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Sarah L. Clingman

Clingman Law Firm LLC

Sarah L. Clingman

Clingman Law Firm LLC

Sarah L. Clingman

Clingman Law Firm LLC

SARAH CLINGMAN grew up in the Shandon area of Columbia. She earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature from Columbia College in 1983, a Master of Arts degree in the History of Colonial America in 1985, and a Juris Doctorate in 1990 from the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Clingman was awarded the Kenin Fellowship and practiced law in Washington, DC during her fellowship year. After returning to SC, Ms. Clingman practiced with Charleston and Beaufort law firms, then returned to Columbia. She maintains a specialized legal practice assisting those planning for disability, long term care, special needs. Her practice includes state-wide estate and disability planning, estate administration, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings and other related areas. In providing these legal services, Ms. Clingman provides estate and disability planning, medicaid and benefit eligibility review and planning, special needs and long term care planning, and guardianship, conservatorship, estate, and other judicial protective proceedings. Our mission is to provide quality legal services in the most cost-effective and ethical manner to individuals and families struggling to cope with challenges presented by disabilities and special needs. We maintain a holistic approach by coordinating services so that all aspects of present as well as anticipated future needs are evaluated. We believe that educating and informing individuals and their families is essential to successfully navigating health care systems and identifying and accessing available benefits. We regularly perform pro bono community services by speaking with individuals and local groups about our practice areas and frequently present continuing education programs designed for lawyers, accountants, social workers, medical professionals and care managers.

Ms. Clingman has been a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) since 1992 and serves on the Board of Directors of the SC NAELA Chapter. She is a charter member of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. She is also a member of the Elder Law Committee and Probate, Estate, and Trust (PET) Sections of the South Carolina and Maryland Bar Associations and has served on the SC Probate Code Revision Subcommittee of the PET Section.
Ms. Clingman has over 30 years of experience in the Columbia. She is admitted to practice in all South Carolina and Maryland federal and state courts and in the US Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals as well as the United States Supreme Court. She is a member of the American, South Carolina, Richland and Lexington County Bar Associations, the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. She is one of only five SC attorneys who have earned the designation of Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA), offered by the National Elder Law Foundation, and is recognized by the SC Supreme Court as a specialist in this area. She is also a Certified Circuit Court Mediator.

Firm Description

The firm’s practice is limited to Elder Law, including guardianship and conservatorship, estate and special needs planning, probate, estate administration, fiduciary administration, and issues impacting elderly and special needs clients or family members.

Hours

Day From To
Sunday By Appointment Only
Monday 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Tuesday 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Wednesday 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Thursday 8:30 AM 5:00 PM
Friday 8:30 AM 12:00 PM
Saturday By Appointment Only

Cost

What Is an Elder Law Attorney?

Main Office

3321 Forest Drive, Suite 1
Columbia, SC 29204

On the web

View Firm Website

Social Media


Medicaid 101
What Medicaid Covers

In addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.

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How to Qualify for Medicaid

To be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.

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Medicaid’s Protections for Spouses

Spouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.

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What Medicaid Covers

In addition to nursing home care, Medicaid may cover home care and some care in an assisted living facility. Coverage in your state may depend on waivers of federal rules.

READ MORE
How to Qualify for Medicaid

To be eligible for Medicaid long-term care, recipients must have limited incomes and no more than $2,000 (in most states). Special rules apply for the home and other assets.

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Medicaid’s Protections for Spouses

Spouses of Medicaid nursing home residents have special protections to keep them from becoming impoverished.

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Medicaid Planning Strategies

Careful planning for potentially devastating long-term care costs can help protect your estate, whether for your spouse or for your children.

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Estate Recovery: Can Medicaid Take My House After I’m Gone?

If steps aren't taken to protect the Medicaid recipient's house from the state’s attempts to recover benefits paid, the house may need to be sold.

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Help Qualifying and Paying for Medicaid, Or Avoiding Nursing Home Care

There are ways to handle excess income or assets and still qualify for Medicaid long-term care, and programs that deliver care at home rather than in a nursing home.

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Are Adult Children Responsible for Their Parents’ Care?

Most states have laws on the books making adult children responsible if their parents can't afford to take care of themselves.

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Applying for Medicaid

Applying for Medicaid is a highly technical and complex process, and bad advice can actually make it more difficult to qualify for benefits.

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Alternatives to Medicaid

Medicare's coverage of nursing home care is quite limited. For those who can afford it and who can qualify for coverage, long-term care insurance is the best alternative to Medicaid.

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ElderLaw 101
Estate Planning

Distinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.

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Grandchildren

Learn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.

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Guardianship/Conservatorship

Understand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.

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Health Care Decisions

We need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.

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Estate Planning

Distinguish the key concepts in estate planning, including the will, the trust, probate, the power of attorney, and how to avoid estate taxes.

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Grandchildren

Learn about grandparents’ visitation rights and how to avoid tax and public benefit issues when making gifts to grandchildren.

READ MORE
Guardianship/Conservatorship

Understand when and how a court appoints a guardian or conservator for an adult who becomes incapacitated, and how to avoid guardianship.

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Health Care Decisions

We need to plan for the possibility that we will become unable to make our own medical decisions. This may take the form of a health care proxy, a medical directive, a living will, or a combination of these.

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Long-Term Care Insurance

Understand the ins and outs of insurance to cover the high cost of nursing home care, including when to buy it, how much to buy, and which spouse should get the coverage.

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Medicare

Learn who qualifies for Medicare, what the program covers, all about Medicare Advantage, and how to supplement Medicare’s coverage.

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Retirement Planning

We explain the five phases of retirement planning, the difference between a 401(k) and an IRA, types of investments, asset diversification, the required minimum distribution rules, and more.

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Senior Living

Find out how to choose a nursing home or assisted living facility, when to fight a discharge, the rights of nursing home residents, all about reverse mortgages, and more.

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Social Security

Get a solid grounding in Social Security, including who is eligible, how to apply, spousal benefits, the taxation of benefits, how work affects payments, and SSDI and SSI.

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Special Needs Planning

Learn how a special needs trust can preserve assets for a person with disabilities without jeopardizing Medicaid and SSI, and how to plan for when caregivers are gone.

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Veterans Benefits

Explore benefits for older veterans, including the VA’s disability pension benefit, aid and attendance, and long-term care coverage for veterans and surviving spouses.

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