Elder Law Attorney Serving Maryland, D.C., and Virginia
Stephen Thienel helps older adults and families across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia plan for long-term care, Medicaid, and incapacity, with tax counsel in-house.
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Elder law is the area of legal practice that helps older adults and their families plan for long-term care, protect assets, and keep decisions in trusted hands as needs change. Thienel Law builds those plans across the DMV, with the tax questions handled in-house.
Elder law covers the legal questions that arrive with age: who pays for long-term care, how to qualify for Medicaid without losing everything, and who steps in if you can no longer manage money or medical choices. Thienel Law, PLLC handles those questions for older adults and the adult children helping a parent across Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Because Stephen Thienel holds an LL.M. in Taxation and prepares returns, the tax side of any gift, trust, or transfer is weighed by the same attorney who builds the plan. The work runs from Medicaid planning and long-term care to powers of attorney and guardianship, coordinated so one piece does not quietly undo another.
What does an elder law attorney actually do?
An elder law attorney helps older adults and their families plan for the legal and financial side of aging: paying for long-term care, qualifying for public benefits, and naming who acts for you if you cannot act for yourself. The work is part planning and part counseling, matching documents and strategies to your family, your assets, and the rules of your jurisdiction.
His elder law clients include healthy couples planning ahead, a spouse whose partner is entering memory care, and the adult child managing a parent’s finances under a power of attorney, along with people who have moved between Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. What they share is a wish to settle these questions while the choices are still theirs to make.
What happens to an aging parent without an elder law plan?
Long-term care is among the largest costs a family will meet, and it often arrives fast, after a fall or a diagnosis. Without a plan, families spend down a lifetime of savings, scramble for the authority to act, and learn too late that a well-meaning gift triggered a Medicaid penalty.
If no one holds a valid power of attorney when capacity slips, the family may have to ask a court to appoint a guardian or conservator, a process that is public, slow, and costly. Planning early keeps these decisions with you and your family instead of a default rule or a judge.
Why work with Thienel Law on elder law matters?
Plenty of firms will sell you a document. Fewer pair elder law with in-house tax counsel and licensure in every DMV jurisdiction:
- Tax built into every transfer, not referred out. Stephen holds an LL.M. in Taxation and prepares returns, so the gift, income, and basis effects of a Medicaid or asset-protection move are weighed in-house.
- One attorney across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia. Licensed in all three, he can plan for the state where care happens even when a home sits in one jurisdiction and a parent in another.
- Business, tax, and estate law under one roof. For owners and families with complex assets, the elder law plan and the estate plan are drafted together, not by lawyers who never speak.
- Direct access, modern practice. You work with Stephen himself, through secure document sharing, electronic signatures, and online meetings.
- Clear terms before the work begins. Most elder law matters are handled at a flat, agreed rate, so you know the cost before you commit.
Decades of practice and clients who return over the years make the case for one call instead of several.
What is it like to plan with Steve?
Every engagement begins with a free 30-minute consultation. It is a fit conversation, not a planning session: you describe your family, the care situation, and your goals, and you and Steve decide together whether working with him is the right move. It is for people ready to hire an elder law attorney, and you talk with Stephen himself, not an intake screener.
From there the work runs online, with secure uploads, video meetings, and electronic signatures in place of the drive to an office. That means you can plan from home or from a parent’s bedside anywhere in the DMV.
How does elder law differ across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia?
Much of elder law runs on federal rules, so the Medicaid five-year look-back, the transfer penalty, spousal protections, and estate recovery work the same way in all three jurisdictions under federal Medicaid law. What changes is who administers the program and what each state calls the people a court appoints.
Medicaid is run by the Maryland Department of Health in Maryland, the Department of Health Care Finance in the District, and the Department of Medical Assistance Services, branded Cardinal Care, in Virginia, and each sets its own asset and income figures. Court-appointed decision-makers carry different names too. Virginia and Washington, D.C. distinguish a guardian, who handles personal and medical decisions, from a conservator, who manages finances, while Maryland uses guardian of the person and guardian of the property for the same split.
