Heidi is the owner of Friedman Elder Law Department, LLC. She is one of only a few Board Certified Elder Law Attorneys in Florida.  She has extensive experience in Elder Law, Medicaid and Veteran’s Administration benefits for wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. Additionally she specializes in estate planning for the 65+ population with a focus on asset protection against the overwhelming cost of long-term care. Heidi sits on a number of boards for different agencies and nonprofit organizations which concentrate on providing knowledge, support and assistance to and for the aging population.   In her role as an elder law attorney, Heidi has assisted hundreds of her clients obtain government benefits to help pay for long-term care whether at home, in an assisted living facility or in a skilled nursing home.  Her work has resulted in significant savings for each of her clients and their families. 

Heidi dedicates herself to the elderly through her volunteer work with several not-for profit agencies that focus on the senior community.  In her role as a member of the Medicaid committee with the Florida Bar, she is working on shortening and rectifying the issues with the current waitlist for long-term care programs offered by Medicaid.  Additionally, as a Board Director of SoFIA (South Florida Institute on Aging), Heidi is dedicated to providing programs to enhance seniors and empower them to thrive as they age.  She also is committed to educating the public about those who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or other memory disorders through her work as a member of the statewide Dementia Care and Cure Initiative created by the Governor.

Prior to the birth of her two sons, Heidi worked for a mid-size law firm that represented several large corporations. Her responsibilities included ensuring that employees of these companies were treated fairly and without discrimination as required under federal and state constitutions and laws. In this capacity, Heidi provided seminars and workshops discussing federal and state laws and regulations governing discrimination in the work environment. Today, Heidi continues to educate the public through seminars wherein she provides valuable information on how to prepare and plan to protect private assets against the significant cost of long-term care using estate planning strategies.

Heidi is a South Florida native, sister of two Army veterans, and the mother of two sons, one with special needs. She has been a dedicated advocate for the special needs community and assisted other children with special needs to obtain necessary services within the school system. She successfully lobbied the state legislature to increase education funding and promoted healthcare issues. Additionally, she was involved with safeguarding our schools in her role as a Hearing Officer for the Broward County School system.

In addition to her professional experience, Heidi recently suffered the loss of her mother.  Prior to her mother’s death, Heidi became her mother’s caretaker, experiencing firsthand the trials and tribulations of this emotional and exhaustive role.  Heidi is uniquely qualified to understanding the many concerns facing the aging population.  With her specialized knowledge of the programs and services offered to seniors, as well as her own personal experiences, Heidi can protect your nest egg and provide you peace of mind as you continue to grow older. 

EXPERIENCE

• Assisted husband with obtaining Medicaid benefits to pay for skilled nursing home for wife with Alzheimer’s reducing the monthly bill from $7,500 to $1,864.63, protecting the husband’s assets
• Assisted son of mother with Alzheimers with obtaining $1,153 VA Aid and Attendance tax-free monthly benefit for mother as a surviving spouse of wartime veteran and qualified mother for $1,200 in Medicaid to help pay for memory unit for mom
• Created 1st Party Special Needs Trust for disabled individual who received an award of $650,000 in workers compensation matter, protecting her ability to continue to receive SSI and Medicaid
• Created a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust for 9/11 Survivor for settlement monies to allow her to protect her settlement and still be able to qualify for Medicaid benefits after look-back period, while still maintaining assets in the trust for her benefit
• Qualified Wartime Veteran and his wife for an additional $2,127 tax-free monthly VA Aid and Attendance Benefit, as well as, qualified both husband and wife for Medicaid services at home, allowing their private assets to be sheltered to pay for additional and necessary care to allow couple to remain at home.