Join us, at our Law Office at 242 St. Paul Street, Westfield, NJ Free Seminar on Paying for Long-Term Care Friday, April 20th, at two (2) convenient times: 8:00 – 9:30 a.m., or 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. Many factors — illness, incapacity and the need for long-term care — can leave a family’s finances in disarray. Fortunately,.. read more →
The U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging has released the 2018 Fraud Book, listing the Top 10 Elder Scams Of 2018 based on reports to the Senate hotline. The report is entitled “Fighting Fraud: Senate Aging Committee Identifies Top 10 Scams Targeting Our Nation’s Seniors.” From January 1, 2017, through December 31, 2017, the Senate.. read more →
Our law firm has created a number of Legal Guides for our clients and website guests to provide a better understanding of important and oftentimes complex legal subjects. The Legal Guides are offered free of charge. One of the Legal Guides available to the public discusses Special Needs Trusts and Special Needs Planning. Parents of children.. read more →
We will be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day 2018 as follows: Drinking Green Beer, Irish Whiskey and/or (most probably “and”) Guinness; and, Eating Corned Beef and Cabbage For readers of this blog: May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face;.. read more →
Attorney Donald D. Vanarelli is proud to announce that he was awarded an “AV Preeminent” rating from Martindale-Hubbell, an acknowledgment that he has achieved the highest level of professional excellence. From the Martindale-Hubbell website: “For more than 130 years, lawyers have relied on the AV Preeminent rating when searching for their own expert attorneys. The Martindale-Hubbell.. read more →
Upcoming Presentation on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts for Community Access Unlimited
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will provide an overview of the use of Special Needs Trusts (SNTs) by disabled persons so as to prevent an applicant’s financial assets and income from impacting eligibility for needs-based public benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, services from the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD), Section 8 Housing and.. read more →
Some states make it harder for those caring for an aging parent, according to a new survey by Caring.com. While some states were praised for providing an affordable and helpful environment for caregivers, other states ended up at the bottom of the affordability list. “It hasn’t always been so expensive, but the cost of caring.. read more →
I came across the 2018 version of a Social Security Administration (SSA) publication below. Not only has the agency updated the publication to include Special Needs Trusts, but SSA added information about Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts as well. And the agency included hyperlinks to other helpful information. This may assist applicants with.. read more →
The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility recently issued Formal Opinion 480 which opines on the ethics of lawyers blogging and comment on social media. Formal Opinion 480, entitled “Confidentiality Obligations for Lawyer Blogging and Other Public Commentary,” applies existing ethical rules to new online publications such as lawyer blogs. Excerpts.. read more →
What is Elder Law? Elder Law is broad legal practice area involving the problems of older and disabled persons. Elder Law includes counseling and dispute resolution in a variety of areas including health and long-term care planning, identifying and accessing sources of financing for long-term medical care, nursing home issues, qualifying for Medicare, Medicaid and.. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will facilitate a discussion at the upcoming “Unprogram” presented by the New Jersey Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys on April 25, 2018 at the Wyndham Hotel in the Philadelphia Historic District, 400 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA. The UnProgram is a forum in which elder law practitioners.. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at the 20th Annual Elder and Disability Law 2-Day Retreat to be held on April 26-27, 2018 at the Wyndham Hotel in the Philadelphia Historic District, 400 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA by the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder & Disability Law Section and the New Jersey Institute for.. read more →
In October 2017, Congress passed an important new law, the Elder Abuse Prevention and Protection Act (EAPPA). The EAPPA is one of very few laws which allocates federal funds to address financial elder abuse. The new law was a direct reaction to increasing incidents of financial elder abuse. Every year, thieves, swindlers and even the.. read more →
Below, in chronological order, is the annual roundup of the top 10 elder law decisions in the U.S. for the year just ended, as measured by the number of “unique page views” of the summary of each case found on the ElderLawAnswers website. ElderLawAnswers is a web-based resource available for those in the public seeking information on.. read more →
Named to the Super Lawyers list for twelve (12) consecutive years, 2007 – 2018 Vanarelli & Li, LLC is proud to announce that Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. has been named to the 2018 Super Lawyers list in Elder Law. This is the 12th consecutive year in which Mr. Vanarelli has been named to the Super Lawyers list.. read more →
Vanarelli & Li, LLC provides elder mediation services, a specialized form of mediation to help elders, the disabled and their families resolve conflict. Mr. Vanarelli is co-founder of the Elder Mediation Center of New Jersey, a collaborative venture with other elder law attorneys and geriatric professionals whose mission is to educate professionals and private individuals on the.. read more →
Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq., who has focused in planning for the elderly, disabled, and people with special needs for over 30 years, has been board-certified as an Elder Law attorney since 1998. What is Elder Law? Elder Law is a legal specialty focusing on the special needs and legal problems of seniors, the disabled and.. read more →
Happy Holidays to clients, supporters, friends and readers. Listed below are the ten (10) eleven (11) posts on the Vanarelli Law Office blog with the highest readership in 2017. After each hyperlinked blog post title, the original post date is included. Check out the list to see this year’s highlights. Our sincere thanks for taking.. read more →
Payments for Pre-eligibility Medical Expenses (PEME) are available to individuals eligible for Medicaid who reside in a nursing home (NH) or an assisted living facility (ALF). This blog post attempts to clarify the procedure for processing requests for payments of PEME made by or on behalf of residents of NHs and ALFs. Residents of NHs.. read more →
Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Who Can Help Me Fill Out the Forms? Any non-accredited individual may assist with completing the forms; however, this individual is allowed to assist ONLY one person. A VA accredited organization, such as your local State Veterans Office, VFW, or American Legion, etc. may help you, as well as an.. read more →
Many public benefit programs are adjusted annually after receiving a cost-of-living, or COLA, increase. Following are the increased benefit amounts of selected public benefit programs Including the 2018 COLA adjustment. Social Security There will be a 2.0% COLA increase for Social Security benefits. Maximum Social Security benefit for a single individual retiring at full retirement.. read more →
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its Spousal Impoverishment Standards for 2018. The official spousal impoverishment allowances for 2018 are as follows: Community Spouse Resource Allowance The “community spouse resource allowance” is a protection provided under Medicaid law for the healthy spouse of an applicant for benefits (called the “community spouse”) to.. read more →
General Qualifications for VA Non-Service Connected Pension Benefits Plus Aid and Attendance Supplement Veteran, Widowed Spouse and Dependent or Disabled Child (Any May be a Claimant) Veterans Must Typically Have Served Ninety Days Active Duty with One Day During Wartime (Those Who Enlisted After September 7, 1980 Have Additional Time Requirements) Veteran Cannot Have Had.. read more →
The amount that people with disabilities can deposit in an ABLE account each year without jeopardizing eligibility for needs-based governmental benefits will rise from the current $14,000 to $15,000 starting in 2018. Under the law, total annual deposits to ABLE accounts are limited to the federal gift tax exclusion limit set by the IRS. The.. read more →
After being sued by Medicaid applicant in federal court, the Director of New Jersey Medicaid, who had previously denied benefits because the applicant transferred assets to a trust more than 5 years before, instead stated the application was denied because, under the terms of the trust, the trustee was permitted to pay the applicant’s rent… read more →
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