For additional information concerning guardianships and fiduciary services, visit: NJ Guardianship and Fiduciary Services   For additional information concerning Medicaid applications and appeals, visit: NJ Medicaid Applications read more →

For additional information concerning mediation and conflict resolution, visit: Resolving Conflicts Through Collaborative Law For additional information concerning estate planning and administration, visit: Estate Planning and Administration 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 →

In this case, K.L., a Medicaid applicant, was assessed a penalty period, or period or ineligibility for Medicaid nursing home benefits, of 604 days based upon (1) the failure to obtain fair market value for a life estate owned by K.L. when real estate containing the life estate interest was sold, and (2) a number.. read more →

In this case, Petitioner’s son, P.M., resided with his mother, Petitioner R.M., for more than fifty years, in R.M.’s home. In December 2019, R.M. was admitted to a nursing facility. Since that time, R.M. no longer resided at her former home. After R.M. was admitted into the nursing facility, P.M. and Petitioner’s daughter, R.K., petitioned the court for legal.. read more →

Increase in Medicaid’s penalty divisor announced. The agency governing the Medicaid program in New Jersey is the New Jersey Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS). On March 28, 2023, DMAHS announced an increase in the Medicaid penalty divisor from $374.39 to $384.57 per day, amounting to $11,697.34 per month,.. 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 →

This latest edition of Law Points for Senior Citizens, the 4th edition, is published by the New Jersey State Bar Foundation as a public service to explain laws in New Jersey of special interest to senior citizens. The booklet explains laws governing a variety of topics, such as Social Security retirement benefits, Medicaid and nursing.. 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 →

Under the Public Health Service Act, Pub.L. 78–410,  when the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concludes that a disease or disorder presents a public health emergency,  the agency may issue a declaration announcing that a public emergency exists.  On January 31, 2020, HHS issued a declaration announcing that a public emergency existed based.. read more →

In 2009, Petitioner executed a power of attorney (POA) in favor of her daughter, Vera. Ten years later, petitioner became a nursing home resident because she suffered from dementia and was no longer capable of managing her affairs. In January 2019, a social worker at the facility filed an initial Medicaid application on petitioner’s behalf… read more →

This matter arose from the imposition of a transfer penalty on Petitioner’s receipt of Medicaid benefits. Beginning in 2018, Petitioner resided with her son, R. R., and R. R. ‘s wife. Petitioner previously resided in her own home. On November 1, 2018, Petitioner and R. R. executed a “Room Rental Agreement, ” wherein Petitioner agreed to.. read more →

In this case, C.L., a resident of a nursing home, applied for Medicaid benefits. The state’s Medicaid agency, the Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS), denied her application. DMAHS determined an annuity C.L. purchased, which she understood to be irrevocable, was instead found to be revocable by the agency and counted as a.. read more →

A.V. suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. In January 2021, A.V. moved into a skilled nursing facility. That April, she filed her first application for Medicaid benefits, seeking a community spouse resource allowance for her husband, J.V.  In June 2021, the Cumberland County Board of Social Services (CCBSS) denied the claim, advising A.V. and J.V… read more →

In this case, an administrative law judge held that a Medicaid applicant’s transfer of her home to her adult child who lived with and cared for her for many years was entitled to Medicaid benefits under the “caretaker child” exemption to the transfer of assets rules even though the child worked part-time outside the home… 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 →

In this case, the New Jersey Superior Court, Appellate Division, reversed a final decision of the state Medicaid agency imposing a 203-day period of disqualification for Medicaid benefits based upon the applicant’s alleged transfer of assets for less than fair market value within the five-year look-back period before the applicant entered a nursing home. J.F… 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 →

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 →

Long-term care comes at a tremendous financial price, especially around-the-clock nursing home care. The cost of a private room in a nursing home in New Jersey is at least $12,000 per month, and may be more. Most people end up paying for long-term care and/or nursing home care out of their savings until they spend.. read more →

L.C. and his spouse R.S. sold their marital residence, and gave the proceeds of sale and other cash gifts to their daughter V.R. and her husband I.R. The total amount gifted was $435,000. V.R. and I.R. used the gifted assets to purchase a home. L.C. and R.S. lived at this home with V.R. and I.R… read more →

C.H., a resident of a long-term care facility, filed an application for nursing home Medicaid benefits. The Medicaid agency requested additional financial documentation from petitioner and petitioner’s designated authorized representative (DAR). The applicant’s DAR experienced repeated difficulties in obtaining the financial information requested by Medicaid. During those efforts, the DAR and the Medicaid caseworker exchanged.. read more →

New Jersey appeals court affirmed denial of Medicaid application for failure to verify recurring bank transactions on applicant’s bank statements even though the transactions may have been part of a scam. G.M. v. Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (N.J. Super. Ct., App. Div., No. A-0433-19, June 16, 2021). G.M. was eighty-three years old, suffered.. read more →