Proactive Medicaid Planning in Nevada: The Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (MAPT)

The best time to protect your life savings from long-term care costs is while you’re still healthy and independent.

Most families wait until a crisis forces their hand — and by then, many options are off the table. Nursing home care in Nevada can easily exceed $135,000 per year, and without planning, it can wipe out everything you’ve worked for.

That’s why we recommend proactive Medicaid planning — and the single most powerful tool available is the Medicaid Asset Protection Trust, often called a MAPT.

What Is a Medicaid Asset Protection Trust?

A MAPT is a specially designed irrevocable trust that allows you to transfer assets out of your name now, so they are no longer counted when you eventually apply for Medicaid years later.

Once the trust is properly funded and the 5-year look-back period has passed, those assets are protected. You can still enjoy many benefits of ownership while gaining powerful legal safeguards.

Why a MAPT Is Usually Better Than Simply Gifting Assets

Many people think, “I’ll just give everything to my kids.” That approach has serious downsides:

• You lose control
• You risk losing the step-up in basis (creating huge capital gains taxes)
• Your children’s creditors or divorce could put the money at risk
• You may lose important tax breaks on your home

A properly drafted MAPT solves all of those problems while still protecting the assets.

Key Benefits of a MAPT in Nevada

When we design a MAPT for clients, we focus on what matters most to families:

• You can still live in your home and keep your homestead and property tax exemptions
• You retain the step-up in basis at death for your beneficiaries (avoiding capital gains taxes)
• You keep important tax advantages (the trust is usually drafted as a “grantor trust”)
• You maintain control over who ultimately receives the assets
• Your beneficiaries gain strong creditor protection
• A Trust Protector can be named to provide flexibility if laws change

Best of all, you start the 5-year clock today while you’re healthy.

Who Is the Ideal Candidate for a MAPT?

The best candidates are usually:

• Relatively healthy seniors who want to stay in control
• House-rich, cash-poor families
• Anyone who has seen what long-term care costs did to a friend or family member
• People who want to leave a legacy instead of spending it all on care

How the Process Works

Proactive planning is straightforward when you work with an experienced elder law attorney:

1. We meet for a “Right Fit” consultation to understand your goals and review your assets
2. We design a custom MAPT tailored to your family
3. You sign the trust and transfer eligible assets (home, cash accounts, investments, etc.)
4. We guide you through proper funding and documentation
5. The 5-year clock begins immediately after the property is transferred

Peace of Mind You Can’t Put a Price On

Knowing your home and savings are protected — and that your children won’t have to watch everything disappear — brings tremendous relief.

This is not “giving up control.” It’s smart, responsible planning that lets you stay in charge of your future.

The best time to act is now. The longer you wait, the fewer options you’ll have.

👉 Ready to protect what you’ve worked so hard for? Schedule your complimentary “Right Fit” meeting today. We’ll run the numbers together and show you exactly how much you can protect with a MAPT.