Absolute Law Group

Absolute Law Group ABSOLUTE LAW GROUP is proud to serve clients throughout the State of Florida with physical office locations in Marion County and Lake/Sumter County.

We provide virtual consultation options as well as online notary options for optimal practices. ABSOLUTE LAW GROUP is a boutique law practice serving clients in estate planning, business planning, corporate law, asset protection planning, and general tax planning. Attorney Sarah K. Elyaman proudly calls herself a “Triple Gator,” as she has graduated with her B.S, J.D, and L.L.M in taxation from t

he University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. She has also received advanced training in Estates and Trusts by the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Our Mission is to provide the highest quality legal services, focusing on education. We work with individuals, families and businesses to form strong partnerships to effectively represent them and their unique needs and provide them peace of mind once they leave our office.

You've been managing her medications for two years. You drive her to every appointment. You're the one the neighbor call...
09/02/2026

You've been managing her medications for two years. You drive her to every appointment. You're the one the neighbor calls.

Legally, that may give you no authority at all.

It's one of the hardest things families learn, usually at the worst possible moment. In Florida, the right to act for another adult — to sign, to access an account, to make a medical decision — comes from documents that person signed while they still had capacity. It does not come from being the one who shows up.

The gap goes unnoticed for years, because for years it doesn't matter. Mom can still sign her own name. She can still tell the doctor what she wants. Then there's a stroke, or a fall, or a diagnosis that crosses a line — and the signature everything depended on isn't available anymore.

This month we're writing about what actually creates caregiver authority in Florida: the durable power of attorney, the health care surrogate designation, the HIPAA authorization, and one document most families have never heard of.

The whole thing is easier to arrange while the answer is still yes.

Read it here: https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/you-ve-been-caring-for-your-mother-for-two-years-legally-you-may-have-no-authority-at-all

Absolute Law Group | Estate Planning & Elder Law | Ocala, FL
General information, not legal advice.

Almost nobody plans for long-term care on a calm Tuesday afternoon.Here's how it usually goes instead. A parent falls. H...
08/26/2026

Almost nobody plans for long-term care on a calm Tuesday afternoon.

Here's how it usually goes instead. A parent falls. Hospital stay, then rehab under Medicare. Around day fifteen, someone from the facility mentions coverage is ending and asks how the family plans to pay. The adult children — who have never once discussed this — start searching on their phones in a hallway.

That's crisis planning, and it happens every day. Real options often remain even after care has started.

There are simply fewer of them than there would have been with time.

Three things change when a family plans years ahead instead of days ahead. Florida's five-year lookback stops being an obstacle and starts being irrelevant. More gets preserved. And — the one people never think about — someone actually has the legal authority to act, because the durable power of attorney was reviewed while there was still time to fix what it didn't say.

If you're in the hallway right now, talk to an elder law attorney before making any financial moves. If you're not, this is the good window. Use it.

Blog link: https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/crisis-planning-vs-planning-ahead-what-actually-changes-for-florida-families

Absolute Law Group | Estate Planning & Elder Law | Ocala, FL

If someone has told you to "just put the house in the kids' names," please read this before you do.Transferring a home f...
08/19/2026

If someone has told you to "just put the house in the kids' names," please read this before you do.

Transferring a home for less than fair market value is a transfer, and Florida reviews sixty months of financial history when someone applies for long-term care Medicaid. A transfer inside that window can create a penalty period — and here's what makes it hurt: the penalty doesn't start when you make the gift. It starts when you need care and apply for benefits.

So the family ends up without the house and without coverage, at the same time.

There's a second problem that has nothing to do with Medicaid. A home given away during life generally carries the original cost basis to whoever receives it. A home inherited at death generally gets a stepped-up basis. On a Florida property held for decades, that difference in capital gains can be larger than whatever the family was trying to protect.

And the part that stings most: the primary residence is often an exempt asset for Medicaid purposes anyway. Families sometimes give away, at real cost, something that was never being counted.

Spending down and giving away are not the same thing. Before you move anything, talk to an elder law or estate planning attorney about your specific sit

Blog link: https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/the-spend-down-myths-that-cost-florida-families-the-most

Absolute Law Group | Estate Planning & Elder Law | Ocala, FL

"We make too much to qualify."We hear this constantly, and it's usually wrong.Florida is an income-cap state. For 2026, ...
08/12/2026

"We make too much to qualify."

We hear this constantly, and it's usually wrong.

Florida is an income-cap state. For 2026, the monthly income limit for an individual applying for long-term care Medicaid is $2,982. Families do the math on a parent's Social Security and pension, land above the number, and conclude the door is closed.

