Zacharia Brown PC

After my mother fell and broke her hip, she was admitted to a nursing home to recover. I needed an attorney to help protect my mother’s assets for Medicaid purposes. I immediately contacted Colleen Bratkovich. I attended a seminar on Medicaid planning by Colleen and was impressed with what I heard. Colleen has been such a great support and has taken care of all my mother’s finances. She clearly explained what was required and what I needed to do to move forward with our plan. Colleen has always been prompt with responses and has taken the time to answer and explain what we were doing with my mother’s assets and why. Since my mother entered a nursing home Colleen took care of all that was necessary to protect my mother’s assets. She is wonderful to work with plus really has a genuine concern for her clients.

Zachariah and Brown helped my family for the past 11 years and we have benefitted tremendously from the council and services rendered. First, when my mother-in-law needed long term medical care, Christine Brown Murphy skillfully and accurately advised my father-in-law as to the best way to preserve as much of their joint assets as legally possible.nnA few years later, my father-in-law, a WW2 Veteran, developed dementia. Colleen Bratkovich represented him and applied for VA benefits on his behalf. He was approved for benefits and this made an big difference in his quality of life, for the remainder of his life. He received enough benefits and services from the VA that he was able to stay in his own home and then ours, rather than needing to go into a long term care facility. It was always clear to us that she was representing him, and his best interests. She was simultaneously personable, professional, efficient, reliable and knowledgeable. When he passed away in 2019, Colleen settled his estate for us and again we were very satisfied.nnWe initially chose Zachariah and Brown because they specialize in Elder Law. We stayed with them because we were more than satisfied and they also specialize in Veterans benefits. We used the McKeesport office. We were always able to park directly next to the office and met with our attorney in a large, private conference room. We had many contacts with the legal secretary at that office (Coleen M.) and she was reliable, pleasant and helpful. Partnering repeatedly with Zachariah and Brown has been a very good financial and overall decision for my family.

It has been a pleasure working with Colleen Bratkovich from Zachary and Brown. Colleen worked with us on setting up my parent’s trusts, power of attorneys, will, and VA benefits. Colleen is professional, highly intelligent and very well versed in all aspects of elder and VA law. Colleen made the process easy to understand with minimal impact of my time. I live outside of PA, when I needed to travel to sign documents, she even changed her schedule to accommodate mine on several occasions.nMy father (Pop) was a WWII Veteran and Colleen worked with him before his passing. Pop had Alzheimer’s and was living in an Assisted Living Facility. Colleen interacted with Mom and Pop at the facility on several occasions. She showed great compassion, patients and care for both of my parents. Along with being a great attorney, she is also a kind, caring person. I highly recommend Colleen for any elder care needs you may have.

We've used Zacharia Brown PC for our wills and powers of attorney, to aid in obtaining additional support from the Veterans Administration for my Mom, and to guide us through the probate process when she passed. We cannot be more appreciative of their care, competence and comfort. I know this post sounds like an ad but my husband and I mean it. And Colleen was great!

Anyone who has had to provide caregiving for a loved one knows that it is heart wrenching and stressful. Transitioning a parent from their own home to a facility that can provide 24 hour care and support is never easy, but often necessary. Once you realize that you can no longer postpone this difficult decision, reality takes hold. How will I pay for this? How can I best utilize and protect existing assets? What regulations come into play that I may not be aware? Are other sources of financial support available? These were the questions that I posed to several highly touted elder attorney firms in the area. After considerable review, I chose Zacharia Brown and specifically Colleen Bratkovich. Why? Because Colleen confidently, but without an air of pretentiousness, clearly answered my questions in a way that didn't make be feel less than educated in the many complexities and nuances relevant to Elder Law. She offered more than one option to meeting my needs while clearly outlining the pros and cons of each choice. The proposed fee for services was very reasonable as compared to other firms that I had interviewed. Once, I contracted Zacharia Brown, Colleen always promptly responded to my emails or phone calls. As a result of Colleen's counsel, we were able to: 1) legally tighten wills and POA documents, 2) develop a financial a strategy for my mother's long - term care, 3) legally protect existing assets, and 4) secure Veteran survivor benefits. I highly recommend that you meet with Colleen so you may see and hear how she and her firm can provide the necessary guidance and support to meet your needs.