M.K. resided in an assisted living facility (ALF) since 2006. She applied for Medicaid benefits and was approved as of May 1, 2015. Due to the income limitations of the Medicaid program, M.K. deposited all of her income in a Qualified Income Trust, or QIT. By doing so, income deposited in the QIT was not.. read more →
A Massachusetts trial court ruled that a Medicaid hearing examiner should have accepted evidence that a Medicaid applicant’s transfer of her house fell under the caretaker child exception and that the applicant’s other transfers were not made in order to qualify for Medicaid. Coko v. Daniel Tsai, Director of the Office of Medicaid (Essex Sup. Ct… read more →
Shared with permission of Veterans Information Services, Inc. and the Creators of VisPro. Copyright: Veterans Information Services, Inc. Website: www.info4vets.com For additional information concerning VA compensation and pension benefits, visit: VA Compensation and Pension Benefits The Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli website: Home read more →
After L.K.’s representative filed for Medicaid benefits, Medicaid sent a checklist of documents to be provided within thirty days, including American Funds account statements. Five months later, Medicaid sent a second letter, again seeking the same documents, again within thirty days. After that deadline passed, L.K’s representative sent some of the account statements and advised.. read more →
For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services read more →
On December 18, 2018, I presented at the 2018 Elder Law College given by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education at the Crowne Plaza, located at 690 Route 46 East, Fairfield, New Jersey. Basically, my presentation was an overview of the laws governing Medicaid Planning by Guardians in New Jersey. (I first wrote about the.. read more →
A New Jersey appeals court held that the state was not required to assist a Medicaid applicant by obtaining debit card statements from her bank to verify her application. C.F.J. v. Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (N.J. Super. Ct., App. Div., No. A-4385-16T4, Dec. 11, 2018). C.F.J. entered a nursing home and applied for.. read more →
Wyoming’s highest court ruled that the state should not have denied a Medicaid applicant’s request to reduce her penalty period because her sons partially returned transferred assets by paying her attorneys’ fees. Anderson v. State of Wyoming (Wyo.,No. 2018 WY 135, Dec. 4, 2018). Nursing home resident Lucile Anderson transferred cash and property to her sons… read more →
Kansas’s highest court suspended for six months an attorney who, among other things, charged a couple three times the going rate to qualify for public benefits based upon financial need from the Veterans Administration (VA) and Medicaid. In the Matter of Crandall (Kan., No. 117,910, Nov. 30, 2018). A couple hired David Crandall to update their.. read more →
Petitioner was admitted to Monmouth Medical Center. Thereafter, petitioner was discharged to Liberty Royal Rehabilitation and Health Care Center (Liberty Royal), a Medicaid certified nursing home. Less than one week later, he was transferred to Crystal Lake Nursing and Rehabilitation Center (Crystal Lake), another Medicaid certified nursing home. Petitioner remained at Crystal Lake until his.. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at the 2018 Elder Law College given by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education on December 18, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza, located at 690 Route 46 East, Fairfield, New Jersey. Mr. Vanarelli will provide an overview of the laws governing Medicaid Planning by Guardians in.. read more →
For additional information concerning elder abuse actions, visit: Will Contests, Probate Litigation and Elder Abuse Actions read more →
In 2002, J.S., a Medicaid applicant, created an irrevocable trust naming his son K.S. as trustee. Under the terms of the trust, all of the annual net income generated by the trust was to be paid to J.S., while the beneficiaries of the trust corpus was K.S. and his family. The trust gave the trustee.. 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 page.. read more →
With the aging population becoming increasingly tech savvy, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has moved a lot of services online. From applying for Social Security benefits to replacing a card, the SSA has online tools to help. To access most of the online services, you need to create a my Social Security account. This account allows you to.. read more →
Nursing home care is growing ever more expensive. Contact your elder law attorney to learn how you can protect some or all of your family’s assets. For the first time, the median cost of a private nursing home room in the United States increased to $100,375 a year in 2018, up 3 percent from 2017,.. read more →
If an applicant for Medicaid signed a contract with an assisted living facility agreeing to a pay privately for a period of time, any penalty resulting from a transfer of assets cannot begin until the end of the private pay period, even if the applicant is otherwise eligible for benefits. B.K. v Division of Medical.. read more →
B.S. was ninety-two years old and residing in a nursing home when she applied to the Monmouth County Division of Social Services, the County Welfare Board (CWB), for Medicaid benefits. In response to the application, the CWB inquired about two 2010 bank withdrawals from petitioner’s accounts, one for $29,955.79 and the other for $37,085.47. Petitioner.. read more →
Reversing a lower court, a Connecticut Appeals Court held that the conservator of a nursing home resident owed a duty of care to the nursing home in which the resident resided to apply for Medicaid on behalf of the resident on a timely basis. The Court allowed the nursing home to sue the conservator personally.. read more →
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced the 2019 cost-of-living increases for Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. SSA announced a 2.8% benefit increase in 2019, and an increase in the SSA taxable maximum amount to $132,900. The federal benefit amount for an individual eligible for SSI in 2019 will increase to $771 per month. The information.. read more →
A New Jersey appeals court ruled that the State must hold a full evidentiary hearing before rejecting the claim of an assisted living facility resident who wanted to deduct the cost of a full-time aide from the income she paid to the facility. G.F. v. Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (N.J. Super. Ct., App… read more →
For additional information concerning VA compensation and pension benefits, visit: VA Compensation and Pension Benefits For additional information concerning elder abuse actions, visit: Will Contests, Probate Litigation and Elder Abuse Actions read more →
For additional information concerning NJ elder law and special needs planning visit: NJ Elder Law and Estate Planning Services For additional information concerning Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) disability appeals, visit: Social Security Disability Appeals read more →
Before her husband’s death, the Guglielmellis’ daughter Donna lived with their parents and, after Mr. Guglielmelli’s death, she continued to reside with her mother. Mr. Guglielmelli had always handled the couple’s finances, and after his death Donna assumed that role, under a power of attorney for her mother. Donna also served as executor of her.. read more →
The Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey dismissed this appeal, refusing to remand the case for administrative hearings that were never held because the applicant failed to preserve her right to those hearings. B.M. v. Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, Docket No. A-3546-16T3 (App. Div., August 29, 2018) Esther Schulgasser.. read more →
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