Guardianships and Medicaid Planning – Video 3 On June 15, 2021, I participated in the 2021 Elder Law College given by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education via ZOOM videoconference webinar. I presented a paper and discussed Medicaid planning in the contest of guardianships in New Jersey. Medicaid planning involves the strategic transfer.. read more →
Guardianships and Medicaid Planning – Video 2 On June 15, 2021, I participated in the 2021 Elder Law College given by the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education via ZOOM videoconference webinar. I presented a paper and discussed Medicaid planning in the contest of guardianships in New Jersey. Medicaid planning involves the strategic transfer.. read more →
Increase in Medicaid’s penalty divisor announced. Last month, the New Jersey Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services (DMAHS), the State Medicaid agency, announced an increase in the state penalty divisor. Effective April 1, 2021, the penalty divisor has increased from $357.67 to $361.20 per day, amounting to $10,986.50 per month and $131,838 per year… read more →
In this case, a New Jersey appeals court 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 full-time outside the.. read more →
Top Ten Most Popular Blog Posts on the VanarelliLaw Blog in 2020
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 →
Under Section 728 of Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (TURCA), federal tax refunds received after December 31, 2009 are not treated as income or resources (for a period of 12 months after receipt) for purposes of determining eligibility for all federal or federally-assisted programs, including Medicaid and the Children’s.. read more →
A New York appeals court held that transfers made by a Medicaid applicant before she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease were not transfers for less than market value subject to penalty because the transfers were made as part of a history of gifting to her children done exclusively for a purpose other than to qualify.. read more →
G.S. is a 24 year-old woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. G.S. took medication for her mental health issues, attended therapy, and lived in a group home for people diagnosed with mental illness. In 2015, G.S. applied for and was granted Medicaid benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). G.S. did.. read more →
In New Jersey, services for the intellectually and developmentally disabled are provided by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), a division of the state Department of Human Services. DDD funds services and supports for eligible disabled individuals. These services are offered in the community by more than 200 agencies or by more than 600 individuals.. read more →
Under COVID-19 legislation, a one-time direct payment of $1,200 was paid to individuals earning less than $75,000 per year ($150,000 for couples who file jointly), including beneficiaries of Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits, Medicaid benefits and other public benefits based upon financial need. Individuals earning up to $99,000 ($198,000 for joint filers).. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at a ZOOM Webinar on February 10, 2021 at 7:00 PM along with Spectrum Care Management and Counseling, LLC, a support coordination agency. Mr. Vanarelli will speak on planning to attain eligibility for Medicaid benefits from New Jersey’s Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services, and how Medicaid.. read more →
A U.S. district court dismissed fraud claims based on the unauthorized practice of law against a New Jersey company that provided assistance to Medicaid applicants, ruling that the estate of a nursing home resident did not provide evidence that the company misled the estate about performing legal work for it. The Estate of Cotton v… read more →
PowerPoint Slides on Protecting your Assets from the Catastrophic Costs of Nursing Homes and other Long-Term Care Facilities
On October 15, 2020, Attorney Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. presented a live Webinar in which attendees learned how to Protect their Assets from the Catastrophic Costs of Probate, Long-Term Care and Nursing Home Expenses. Webinar Topics Included: Care options and typical costs of care in New Jersey in various settings. How to qualify for government.. read more →
The Seventh Circuit vacated a district court decision that allowed an Indiana Medicaid recipient to hire her own in-home health care providers as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, holding that more evidence was needed to determine if the recipient’s request can be granted consistent with federal requirements for funding. Vaughn v. Walthall (U.S… read more →
The Director of the Medicaid agency in New Jersey held that income in a Qualified Income Trust which was used to pay the room and board fee for a resident of an assisted living facility was not countable in determining the resident’s eligibility for Medicaid benefits. H.H. v. Monmouth County Board of Social Services – Final.. read more →
New York was the only state that didn’t have a look-back period for Medicaid home care, but that is now changing. New York Medicaid applicants will no longer be eligible for home care if they gave away assets within 30 months of applying. Medicaid, unlike Medicare, is a public benefit program based upon financial need,.. read more →
E.H., a 78 year old female, received $1,471.50 in monthly social security benefits. On April 1, 2019, E.H.’s checking account, contained $1,991.78. On April 4, 2019, E.H. applied for benefits under New Jersey’s Family Care Aged, Blind and Disabled Medicaid program. As part of her Medicaid application, E.H. submitted a pre-paid burial contract. Although pre-paid.. read more →
The New Jersey Director of Medicaid approved the transfer of an applicant’s home to a “caregiver child” who worked full-time because the applicant qualified medically for comprehensive home-based services under the Medicaid program. A.H. v. Bergen County Board of Social Services, OAL DKT. NO. HMA 09215-19 (June 26, 2020) When she was 92 years old,.. read more →
The New Jersey Appellate Division held that the state Medicaid agency is required to screen a Medicaid recipient for eligibility for all other Medicaid programs before terminating the recipient from the Medicaid program for which the recipient is presently eligible. D.C. v. Div. of Med. Assistance & Health Servs., 2020 WL 4290056 (N.J. Super. Ct… read more →
The Director of New Jersey’s state Medicaid agency overturned prior decisions to find that, when a Medicaid applicant resides in his or her home, the date on which the applicant is found clinically eligible for Medicaid benefits is the date the Mediciad agency should use in determining financial eligibility. S.W. v. Cumberland County Board of.. read more →
A New Jersey appeals court upheld a Medicaid penalty period imposed on a nursing home resident who, prior to admission, paid home health care aides via checks payable to “cash” without written contract, and didn’t prove that the rates paid to the aides were for fair market value. D.Z. v. Ocean County Board of Social.. read more →
The New Jersey appellate division sustained the denial of Medicaid benefits based upon the applicant’s failure to submit documents necessary to verify his eligibility. Even though the Medicaid applicant was incapacitated due to dementia, could not speak, and whose agent under his power of attorney failed to assist, the court held that the Medicaid agency.. read more →
New Jersey Bankers Association Financial Elder Abuse Webinar Date Time: Jun 10, 2020 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Topic: On-Line Webinar on Financial Elder Abuse Financial Elder Abuse is a growing concern, with 4 million cases of elder abuse reported last year. The elderly are often bilked out of their savings, investments, and.. read more →
When she was admitted to a skilled nursing facility, petitioner owned a home. Following her admission, petitioner’s son, who was petitioner’s power of attorney, applied for Medicaid benefits on her behalf. Personnel at the facility informed the son that, in order to attain Medicaid eligibility, petitioner could have no assets. As a result, petitioner’s son.. read more →
The penalty divisor is the average daily cost of nursing home services in New Jersey. It is adjusted annually after a survey of all nursing facilities in New Jersey is conducted. The penalty divisor is used to determine the penalty period for an individual applying for Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports when that individual transfers.. read more →
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