Authentic Life Care Services is led by Managing Director, Kathryn Burke-Howe who holds several professional certifications and belongs to relevant professional organizations. These certifications and organizations each offer networks of experienced colleagues and guidance and standards for the delivery of our services. These standards and codes of ethics are complementary and generally demand our professional integrity, protection of client confidentiality, transparency and accountability in our fees, adherence to applicable regulations, avoidance of and disclosures of even the appearance of conflicts of interest, and ongoing professional certification and professional development, to include independent review of our services. Kathryn’s memberships and certifications include:

• Kathryn Burke-Howe is a National Certified Guardian (NCG) and is a member of the National Guardianship Association (NGA), which provides guidance in the Ethical Principles and Standards of Practice. All guardianship services are by court appointment and are overseen by the appointing county Orphans’ Court and are subject to required periodic reporting and court review based on state laws and the NGA standards. For more information about guardianship in Pennsylvania, visit this site.
• She has been certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) and a member of Project Management Institute (PMI) since 2011. Ethics resources from PMI can be found here.
• She is a member of the American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM), and our services adhere to the AADMM Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics.

Our POA services include an initiation fee and may require an annual retainer which holds space for the client in our caseload and covers the first few hours of service. Our hourly fees are based on market rates for similar services. Our general fee schedule may be customized to individual needs.

For Guardianship services, state law demands and the Court oversees our charge of reasonable fees. An initiation fee may be charged to the petitioner for adjudication of incapacity of the person (and may be paid by the person’s Estate if the Court decrees it). This fee covers initial case consultation, court appearances, and/or facilitation of an application for Medical Assistance if applicable.

Thereafter, we maintain a detailed activity and reimbursable expense log, and charge hourly for services rendered for the client’s benefit, subject to the Court’s approval.

• For Guardianship clients who do not qualify for Medicaid, detailed invoices for our hourly fees must be justified to and approved as reasonable by the appointing county’s Orphans Court judge before we may collect a fee. This ensures that our charges for service remain transparent and ethical beyond reproach. Our hourly services log must demonstrate why our time was for the client’s benefit.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services permits a $300/month deduction from income for Guardianship fees for clients who qualify for Medical Assistance (Medicaid). This is considered part of the client’s “Cost of Care”. Hourly service fees beyond this limit must seek Orphans’ Court approval as above, and will only be invoiced when/if the client’s financial situation improves significantly (such as upon the sale of property whose proceeds disqualify them from Medicaid).
• The priority for client funds is ALWAYS their cost of care. Only when a client’s situation can afford it will the Guardian be paid. 

Feel free to reach out by phone at 267-963-6994, by email at [email protected], or by filling out the contact form to schedule a consultation or initiate a referral.