At Jarvis Law Office, P.C., we help families in Parkesburg, West Virginia handle elder law cases.
Since May 2003, our team has focused on probate avoidance and estate planning, backed by a one-time flat fee with no recurring insurance-style charges. Today that team includes 30+ people across three offices, so your plan never rests on one person.
Elder law planning is the legal work that protects an older adult’s property, health care decisions, and ability to pay for care. This includes probate avoidance and Medicaid planning
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, West Virginia has one of the oldest populations in the nation, with roughly 20.5% of residents aged 65 and older, which means care costs are a common worry here. Drafting documents is only half the job, so our staff actively retitles deeds and accounts into the trust rather than handing you a binder to finish.
What You Get With Jarvis Law Office, P.C.
Hands-On Trust Funding
A trust only protects land if the deed and the accounts are actually moved into it. Our team handles that retitling work with you, so you are not left holding signed documents that were never finished.
One-Time Flat Fee, No Recurring Charges
You know the full cost before any work begins. We do not build plans around expensive life insurance products or monthly fees that keep billing you year after year.
Education So You Understand Your Own Plan
We explain the real difference between a basic will, a trust, and planning for nursing-home costs before you decide anything. You leave with clear written instructions you can follow and share with your children.
We Work With Your Current Financial Advisor
Your banker or advisor stays in place. We coordinate with them so your accounts, land, and legal documents all point the same direction.
20+ Years Of Helping Families Stay Put
According to AARP’s 2021 Home and Community Preferences Survey, 77% of adults age 50 and older want to remain in their current home and community as they age. Since May 2003, our 39-person team across three offices has built plans around that goal, often as part of a full plan for passing property down.
What Clients Say About Jarvis Law Office
“My husband and I just got our planning in place and it was a very informative and painless process.” – Courtney P.
“He took the time to explain every detail clearly, which made a complicated situation much easier to understand.” – Luke B.
“He’s had over 20 years experience… makes me feel better about choosing his firm.” – MaryEllen G.
“From intake to years down the road when you need to just refresh your memory on how things work.” – Courtney P.
“Everyone in the office is a pleasure to work with, and I never hesitate to call or send an email.” – Laura P.
What’s The Difference Between A Power Of Attorney And A Guardianship In West Virginia?
A power of attorney is signed by your mother, father, or spouse while they still understand what they are signing, naming someone they trust to handle money, property, and medical decisions.
Guardianship is a court case, filed in the county circuit court after capacity is already gone, asking a judge to appoint someone because no valid power of attorney exists.
A power of attorney is a document prepared in the office, signed at the kitchen table if need be, and used the day it is needed. Guardianship requires a petition, medical evidence of incapacity, a hearing, and ongoing reporting to the court for as long as it lasts.
Without a power of attorney, no one can sign a deed, refinance, or move acreage into a trust, which is a legal arrangement that holds property so it passes to your children without going through probate court.
According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid applies a 60-month look-back period on asset transfers when deciding eligibility for long-term care benefits, so transfers made during a crisis get counted. Planning early, before a stroke or a diagnosis, keeps the options open, and understanding how the five-year look-back works is usually the first step.
Our Elder Law Services in Parkersburg
- Medicaid eligibility planning
- Long-term care cost planning
- Guardianship and conservatorship matters
- Powers of attorney preparation
- Advance healthcare directives
- Asset protection trusts
- Veterans benefits planning
- Special needs planning coordination
- Trust funding and asset transfer
WE WILL SPEAK FOR YOUR RIGHTS
Contact us for a free, no obligation consultation to discuss your options. You may find that you are entitled to payment if your claim was denied or underpaid. Let Jarvis Law Office be your advocate
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About Jarvis Law Office, P.C.
Jarvis Law Office, P.C. opened in May 2003 and has spent 20+ years helping families keep their land and homes out of probate court, the court process that settles property after a death. The firm now includes 39 team members across three offices, so your plan is handled by a group, not one attorney working alone.