But Florida law recognizes a Qualified Income Trust — often called a Miller Trust — built for exactly this situation. Income above the cap goes into the trust, and when it's properly drafted, funded, and administered, the applicant can meet the income test.

The asset side works similarly. The countable limit for 2026 is $2,000, and the word doing the work in that sentence is countable. The primary residence is frequently exempt, subject to a home equity limit. So is a vehicle. So are household goods and certain burial arrangements.

For a lot of Florida households, the largest thing they own doesn't count at all.

The most expensive mistake in this area isn't failing to qualify. It's deciding you don't qualify without ever asking someone who knows the rules — and paying privately for years as a result.

Blog link: https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/the-medicaid-eligibility-rules-florida-families-misunderstand-most

Absolute Law Group | Estate Planning & Elder Law | Ocala, FL

There's one sentence that costs Florida families more money than almost anything else we see:"Medicare will cover it."Fo...
08/05/2026

There's one sentence that costs Florida families more money than almost anything else we see:

"Medicare will cover it."

For long-term care, it generally won't.

Medicare covers a limited stretch of skilled nursing after a qualifying hospital stay — usually rehabilitation, usually a matter of weeks. What it doesn't cover is the care most families actually end up needing: months or years of help with bathing, dressing, eating, and managing medication.

That care gets paid for one of three ways. Out of pocket. Through a long-term care insurance policy. Or through Medicaid.

For most families in Central Florida, it ends up being Medicaid — and that's where the second misunderstanding kicks in. People assume they'd have to lose everything to qualify. The actual rules are a technical financial test with defined limits, defined exemptions, and legal tools Florida recognizes.

The families who understand that test in advance navigate it very differently than the families meeting it for the first time in a hospital hallway.

This month we're walking through how Medicaid and long-term care actually work in Florida — what's covered, what counts, and why timing changes ever

Blog link: https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/the-truth-about-medicaid-and-long-term-care-in-florida-and-why-most-families-learn-it-too-late

Absolute Law Group | Estate Planning & Elder Law | Ocala, FL

A Power of Attorney Can Protect — or ExposeMost people think of a power of attorney as pure protection. It can be. It ca...
07/15/2026

A Power of Attorney Can Protect — or Expose

Most people think of a power of attorney as pure protection. It can be. It can also be the exact tool an exploiter uses — it all depends on how the document is drafted.

A power of attorney hands real financial authority to another person. If that person uses it for their own benefit instead of the senior's, Florida law can treat it as a breach of fiduciary duty and a form of exploitation.

The protection isn't in simply having the document. It's in how it's built:

— Naming a genuinely trustworthy, capable agent
— Naming a successor in case the first becomes unsuitable
— Considering co-agents who must act together on major decisions
— Specifically limiting high-risk powers like gifting and asset transfers
— Setting things up so the agent's activity can be monitored

The same document that creates risk can be drafted to contain it. The difference is in the details — which is exactly why these documents deserve careful, professional drafting rather than a fill-in-the-blank form.

Consult an estate planning attorney to understand what safeguards make sense for your family.

Absolute Law Group focuses on estate planning and elder law for Central Florida families, based in Ocala.

https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/preventing-financial-abuse-before-it-starts-a-florida-family-s-guide-to-protective-planning

The Warning Signs Families MissFinancial exploitation of older adults is sometimes called a "silent crime" — because whi...
07/08/2026

The Warning Signs Families Miss

Financial exploitation of older adults is sometimes called a "silent crime" — because while it's happening, it rarely looks like one.

There's no break-in, no obvious theft. Just small changes that each have a plausible explanation, adding up over months.

A few of the warning signs Florida families should watch for:

— Unexplained withdrawals or transfers from a parent's accounts
— New names suddenly added to bank accounts, deeds, or financial documents
— Sudden changes to a will, beneficiary designation, or power of attorney
— Unpaid bills despite having enough money to cover them
— A new "friend," caregiver, or companion who quickly becomes involved in financial decisions
— Growing secrecy or anxiety about money, or isolation from longtime family and friends

No single one of these proves anything. But a pattern of them is worth paying attention to — calmly and early.

If something doesn't look right, document what you're seeing and seek guidance before acting. Consult an estate planning or elder law attorney to understand your options.

Absolute Law Group focuses on estate planning and elder law for families in Ocala and throughout Central Florida.

https://www.absolutelawgroup.com/post/the-warning-signs-of-senior-financial-exploitation-and-what-florida-families-often-miss

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4414 SW College Road, Suite 942
The Villages, FL
34474

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Wednesday 9am - 5pm
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