William J. Browning CELA

Bill Browning has been instrumental in the development of law in the areas of elder law and special needs planning, both in the state of Ohio and nationally.

Throughout his career, Bill has been committed to assisting families facing the potential for a long term nursing home stay since the 1980s. He has also been instrumental in changing the law in Ohio, allowing parents and grandparents to set aside funds for the supplemental needs of mentally ill, developmentally disabled and physically disabled heirs while still qualifying for Medicaid and other governmental benefits.

Over three decades of experience advising families facing a health care crisis, either years in advance of a nursing home placement, or subsequent to a catastrophic event. His understanding of the economic stress factors, as well as the emotional components, allows him to guide families through an often foreign and unduly complex maze to obtain the health care required without becoming destitute.

As a Certified Elder Law Attorney, Bill has helped designed the national program creating the certification process, authoring exam questions and grading certification exams over the past twenty years. Bill has been honored by invitations to lecture to attorneys and financial planners at many Ohio State Bar Association and various national events.

He has also remained active in the more traditional estate and tax planning practice as most families he represents also face tax and other traditional planning issues.

Articles & Presentations

Articles

• What the Genworth Long-Term Care Insurance Settlement Means to You, August 9, 2023

• Post-Marital Agreements Permissible in Ohio, May 9, 2023

• Understanding Viatical Settlements, aka Selling Your Life Insurance Policy, May 9, 2023

• Special Needs Trust Options in Ohio, October 17, 2022

• Revocable Trusts a Safer Planning Option in Volatile Markets, August 5, 2022

• Medicaid News: New Protections for IRAs, July 29, 2022

• Leaving a Legacy to a Family Member with Addiction Issues, November 22, 2019

• “Continued Attacks on Special Needs Trusts”, July 8, 2019

• “As America’s population ages, demand for elder law attorneys grows,” ABA Journal, May 2, 2019

• Protecting Retirement Accounts When Long-Term Nursing Home Care is Required, March 1, 2019

• Beware of Immediate Annuities, February 12, 2019

• Planning for Disabled Children, January 21, 2019

• Protecting IRA’s When A Spouse Requires Nursing Home Care

• “Protecting Retirement Accounts When Long-Term Nursing Home Care Is Required,” Bloomberg Tax’s Compensation Planning Journal, March 1, 2019

Presentations

• “Medicaid Planning with Respect to Life Insurance, Real Estate, Life Estates, and Long-Term Care Insurance,” Ohio State Bar Association Medicaid Seminar, June 27, 2018

• Stetson Law School, Special Needs Conference, 2010 and 2012

• Frequent speaker at several national conventions, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)

• Pack v. Osborne, The Supreme Court of Ohio, 2007

Honors

• Columbus CEO Top Lawyers, 2023-2025

• The Best Lawyers in America, 2022-2026

• Ohio Super Lawyers, 2004-2022, 2024-2026

• Certified Elder Law Attorney, National Elder Law Foundation and Ohio Supreme Court, 1996