Robert C. Gerhard III, Esquire
Certified Elder Law Attorney
Robert C. Gerhard, III is a partner with the Montgomery County, Pennsylvania elder law offices of Gerhard & Gerhard, P.C. located in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. Attorney Gerhard is an elder law specialist and an authority on Pennsylvania Medicaid law as it relates to long term care. He devotes his law practice exclusively to elder law matters, emphasizing asset protection for seniors facing nursing home care.
Elder Law Specialization
- Mr. Gerhard is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC). ACTEC is an organization of approximately 2600 trust and estate attorneys elected to membership by demonstrating the highest level of integrity, commitment to the profession, competence, and experience as trust and estate counselors.
- Mr. Gerhard is certified as an elder law attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation. He is past Chair of the Montgomery Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee, a position he held held for over fifteen years.
- Mr. Gerhard served as Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s 800 member Elder Law Section in 2010 and remains active on the board of directors. He served as President of the Pennsylvania Association of Elder Law Attorneys for two years (2020 & 2021), and was Chair of the Nominating Committee and Co-Chair of their Programming Committee in 2019. He was recognized by the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) as Pennsylvania’s Outstanding Chapter Member of the Year in 2019 and again in 2022.
- Attorney Gerhard was honored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Elder Law Section with its “Excellence in Elder Law Award” for his service to the elder law bar over many years. This meaningful award recognized Gerhard for “superior professional efforts in the field of elder law, significant contributions to the legal profession and noteworthy service to the elderly.” The award was presented during the 17th Annual Elder Law Institute at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, Philadelphia in July 2014.
- Attorney Gerhard has written and published extensively on elder law topics. He authored the Pennsylvania Medicaid Long-Term Care law treatise, and the Pennsylvania Medicaid Long-term Care Lawsource, both available from the legal publishing house, George T. Bisel Company. These reference books are used by attorneys across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The nineteenth edition of Pennsylvania Medicaid Long-Term Care was released in January of 2023.
- Mr. Gerhard is also co-author and editor of the Montgomery County Elder Law Handbook (2021) and Montgomery County Elder Law Reference Guide. Mr. Gerhard donated his time to co-author and edit these two publications, and the Montgomery County Elder Law Handbook (2021) is distributed to Montgomery County seniors and their caregivers at no cost, courtesy of the Montgomery Bar Association, Montgomery Bar Foundation, and other sponsors.
- Attorney Gerhard is Editor Emeritus of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Elder Law Section Newsletter, having served as Editor for almost 15 years.
- Robert C. Gerhard, III is a member of the Montgomery County and Philadelphia Estate Planning Councils, and has been a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys since 1996.
- Mr. Gerhard received his law degree (J.D.) from the Dickinson School of Law and earned his tax law degree (LL.M. Taxation) from the Villanova University School of Law.
- Before entering private practice, Attorney Gerhard served as law clerk to the Honorable Theodore S. Gutowicz in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, Orphans’ Court Division.
- He has been honored with Martindale Hubbell’s highest lawyer rating of AV® for legal ability and ethics, and has been selected for inclusion in 2005 – 2023 Pennsylvania Super Lawyers® and Philadelphia’s Best Lawyers® 2022 Edition in the field of elder law.
- Over the years he has taught countless continuing education courses for attorneys and long-term care professionals, including:
- ” Representing an Individual Entering a Nursing Home”
- ” Avoiding Malpractice in Elder Law”
- ” The Do’s and Don’ts of the Medicaid Application Process”
- Bob is past-president and a current member of the Rotary Club of Glenside.
Elder Law Publications
- Pennsylvania Medicaid – Long-Term Care 2023 Edition Author. A law treatise on the subject of Pennsylvania Medicaid rules as they relate to long-term care benefits for in home and nursing facility care. This law book is available through the legal publisher, George T. Bisel Co. It is updated annually and is now in its nineteenth edition for 2023. (750+ pages).
- Pennsylvania Medicaid – Long-Term Care Law Source Author and Editor. A compilation of Medicaid laws, rules, regulations, and cases, with a comprehensive index, focusing on Pennsylvania Medicaid rules and long-term care benefits. Published in 2008 by George T. Bisel Co.
- The Montgomery County Elder Law Handbook Co-Author and Editor. This helpful handbook was written as a practical, consumer-oriented resource to help the senior citizens of Montgomery County. The text has been provided to the bar associations of every county in Pennsylvania as a model so that they can draft their own local editions. It has been supplied to most public libraries in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Mr. Gerhard has helped publish three editions of this work, with the most current version published in 2021.
- The Montgomery County Elder Law Reference Guide Co-author and editor. A concise source of information concerning elder law directed to Montgomery County residents and published by the Montgomery Bar Association. First published February 2006, the most recent version of this work can be found on the Gerhard & Gerhard P.C. website in the “Elder Law Library.”
Articles Authored & Published
- Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare’s Estate Recovery Program- Third Party Liability, PENNSYLVANIA BAR NEWS, August 5, 1996.
- Criminalization of Asset Transfers to Qualify for Medical Assistance, PENNSYLVANIA BAR NEWS, January 27, 1997.
- Applying for Medicaid: New Law Focuses Criminal Penalties on Lawyers, PENNSYLVANIA BAR NEWS, November 24, 1997.
- Priority of Federal Tax Liens in Insolvent Decedent’s Estate, PHILADELPHIA REAL ESTATE LAWYER, Philadelphia Bar Association Real Property Newsletter, Vol. 14, Issue 1, March 1999.
- Time Management for Lawyers, THE PENNSYLVANIA LAWYER, Annual Tech Issue, September – October 2001.
- Time Management Tips, Getting and Staying Organized, SOLO & SMALL FIRM PRACTICE SECTION NEWS, Vol. 24, No 2, Fall 2007, page 10.
Education
- Villanova University School of Law, Graduate Tax Program; Villanova, Pennsylvania. LL.M. (Taxation)
- Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law; Carlisle, Pennsylvania. J.D.
- Dickinson College; Carlisle, Pennsylvania. B.A.
Community Service
- Rotary Club of Glenside
- Director of International Service 1998-1999
- Club Secretary 1999-2002
- President 2003 – 2004
- Paul Harris Fellow
- Guy Gundaker Fellow
Elder Law Practice Areas
- Asset Protection from Nursing Home Costs
- Medicaid Planning
- Appeals of Denials of Medicaid Long-Term Care Benefits
- Medical Assistance Estate Recovery Matters, and Undue Hardship Waivers
- Estate Planning
- Estate and Trust Administration
- Probate
- Power of Attorney Documents
- Wills, Trusts, Nursing Home Law
- Real Estate Transfers/Deeds
- Living Wills (Advance Medical Directives)