In a recent opinion, Hon. Robert B. Kugler, United States District Judge for the District of New Jersey, denied a motion filed by the State of New Jersey seeking the dismissal of a pending class action lawsuit which my co-counsel, Alan Sklarsky, Esq., and I filed in federal court seeking an injunction barring the State.. read more →
The cost for care in an assisted living facility (ALF) varies widely throughout the United States. You may have expected some states listed below to be expensive, but there are others with high costs which may surprise you. Is your state on the top 10 list for the most expensive yearly cost? 10. New Hampshire.. read more →
Soon after the passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), New Jersey’s Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, the State Medicaid agency, took the position that the penalty period, or period of ineligibility for Medicaid, resulting from transfers made during the look-back period by applicants for home or community – based services.. read more →
Lately, I have seen a deceptive business practice beginning in New Jersey and the Northeastern states which, until recently, was largely confined to California and other western states. That is, the practice by certain companies of presenting themselves as non-profit organizations dedicated to assisting veterans by offering to prepare a veteran’s application for Aid and.. read more →
Like most other states, New Jersey’s system of regulating assisted living facilities provides little meaningful protection to residents facing involuntary discharge. Federal and state laws give powerful protections to nursing home residents, but not to residents of assisted living facilities, even though New Jersey’s Medicaid program pays for care in assisted-living facilities. As a result,.. read more →
A national assisted living company broke its promises to elderly New Jersey residents by throwing them out after allowing them to believe they could convert to Medicaid when their life savings were depleted, a report by the state’s Public Advocate has determined. The report concludes that regulations in New Jersey and around the country are.. read more →
The costs of nursing home care can be deducted on federal individual income tax returns as medical expenses under Internal Revenue Code (IRC) § 7702B because they are considered “qualified long-term care costs”. However, the status of assisted living facility (ALF) costs has not been as clear. To assist readers, below we have summarized an.. read more →
This year, the Guardianship Association of New Jersey, Inc. (GANJI) held its 13th Annual Conference on Guardianship on October 30th at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, NJ. The conference was entitled “Surrogate Decision-Making: A Holistic Approach.” The Program Schedule is attached here – 13th-annual-conference-on-guardianship-10-31-08. As can be seen, there was a wide.. read more →
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) states that the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (Pub. L. No. 109-171, 120 Stat. 4, 151) (“DRA”) does not permit a person to receive benefits under a Medicaid waiver program (including assisted living facility Medicaid) if there has been a transfer of assets within sixty months of the.. read more →
(The following is based upon a real discussion that recently took place on an elder law listserv for attorneys. It illustrates the misinformation that is often inadvertently provided to consumers by government agency personnel concerning the availability of and eligibility criteria for needs-based public benefits.) Question: I recently contacted the Veterans Administration (VA) about applying.. read more →
Federal law allows nursing homes to evict residents for six reasons: they are healthy enough to return home; they require care not offered at the nursing home; they risk the health of other residents or staff; they endanger the safety of other residents or staff; they do not pay their bills; or the nursing home.. read more →
According to a recent article in The Philadelphia Inquirer, the New Jersey Office of the Public Advocate is investigating allegations that a company operating eight assisted living facilities in South Jersey improperly discharged residents when their savings ran out. Public Advocate Ronald K. Chen is scheduled to appear in Court in early June 2008 to.. read more →
I recently read two interesting articles and a study on the ever-increasing costs of long-term care, both in the nation and New Jersey. The articles are found in the Houston-Chronicle and the Star-Ledger, while the study, in which researchers examined data from more than 10,000 nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in-home care providers nationwide… read more →
An administrative law judge has concluded that an individual who is trying to avoid nursing home care by applying for home- or community-based coverage under a Medicaid waiver program, but who has made a transfer during the look-back period, must have the penalty period begin on the date on which the applicant would otherwise be.. read more →
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