You Don’t Have to Go Broke Paying for Long-Term Care.
Whether your family is facing an urgent care transition today or planning ahead to protect your home for tomorrow, we provide clear, proven guidance. We handle complex Medicaid spend-downs, audit 5-year bank records, and structure asset-protection strategies—so your savings stay where they belong.
Active Fire Lieutenant & Certified Medicaid Planner (CMP™) | Serving Pierce, King, & Thurston Counties
Two Ways We Help Families Navigate Medicaid
My Parent or Spouse Needs Care Now
Urgent Assistance
Facing $10,000+/month long-term care or memory care costs
Overwhelmed by Medicaid's 5-year bank record audit request
Worried about losing the family home or exhausting life savings
Solution: Immediate Spend-Down Execution, 5-Year Financial Auditing, and Medicaid Compliant Annuities (MCAs) / Funeral Trusts.
We Want to Protect Our Home & Future Savings
Proactive Asset Protection
Wanting to ensure the house stays safely in the family
Looking for guaranteed lifetime income exempt from care costs
Eliminating future financial panic before health changes happen
Solution: Forward-thinking Hybrid Life/LTC Structures, Fixed-Indexed Annuities, and Custom Asset Protection Roadmaps.
MEET YOUR MEDICAID ADVISOR
Calm Under Pressure. Precision in Crisis.
When long-term care costs threaten to drain a lifetime of savings, you don't need high-pressure sales tactics or confusing legal jargon—you need clear answers, immediate financial relief, and an advocate who stays calm under pressure.
As an active Fire Lieutenant at Central Pierce Fire & Rescue with nearly 20 years in public safety, and a Certified Medicaid Planner (CMP™), I built First Response Medicaid Planning to give local families a trusted, steady hand through complex Medicaid regulations. We operate this firm as a true family business—my wife, Deanne, works alongside me to handle client communications, document filing, and notary services, ensuring every family receives personal, attentive care from start to finish.
Guided by a strong personal faith and a commitment to ethical stewardship, I view this work as a natural extension of my duty to serve neighbors in crisis. As a husband, and father of two boys, I treat every family's assets and home as if they were my own. Medicaid planning isn't just rules and spreadsheets—it’s about protecting the foundation your family worked a lifetime to build. When I’m not on duty or helping families safeguard their hard-earned assets, I’m an avid outdoorsman—whether bowhunting, rockhounding across the Northwest, or spending quality time with my family.
We bridge the gap between high-cost legal retainers and complex state bureaucracies. By handling the heavy financial execution—from 5-year bank statement audits to structuring exempt income streams—we ensure your loved one receives high-quality care while protecting the family home and hard-earned assets.
Board-Certified Expertise: Certified Medicaid Planner (CMP™) specializing in Washington State long-term care rules, spend-down strategies, and financial lookbacks.
First Responder Integrity: Built on a foundation of public service, peer-to-peer trust, and calm, methodical crisis management.
Local & Collaborative: Operating out of Tacoma to serve Pierce, King, and Thurston counties, collaborating seamlessly with your elder law attorney and care facility team.
WHAT WE DO
Comprehensive Medicaid & Asset Protection Services
From immediate crisis intervention to forward-thinking legacy protection, we deliver precise, non-legal financial solutions tailored to Washington State rules.
Immediate Spend-Down & Benefits Qualifying
Best For: Families facing an imminent nursing home, memory care, or assisted living placement ($10,000+/mo costs).
Key Deliverables:
Custom spend-down roadmap to qualify for Medicaid quickly without liquidating everything.
Structuring exempt assets, medical expense set-asides, and pre-paid funeral trusts.
Complete application preparation, document assembly, and caseworker submission.
5-Year Lookback Financial Audits
Best For: Families overwhelmed by Medicaid’s request for 60 months of historical bank, asset, and tax records.
Key Deliverables:
Line-by-line financial forensic audit of all bank statements and property records.
Identifying and resolving unverified transfers, cash withdrawals, or potential gifting penalties.
Organizing clean, auditor-ready documentation to prevent application denials or delays.
Unsure which service fits your situation?
We start every client relationship with a confidential strategy session to review your specific asset picture.
Income Restructuring & Spousal Protection
Best For: Married couples where one spouse needs care, or families needing to protect excess liquid cash.
Key Deliverables:
Structuring Medicaid Compliant Annuities (MCAs) to convert countable cash into exempt income.
Maximizing the Community Spouse Resource Allowance (CSRA) and Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (MMNA).
