-long exam, and received recommendations from other attorneys who hold the CELA designation. Since 2015, Kristen has been recognized as a “Top Lawyer” in Elder Law by Main Line Today magazine and the Daily Local News. In 2016 and 2019, Main Line Today named Kristen #1 Top Lawyer in the Elder Law category. Since 2017 Kristen has earned the title of Pennsylvania Rising Star, an award given to less than 3% of Pennsylvania attorneys. Prior to founding Kristen Matthews Law, Kristen was one of the first female associate attorneys promoted to partner at the oldest and largest law firm based in Chester County. The first attorney in a family of teachers, Kristen connects with her clients on a meaningful level, equipping them with the requisite knowledge to gain confidence and control over their affairs. A lifelong resident of Downingtown, Kristen and her husband Lee are the proud parents of 3 active boys.

10/19/2026

This week is National Estate Planning Awareness Week, and I want to share something that most people do not know.

Fewer than 30 percent of attorneys who sit for the Certified Elder Law Attorney exam pass it.

That is not a credential gap. That is a knowledge gap. Elder law is not just estate planning. It is Medicaid planning, incapacity planning, long-term care strategy, guardianship, asset protection, and the way all of those pieces interact with each other and with an estate plan. Attorneys who know one area deeply often find they cannot demonstrate the breadth the certification requires.

I earned the CELA designation because I believe families navigating these decisions deserve an attorney who has proven their knowledge across all of it, not just part of it. Estate Planning Awareness Week is a good time to ask not just whether you have a plan, but whether the attorney who helped you create it truly understands the full picture.

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

10/15/2026

Medicare Open Enrollment starts today and runs through December 7. That is your window to review your coverage and make changes that take effect January 1.

Most people stick with the same plan year after year without realizing that premiums, covered medications, and provider networks change annually. What worked well last year may cost significantly more or cover less in 2027.

A few things worth doing before December 7:
🔹Review your current plan's Annual Notice of Change, which should have arrived in the mail this month
🔹Use Medicare's Plan Finder at Medicare.gov to compare options based on your specific medications and preferred pharmacy
🔹Check whether your doctors and specialists are still in your plan's network for 2027
🔹Ask about Extra Help if you have limited income - many people who qualify do not know it

If you have questions about how Medicare fits into your broader long-term care plan, that is exactly the kind of conversation I have with families every day.
484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

10/09/2026

Here is something families often do not realize until it is too late: estate planning attorneys and elder law attorneys do very different things.

An estate planning attorney focuses on what happens to your assets after you die. That is important work. But it does not protect you from what could happen while you are still alive.
Medicaid planning is the work of protecting your assets from the catastrophic cost of long-term care, which can exceed $10,000 a month in Pennsylvania, while preserving eligibility for the government benefits that help cover those costs. It involves navigating a five-year look-back period on asset transfers, spousal protections, spend-down strategies, and state-specific rules that change regularly.

Most estate planning attorneys do not handle this at all. The ones who do occasionally often lack the depth to do it well. A single misstep, even one made with the best intentions, can cost a family tens of thousands of dollars or delay benefits for months.

This is one of the core reasons the CELA designation exists. And it is one of the core reasons I chose to devote my entire career to elder law.

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

10/05/2026

If you or a loved one is on Medicare, this is worth knowing before Open Enrollment begins on October 15.

The federal program that has been holding Medicare Part D prescription drug premiums down for the past two years is ending after 2026. The national base premium is expected to rise about 6 percent, from $38.99 to $41.33 per month. But because plans vary widely by insurer and region, some enrollees could see larger increases than that.

The good news is that the $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket prescription costs remains in place.

A few things to do now:

🔹Use Medicare's Plan Finder tool at Medicare.gov to compare plans based on your specific medications
🔹Check whether you qualify for the Extra Help program, which helps cover Part D costs for people with limited income
🔹Contact your local SHIP office for free, unbiased Medicare counseling

Open Enrollment runs October 15 through December 7. Do not let it pass without reviewing your coverage.

Read more: https://kmatthewslaw.com/medicare/medicare-plan-d-news-higher-monthly-premiums-in-2027/

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

10/01/2026

Today is International Day of Older Persons, and I want to take a moment to reflect on why I chose this work.

I have spent my entire legal career advocating for older adults and their families. Not as one area of practice among many, but as the whole of it. Every case, every client, every year.

The people I work with are not a demographic. They are individuals who built something over a lifetime and deserve to protect it. Who have opinions about their own care and the right to have those opinions honored. Who are navigating some of the most consequential decisions they will ever face, often under enormous pressure.

It is a privilege to be the attorney they call. Today and every day.

09/28/2026

"Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

There is something in that quote that gets to the heart of why this work matters to me. The people I advocate for have spent decades becoming who they are. They deserve to age on their own terms.

09/24/2026

A bipartisan bill called the Alzheimer's Screening and Prevention Act, or ASAP Act, could change how Medicare covers blood-based Alzheimer's testing. And for families navigating a loved one's cognitive decline, that matters.

Right now, Medicare generally cannot cover routine blood-based Alzheimer's screening tests, even as the technology becomes more widely available. The ASAP Act would create a pathway for Medicare to cover FDA-cleared dementia screening tests, potentially making earlier diagnosis more accessible and more affordable.

Earlier diagnosis is not just a medical issue. It is a legal and financial planning issue. An earlier diagnosis can give someone the time to choose a surrogate decision-maker, update powers of attorney and advance directives, and make a plan for housing and care on their own terms, while they still can.

Read more here: https://kmatthewslaw.com/medicare/medicare-could-cover-early-alzheimers-blood-testing/

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

09/21/2026

Sometimes a client says it better than I ever could.

"I know this might sound over the top but every bit is true. Kristen Matthews is not only an unbelievable attorney but I believe she is an angel. She helped getting my mother into a nursing home and helped transferring my father to the same home. Kristen was a liaison between the nursing home and myself."

- Adult Daughter, Nursing Home Placement and Coordination

This is why I do this work. Families navigating long-term care placement are often in one of the hardest seasons of their lives. Being the person they can count on means everything.

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

09/18/2026

If you have ever asked an AI tool a health question, logged into a patient portal, or received a call about your Medicare benefits, your health information is moving through systems that federal law has not fully caught up with yet.

HIPAA's Security Rule, the standard for protecting electronic health information, was last updated in 2013. A major overhaul has been proposed but the timeline has slipped to 2027 at the earliest. In the meantime, AI is moving into hospitals, clinics, and insurance systems faster than regulation can address.

A few things worth doing now, without waiting for the rules to catch up:

Turn on multi-factor authentication on your patient portal if it is available
Be skeptical of unsolicited calls or messages about Medicare, billing, or prescriptions
Ask your provider's office if they use AI to transcribe visits and how that data is stored
Never enter your Social Security or Medicare number into a consumer AI tool

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

09/10/2026

Scammers impersonating the Social Security Administration, Medicare, and other government agencies cost older Americans billions of dollars every year. And they are getting better at making these calls, texts, and emails feel legitimate.

In my latest post I break down how these schemes work, what the warning signs are, and practical steps families can put in place now to protect an older loved one before a scammer gets the chance.

One rule that can prevent most of these scams: no legitimate government agency will ever ask someone to move money to protect it, pay in gift cards or cryptocurrency, or provide a Social Security number to confirm benefit eligibility. If that happens, it is a scam.

Read more here: https://kmatthewslaw.com/senior-living/shielding-older-adults-from-government-impersonation-scams/

484-789-9137 | kmatthewslaw.com

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14 E Welsh Pool Road
Exton, PA
19341

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http://kmatthewslaw.com/

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