Pitman, NJ Estate Planning Law Firms & Lawyers

Does your brother own property or have bank accounts in the USA?  And no one, not his spouse or anyone else, is a joint owner, or otherwise has any legally rights to those accounts?  If that is the case, in order to become the administrator, everyone else who has a right to serve as administrator has to renounce their right to serve.  Then you take the renunciations and file it with the county surrogate along with the application to become the adminstrator.  this would all take place in the county in which your brother lived.  

Medicaid does not "take" your home.  You need to be able to pay for the care that you are receiving.  If you are in a skilled nursing facilty, and are not likely to leave there, then the home is sold and the proceeds are used to pay for your care as the care is being received.  No one "takes" the home.  If your assets run out, and you still need care, then Medicaid will be available to pay for the care.  You should not worry about protecting your assets as much as you  should worry about having enough assets to provide the care you need in the setting that you want. 

You can remain anonymous, however, the lottery winnings are taxed, and a tax paying entity must be identified.  It is my undesigning that you can establish a trust, obtain a tax payer identification number for the trust, and allow the trust to accept the lottery winnings.  The trust would then be taxed.