Ensuring the healthy spouse in the community retains full financial independence.
Pre-Planning & Hybrid Asset Protection
Best For: Proactive individuals and couples (55+) who want to protect their home and wealth before health changes occur.
Key Deliverables:
Hybrid Life + Long-Term Care policy design (access care benefits if needed, retain death benefit if not).
Fixed-Indexed Annuities providing guaranteed, exempt lifetime income.
Long-term asset protection strategies to ensure your family home stays in the family.
COLLABORATIVE CARE & COMPLIANCE
We Partner With Legal and Senior Care Professionals
Financial Execution & Audit Specialist (First Response)
What We Handle:
Meticulous 5-year bank statement and financial forensic auditing.
Structuring exempt income streams and Medicaid Compliant Annuities (MCAs).
Spend-down budget calculations and asset allocation strategies.
Complete Medicaid financial application packet assembly and submission.
Direct coordination with caseworkers, care facilities, and placement directors.
Legal Counsel & Estate Planning (Elder Law Attorney)
What the Attorney Handles:
Drafting legal instruments (Irrevocable Trusts, Special Needs Trusts).
Drafting Powers of Attorney (POAs), Healthcare Directives, and Wills.
Representation in probate, guardianship, or formal legal disputes.
Legal interpretations of Washington State administrative codes.
Already Working with an Elder Law Attorney or Senior Placement Agent?
We complement their work—we don't replace it. We routinely collaborate with local Pierce, King, and Thurston County elder law attorneys and placement specialists to execute the heavy financial logistics, saving families time, stress, and unnecessary legal fees.
Are you an elder law attorney, placement agent, or care director looking for a trusted financial specialist?
Frequently Asked Questions
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Answer: Not necessarily, but without proper planning, the state can file an estate recovery claim against the home after a Medicaid recipient passes away. In Washington State, primary residences can often be classified as exempt assets during a person's lifetime under specific rules (such as a spouse living in the home, intent to return, or caregiver child exemptions). We help you structure strategies to protect the home during care and shield it from post-death recovery.
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Answer: When you apply for long-term care Medicaid, the state conducts a rigorous audit of all financial accounts, property transfers, and bank statements going back 60 months. Any unverified cash withdrawals, gifts to children, or below-market property sales can trigger severe penalty periods where Medicaid refuses to pay for care. We conduct a thorough pre-application audit to catch, document, and resolve these issues before submission.
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Answer: No. Even if your loved one is already residing in a facility or receiving $10,000+/month bills, it is rarely "too late." While pre-crisis planning offers the most flexibility, crisis spend-down strategies—such as Medicaid Compliant Annuities (MCAs), pre-paid funeral trusts, and allowable medical expense set-asides—can still preserve a significant portion of remaining assets.
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Answer: Elder law attorneys specialize in legal instruments (drafting trusts, powers of attorney, wills, and court proceedings). We specialize in the financial execution and forensic auditing—doing the heavy lifting of auditing 5 years of bank records, structuring exempt financial vehicles, calculating exact spend-downs, and managing caseworker logistics. We frequently work alongside your existing attorney to handle the financial side, saving your family substantial time and legal fees.
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Answer: A Certified Medicaid Planner (CMP™) is a board-certified professional who has met strict experience standards and passed a rigorous national examination on complex Medicaid regulations, asset rules, and lookback requirements. Working with a CMP™ ensures your financial spend-down strategy is compliant with current Washington State administrative codes.
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Answer: We serve families and care professionals across Pierce, King, and Thurston counties. We offer in-person consultations at our Downtown Tacoma office (The Pioneer Collective at 1102 A Street Suite 300) as well as secure virtual consultations for families scattered across different locations.
Have a specific question about your family's financial situation?
Every family's asset structure is unique. Let's look at the numbers together.
Request Your Confidential Strategy Call
Office Location & Contact Details
Firm Name: First Response Medicaid Planning LLC
Primary Office: The Pioneer Collective — 1102 A Street Suite 300, Downtown Tacoma, WA 98402
Service Area: Serving Pierce, King, and Thurston Counties (In-person & Virtual Consultations)
Direct Phone: 253-245-3534
Email:derick@frmplanning.com
Why Contact Us Now?
Zero Obligation: Clear, honest assessment of your financial spend-down options.
Rapid Response: We prioritize crisis cases to meet facility and care timelines.
100% Confidential: Your family’s financial privacy is strictly protected.