The firm’s focus is probate avoidance and trust planning, backed by hands-on asset funding. That means the team actually moves deeds and accounts into the trust rather than handing over a binder of paperwork for you to finish yourself.
Planning is done for a one-time flat fee, with no recurring insurance-style charges, and clients get plain instructions and tools so they understand how their own plan works.
Families on both sides of the river, including West Virginia clients in and around Parkesburg, are served regularly. The team also works alongside your existing financial advisor instead of pushing you to replace relationships you already trust.
Our Process in Parkersburg for Elder Law Cases
1. First Meeting And Family Review
We sit down and go over what you own, including the land, the home, the accounts, and who you want it to go to. You leave knowing what your plan would cost, as a one-time flat fee, before any work begins.
2. Plan Design
We map out which tools fit your family: a trust, which holds your property so it passes to your children without probate court, powers of attorney that let someone you trust act for you, and strategies for long-term care costs if nursing home care ever comes up.
3. Drafting And Walking You Through It
We prepare the documents and explain each one in plain words until it makes sense to you. You get written instructions and tools so the plan is something you can actually use, not a binder that sits on a shelf.
4. Funding The Trust
This is the step most plans miss. Our team actively handles the deed work and retitling so your land, home, and accounts are legally moved into the trust, because an empty trust protects nothing.
5. Ongoing Support And Reviews
Families change, land changes hands, and laws shift, so we stay available to review and update your plan. There are no recurring monthly charges or insurance-style fees to keep that door open.
Common Questions About Elder Law Attorney
What Is The Real Difference Between A Simple Will And A Trust When It Comes To Keeping The Family Farm Together?
A will tells the court who gets what, but it still has to go through probate, the court process that proves a will and transfers property. A trust holds the land during your lifetime and passes it to your children without that court step, which is why land stays out of probate when the deed is actually titled in the trust’s name.
If The Land Is Worth A Lot But We Have Almost No Cash, Can We Still Afford Elder Law Planning?
Yes. Jarvis Law Office works on a one-time flat fee quoted before any work begins, so you know the full cost upfront and never face recurring monthly or insurance-style charges.
How Long Before Nursing Home Care Do We Need To Start Medicaid Planning?
Medicaid looks back five years at gifts and property transfers before approving long-term care coverage. Starting early gives you the most options to protect the home place, waiting until someone is already in a facility narrows them, though crisis planning can still save assets.
What Happens If We Just Sign A Trust And Never Move The Property Into It?
Nothing changes. An unfunded trust is just paper, and the land still goes through probate. This is why our team handles the retitling of deeds and accounts instead of handing you a binder and wishing you luck.
Do We Need Guardianship If A Parent Is Already Losing Memory?
Only if no power of attorney is in place. A power of attorney signed while a parent still understands the document avoids a court guardianship case, which costs more and puts decisions in a judge’s hands.
Does VA Aid And Attendance Affect Medicaid Eligibility?
Yes, the two programs count income and assets differently, and a move that qualifies you for one can disqualify you from the other. They need to be planned together, not separately.
Local Resources Parkersburg for Elder Las
- Wood County Courthouse
- Wood County Circuit Court
- Wood County Clerk of the County Commission
- Wood County Commission
- Wood County Assessor
- Wood County Sheriff’s Tax Office
- West Virginia Bureau for Medical Services
- West Virginia Bureau of Senior Services
- Wood County Senior Citizens Association
- Legal Aid of West Virginia
- Mid-Ohio Valley Health Department
- Parkersburg and Wood County Public Library
Talk To An Elder Law Attorney Serving Parkesburg, West Virginia
The farm, the family home, and the acres your family has held for generations can stay in the family, but only if the plan is in place before it is needed.
Call us to set up a consultation. We can talk by phone and walk you through what a trust would actually do for your land before you commit to anything.