Because Stephen is licensed in all three, one attorney can build a plan that holds where you apply and adjust it if you move across DMV lines.
What does an elder law practice cover?
Elder law is a set of connected services, and most families need several at once. Stephen builds and coordinates them so the plan holds together:
Medicaid planning
To qualify for long-term care coverage without spending down everything
Learn moreLong-term care planning
To prepare for the cost of care before a crisis forces the decision
Learn moreGuardianship and conservatorship
A court must appoint someone to act for an adult who can no longer decide
Learn morePowers of attorney
A trusted person can manage your finances if you cannot
Learn moreAdvance healthcare directives
To name a medical decision-maker and record your wishes
Learn moreSpecial needs planning
To provide for a loved one without risking their benefits
Learn moreAsset protection planning
To shield what you have built from future claims
Learn moreThese fit within your broader estate plan, and the same office can guide your family through estate administration later.
What clients say about working with Steve
I have worked with Steve Thienel for more than 20 years now and the experience has been amazing. Steve and his team are very thorough, they review all sides of a situation, and are very measured in how they approach a solution. They are 100% client focused and a pleasure to work with!
Throughout years, Steve has been my go to guy for business, real estate, and legal work. Steve works fast and is highly reliable. I would recommend Steve to anyone.
Received expert advice including options when applicable. Filings were timely and I was kept informed each step of the way. First class service!!!
I have been receiving services from Mr. Thienel for over 15 years. I have found his legal services to be of exceptionally high value and quality. His services are always timely, professional and thorough!
Reviews are published as given. Thienel Law does not offer compensation for reviews.
Frequently asked questions
What is elder law?
Elder law is the area of legal practice focused on the needs of older adults and their families, including long-term care planning, Medicaid eligibility, powers of attorney, guardianship, and coordinating these with an estate plan. It combines planning and counseling to keep care affordable and decisions in trusted hands. Thienel Law does this work across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, with the tax effects handled in-house.
When should I start elder law planning?
The best time is before a health crisis, while you still have options and the capacity to sign documents. Early planning can protect a home and a spouse, sequence any gifts around the Medicaid five-year look-back, and put a power of attorney in place so no one has to go to court later. Waiting narrows the choices but rarely closes them entirely.
What is the difference between a guardian and a conservator?
A guardian makes personal and medical decisions for someone who can no longer decide for themselves, while a conservator manages that person's money and property. Virginia and Washington, D.C. use those two terms; Maryland calls the same roles guardian of the person and guardian of the property. Both are appointed by a court, which is why planning ahead with a power of attorney can often avoid the process.
How is elder law different from estate planning?
Estate planning mainly decides what happens to your property and dependents when you die, while elder law focuses on the years before that, when aging, incapacity, and the cost of care are the pressing questions. The two overlap and work best together. Stephen handles both, so your long-term care strategy and your will or trust do not contradict each other.
Can one attorney handle elder law in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia?
Yes. Stephen Thienel is licensed in Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia, so a single attorney can plan for the jurisdiction where care and any Medicaid application happen, even when a family owns a home in one state and has a parent in another. Each state administers Medicaid and names court-appointed decision-makers differently, so licensure in all three matters.
What documents does an elder law plan include?
Most elder law plans combine a durable power of attorney for finances, an advance healthcare directive, and, where appropriate, trusts built around Medicaid and asset-protection goals. Stephen tailors the combination to your family, your assets, and your jurisdiction.
Ready to plan for care and protect what you have built?
Stephen Thienel helps older adults and families across Maryland, D.C., and Virginia plan for long-term care, qualify for Medicaid, and keep decisions in trusted hands, with the tax side handled by the same attorney. If you are ready to hire an elder law attorney, schedule a free 30-minute consultation and find out whether the fit is right.
- Tell Steve about your matter
- Pick a time that works