Attorneys Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. Chen Li, Esq. and Matthew J. Nolfo, Esq. presented a live webinar earlier this year entitled “Protecting Your Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs in New York and New Jersey.” The webinar explains how to utilize Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Veterans Benefits, and Long-Term Care Insurance to protect assets from.. read more →

As stated in prior blog posts, Attorneys Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. Chen Li, Esq. and Matthew J. Nolfo, Esq. presented a live webinar earlier this year entitled “Protecting Your Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs in New York and New Jersey.” The webinar explains how to utilize Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Veterans Benefits, and Long-Term.. read more →

For additional information concerning special needs trusts and disability planning, visit: NJ Special Needs Trusts and Disability Planning read more →

As stated in prior blog posts, Attorneys Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. Chen Li, Esq. and Matthew J. Nolfo, Esq. presented a live webinar earlier this year entitled “Protecting Your Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs in New York and New Jersey.” The webinar explains how to utilize Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, Veterans Benefits, and Long-Term.. read more →

Earlier this year, Attorneys Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. Chen Li, Esq. and Matthew J. Nolfo, Esq., all of whom are admitted to practice Elder Law and Estate Planning in both New Jersey and New York, presented a live webinar entitled “Protecting Your Assets from Catastrophic Nursing Home Costs in New York and New Jersey.” The.. read more →

On May 18, 2023, Vanarelli & Li, LLC partners, attorneys Donald D. Vanarelli and Chen Li, presented a webinar entitled “Planning for Your Child with Special Needs.” Attorneys Vanarelli and Li showed the webinar attendees how to utilize Special Needs Trusts and accounts established under the “Achieving a Better Life Experience” Act (better known as.. read more →

I had a great time at the 25th annual New Jersey State Bar Association Elder and Disability Law Retreat, held in Bethlehem, PA this year. I reconnected with friends and made new connections. Also, I enjoyed presenting with my colleague Beth Manes, Esq. on the topic of “Supporting and Protecting People with Mental Illness.” ____________________________.. read more →

Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at the 25th Annual Elder and Disability Law Retreat to be held at the Wind Creek Casino and Resort in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on April 20 – 21 by the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Elder and Disability Law Section and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education… read more →

Upcoming FREE Webinar: REGISTER TODAY Date: Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 4:00 PM EST (Approximately 2 hours, depending on Q & A) Learn to Utilize Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts to Access Medicaid, SSI, DDD  Services and Other Public Benefits to Plan for the Future of Your Child With Special Needs  Attorneys Donald D… read more →

Special needs trusts (SNTs), also referred to as supplemental benefits trusts, often play an important role in helping families plan for children with special needs. SNTs allow assets to be left to a disabled or chronically ill person without disqualifying them for public benefits based on financial need, such as Medicaid. A common asset often left.. read more →

Since March of 2020, NJ Medicaid has followed special rules related to the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). These rules have allowed most NJ Medicaid recipients to keep their health coverage, even if they no longer qualified – for example, if their income was too high. However, once the federal government determines that the.. read more →

Recently, I read an interesting article in the Washington Post about Dateability, a dating app designed for disabled and chronically ill people. Dateability was launched this year, on October 21st. It carries the slogan “Making love accessible.” Some people with disabilities feel they are discriminated against by other users on dating platforms, and not seen.. read more →

10 Costly Mistakes to Avoid When Planning for a Loved One with Special Needs 1. Doing nothing. The most popular estate plan in the Unites States is doing nothing. While not a good idea for anyone, it is particularly troubling when there is a loved one with special needs. If someone does nothing and then.. read more →

If you are injured due to another person’s negligence and receive Medicaid benefits to pay for care, New Jersey (as well as other states) always had a legal right to recover the funds the state spent on your medical expenses from a personal injury settlement or award. Once the state was reimbursed for past medical.. read more →

The asset limit for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) has been stuck at $2,000 since 1984. That’s equivalent to more than $5,600 today. So, in effect, it has been cut by almost two thirds. There is now a bill in congress, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act that would raise the asset limit to $10,000 for.. read more →

We are pleased to announce that Donald D. Vanarelli was named to the New Jersey Super Lawyer’s list in Elder Law in 2022. Out of 85,000 attorneys licensed to practice law in New Jersey, and the numerous attorneys who practice Elder Law in our state, Mr. Vanarelli is one of only 32 attorneys to be.. read more →

Listed below are the top ten (10) posts on the Vanarelli Law Office blog and website articles with the highest readership in 2021, as measured by the number of “unique page views” of each blog post. The title of each article is hyperlinked to the original posting on the blog so that each article is.. read more →

The maximum amount that can be contributed each year to an ABLE account for a person with disabilities rose $1,000 to $16,000 on January 1, 2022.  The figure, which is tied to the inflation-adjusted value of the IRS’s gift tax exclusion, had been stuck at $15,000 since 2018.  Meanwhile, all but four states now offer ABLE programs. Congress.. read more →

Every year we release the key dollar amounts that are frequently used in elder law, estate administration and special needs trust planning, including Medicaid figures, Medicare premiums, Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income. Be sure to check back often, as we will add any information that has not yet been released and update the.. read more →

People receiving support through New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) are able to choose the agency through which they will receive support coordination services. A Support Coordination Agency assigns a Support Coordinator to work with the disabled individual and his/her family. The Support Coordinator works closely with clients to identify their needs, and then,.. read more →

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has published new guidance for day centers and the people with disabilities they serve during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The guidance comes in two documents — one aimed at administrators and staff and another for participants and their caregivers — that were issued in March 2021. The new guidance indicates.. read more →

Recently, a three judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision that websites for businesses that are open to the public but inaccessible to visually impaired people who use screen-reading software are not liable under Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”). The.. read more →

Listed below are the top ten (10) thirteen (13) posts on the Vanarelli Law Office blog with the highest readership in 2020, as measured by the number of “unique page views” of each blog post. The title of each article is hyperlinked to the original posting on the blog so that each article is accessible.. read more →

The New Jersey Caregiver Task Force was created in 2018. The purpose of the Task Force is to determine the availability of caregiver support services in the State, and provide recommendations for the improvement and expansion of such services. Family caregivers play a vital role in the lives of many New Jerseyans including older adults.. read more →

If you are injured because of someone else’s negligence, you may have to resort to a personal injury lawsuit in order to obtain payment for the medical care you will need in the future and to compensate you for your pain and suffering. If your injury falls under the workers’ compensation system, or if you.. read more →