Elder and Disability Law News for August 2019 from the Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli
For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services _______________________________________________ ABOUT DONALD D. VANARELLI Donald D. Vanarelli has been a practicing attorney since 1983 in New Jersey and New York. Don provides legal services in the areas of elder law, estate planning, trust administration, special.. read more →
Moses Ratowsky created an irrevocable trust for the benefit of his grandson, Daniel Schreiber (hereinafter the grandson). Petitioners, the co-trustees of the irrevocable trust, filed an application to appoint the principal of the trust to a new special needs trust that would allow the grandson to retain the benefits of the original trust while preserving.. read more →
E.S. was admitted to Brookdale Assisted Living Facility (Brookdale) in April 2015. E.S. was paying for care privately from her own savings at that time. Realizing in December 2016 that E.S.’s financial resources would cover the cost of care for only a few more months, B.S., E.S.’s daughter and authorized representative, asked Brookdale to start.. read more →
Latest Data Indicate Low Staffing Is Both Persistent and Persuasive Staffing is perhaps the most important factor in a nursing home resident’s quality of care and ability to live with dignity. Staffing is also widely considered to be the most important indicator of a nursing home’s safety and quality. Unfortunately, inadequate nursing home staffing is a.. read more →
In August 1998, M.A., and her daughter, also named M.A., opened a bank account at Hudson United Bank, which is now TD Bank. M.A.’s daughter contributed all of the funds to the bank account. While both petitioner and her daughter each had a legal right to independently withdraw funds from the bank account, petitioner never.. read more →
Peter and his brother Sheldon are the only children of Anna Biber. Anna owned a home in Morristown, where she lived with Sheldon. In 1994, when Anna’s health began to decline, Peter was appointed her guardian. In 1998, Anna’s healthcare expenses increased significantly. Since his mother had insufficient assets to pay for care, Peter began.. read more →
Lawsuit By Nursing Home Against Daughter of Resident Who Transferred Money to Herself Dismissed
New Jersey appeals court held that a nursing home does not have standing to bring a lawsuit against the daughter/power of attorney of a resident who transferred the resident’s money to herself, causing a Medicaid penalty period. Future Care Consultants v. M.D. (N.J. Super. Ct., App. Div., No. A-4565-17T1, July 5, 2019). M.D. cared for her.. read more →
Elder and Disability Law News for July 2019 from the Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli
For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services _______________________________________________ ABOUT DONALD D. VANARELLI Donald D. Vanarelli has been a practicing attorney since 1983 in New Jersey and New York. Don provides legal services in the areas of elder law, estate planning, trust administration, special education,.. read more →
M.M. filed for Medicaid benefits on three occasions. In June 2018, M.M. filed her first Medicaid application. Benefits were denied due to excess income; that is, her income exceeded the monthly cost of the assisted living facility (ALF) where she resided. She received $6,141.93 per month from an annuity she purchased for $73,673.11 in May.. read more →
The decedent’s eldest daughter Francine was the executrix of her estate. In 2011, the attorney for the executrix forwarded an informal accounting and Refunding Bond & Release (the “Refunding Bond”) to the executrix’s sister Susan (a beneficiary of the estate), who signed and returned the Refunding Bond the next day. Eight years later, Susan sued.. read more →
N.S., who was 87 years old and residing in a nursing home, submitted an application for Medicaid benefits through his authorized representative, L.P. Prior to his admission to the nursing home, N.S. resided with his wife, D.S., who was 86 years old. For months after the application was filed, the Medicaid caseworker requested additional documents.. read more →
Louis Keppel hired Donna Thomas as a home health aide. Thomas was employed by Angela’s Angels Home Healthcare and Angela’s Angels, LLC. Keppel died intestate. Dolores Guttmann and Thomas Loikith were appointed co-administrators of his estate. Guttmann and Loikith discovered that Thomas misappropriated 192 checks from Louis Keppel over a two-year period. In that regard,.. read more →
Elder and Disability Law News for June 2019 from the Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli
For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services _______________________________________________ ABOUT DONALD D. VANARELLI Donald D. Vanarelli has been a practicing attorney since 1983 in New Jersey and New York. Don provides legal services in the areas of elder law, estate planning, trust administration, special education,.. read more →
The National Center on Law & Elder Rights recently published the following 10 Tips for Guardians of Older Adults: When courts appoint a family member or friend as a guardian or conservator of an adult, the guardian is sometimes left with minimal training on their new role. The family member or friend must step into the.. read more →
A power of attorney does not have to return money she took from her now deceased principal because the power of attorney removed the money for Medicaid planning purposes. In re Estate of Hirnyk (Pa. Super. Ct., No. 84 WDA 2018, April 16, 2019). Maria Hirnyk, a Ukrainian immigrant, did not drive and required assistance with.. read more →
Sally Rosenthal passed away on February 16, 2015. She was unmarried, had no children and died intestate as she had never executed a will. In order to locate decedent’s potential heirs, the temporary administrators of the decedent’s estate hired an expert to conduct a genealogical search for the decedent’s family members. Although the expert attempted.. read more →
Z.P. was a resident of Aristacare at Cedar Oaks in South Plainfield, New Jersey. Z.P. filed for Medicaid benefits and was found to be medically and financially eligible as of December 1, 2016. However, Z.P. made transfers for less than fair market value within five years of the application date for Medicaid. As a result,.. read more →
A Texas appeals court held that the state could not count the assets of a Medicaid applicant as “available resources” under the Medicaid rules because the applicant was incapacitated and not able to liquidate the assets. Texas Health and Human Services Commission v. Marroney (Tx. Ct. App., No. 03-18-00190-CV, May 24, 2019). Anna Marroney suffered a.. read more →
Earlier this month, New Jersey’s Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS), the State Medicaid agency, announced an increase in the penalty divisor from $343.85 to $351.84 per day, or $10,701.80 per month, effective April 1, 2019. This is an increase of only $7.99 per day, a very small increase when compared with prior.. read more →
On April 26, 2019, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued a Notice to state housing agencies concerning the impact of ABLE accounts on eligibility for Section 8 vouchers, public housing and a host of other federal housing programs. ABLE accounts were created in 2014 by the passage of the Achieving a.. read more →
Petitioner, a severely impaired young woman, resides at home with her father, her primary caregiver. She requires monitoring 24 hours a day. She cannot eat or speak, and is unable to sit, stand or change positions on her own. She is fed and hydrated through a gastrostomy tube. She experiences frequent seizures, which occur even.. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at the 2019 “Elder Law in a Day” seminar given by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education on July 10, 2019 at the New Jersey Law Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Mr. Vanarelli will provide the case law update, summarizing the most significant legal developments.. read more →
Elder and Disability Law News for May 2019 from the Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli
For additional information concerning estate planning and administration, visit: Estate Planning and Administration For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services read more →
In a decision by Honorable Robert P. Contillo, P.J.Ch. that was affirmed by our Appellate Division, the court analyzed complex family relationships to determine if gifts were made in good faith or the result of undue influence. The decedent had two children. Her daughter (the plaintiff) was the executrix and a beneficiary of her estate… read more →
J.G., an indigent nursing home resident, applied for Medicaid benefits. While his Medicaid application was pending, J.G. passed away. Thereafter, the Essex County Division of Family Assistance and Benefits, the county welfare agency, denied J.G.’s Medicaid application, concluding he was ineligible as he died before eligibility could be met. Future Care Consultants, J.G.’s designated authorized.. read more →
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