Financial and Emotional Harm Caused by Family First
In October 2023, I hired Family First firm for assistance with my elderly mother’s Medicaid application and for advice on managing her limited assets. Unfortunately, their mismanagement caused financial strain, emotional stress, and jeopardized her well-being. Here is the basis of my complaint:1. Failure to Follow Up and Honor Family Objectives - After an initial call with the managing partner, several asset management strategies were suggested, but follow-ups were neglected. I sent dozens of emails asking for updates, guidance, or clarification, but received little to no proactive communication. I had to repeat basic details about her case, including our family’s objectives and my living out of state, during every interaction. Unrealistic deadlines for document submission left little time to comply. Their lack of organization and communication caused unnecessary delays in securing care for my mother and increased emotional stress to my family.2. Negligence in Medicaid Application Process - The firm submitted my mother’s Medicaid application without reviewing her financial documents. Medicaid denied the application in February 2024. This left our family responsible for $20,000 in unreimbursed nursing home bills.3. Unauthorized and Harmful Resolution Plan - After Medicaid was denied, the original case manager was replaced with a new one. In her introduction email, she mistakenly called my mother "Mrs. Hamilton," which isn’t her name. She followed up with an apology using the last name "Case" - also not my mother’s name.Around this time, the nursing home started calling weekly for payment of the overdue amount. I told the case manager that I believed the firm was at fault and responsible for the debt. She and Hoatson creating a "plan" that went directly against our family’s repeatedly stated objectives. Without my knowledge, they met with the nursing home and arranged for my mother to stay there indefinitely, using her Social Security benefits to pay off the $20,000 debt. It was simply despicable. They ignored our clear directives to move her OUT of that facility - the very reason we hired them. I had frequently expressed my concerns about the nursing home to them - it was a horrible environment and I did not agree to have my mother live out her life there.4. They made errors in critical documents, like my mother’s durable power of attorney, which I’d used to sign several contracts, but now I’m told (by ano the document may be invalid because they left key information out on the notary signature page, which they tried to “fix” by inserting an invalid DL number and telling me to replace this page in the original document from over a year earlier.5. Risking Exposure of Sensitive Client Data - I’ve received emails from the firm’s attorneys that were clearly generated by ChatGPT or similar AI tools, which raises serious concerns about the privacy of my mother’s sensitive financial and personal information. I was never informed or asked for permission to expose her information to a public platform.6. The firm gave incorrect advice about a financial investment involving my mother’s life savings. They recommended an investment program run by an attorney in Ocala, which was meant to cover her long-term assisted living and medical expenses. I informed the attorneys that my mother might move out of state, and they assured me the investment would be transferable - this was untrue. I also mentioned that we might need to withdraw funds as her expenses increased over time or if she relocated. They suggested I choose a flat fee option for early termination penalties, which I understood to be 8%. This was also false. Less than three months after making the investment, I was shocked to find out the termination fee will be over $37,000.As a result, my mother’s life savings are now insufficient to sustain her in an assisted living facility. Instead of lasting a decade as planned, her funds will run out in less than three years. The managing partner who "advised" me on this deal received a copy of the contract prior to my signing. Had he taken the time to review it, he might have caught the errors in the guidance he provided.This mistake has severely jeopardized my mother’s financial stability and her ability to access care in the future.This firm’s mishandling of my mother’s case has caused serious financial and emotional harm to my 89-year-old mother, who had her life savings drained by this firm and their business associates. The firm repeatedly failed to show the diligence, professionalism, and care needed in such a critical situation.