{"id":1550,"date":"2015-06-09T08:00:36","date_gmt":"2015-06-09T12:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/?p=1550"},"modified":"2024-01-26T07:17:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-26T12:17:14","slug":"does-state-law-require-you-to-support-your-aging-parent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medicalalertadvice.com\/articles\/does-state-law-require-you-to-support-your-aging-parent\/","title":{"rendered":"Does State Laws Require You to Support Your Aging Parent?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"elderly

Who is “required” to take care of your elderly parent?<\/p><\/div>\n

The following should not be considered legal advice. A<\/em>lways seek the counsel of an attorney to help with your particular situation.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you have aging parents, you may have wondered who will pay their bills if they are no longer able to. Many family members are unsure about bill payments and debt responsibilities when their senior loved one is ill or passes away. In addition, the cost of caregiving and Life Alert cos<\/a>t can add up. Fortunately, there are a few ways you can begin to prepare your loved one’s estate and decrease your risk of being responsible for their expenses. However, it is also important to know more about filial responsibility and how those laws can leave you on the hook for long-term care expenses as well as other healthcare bills.<\/p>\n

What is Filial Responsibility?<\/h2>\n

Filial Responsibility laws and statutes were created in some states in order to pass the obligation of paying for the basic care and needs of an aging parent to their adult children. This law dates back to the early 1600\u2019s English law known as the Elizabethan Poor Law.<\/a> These Poor Laws as they were known, were created in a time of economic depression. The government raised taxes as humanitarian aide to help pay for the relief of the elderly, handicap and destitute. They also stated that children were responsible for the care of their unemployed parents and grandparents. It is said that the American colonies modeled their public assistance on the Elizabethan Poor Law.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Currently, twenty-nine states in the U.S. as well as Puerto Rico have passed these filial (due from a son or daughter) responsibility laws.\u00a0 Montana repealed theirs in 2021. In a nutshell, these filial responsibility laws require adult children to financially support their parents if they are not able to take care of themselves or to cover unpaid medical bills, such as assisted living or long-term care costs.\u00a0 This also includes food, clothing, shelter, and health care\/medical needs of the parent.\u00a0 The following list contains states that have passed a form of this filial responsibility law and a link directly to their state statute, where\u00a0 possible. Click on the state to find more specific information about their filial law.<\/p>\n