22nd Annual Elder And Disability Law Symposium

The COVID Cloud: Pandemic Practice Tips for the Elder Law and Special Needs Practitioner

Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. (http://VanarelliLaw.com/) will present at the 22^nd Annual Elder and Disability Law Symposium to be held via ZOOM Webinar on December 1, 2020 by the New Jersey State Bar Association Elder and Disability Law Section and the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

Mr. Vanarelli will speak on planning to attain eligibility for pension benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Unlike VA compensation, VA pension benefits are not limited to veterans who were injured while serving in the armed forces. Rather, veterans who served for as little as 90 days and are over age 65 or disabled are potentially eligible for a VA pension.  For additional information regarding this event, attorneys may contact the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education (NJICLE) at 732-214-8500 or visit their website at http://www.njicle.com/.

For additional information regarding VA benefit planning and applications, as well as elder law and estate planning issues, contact Vanarelli & Li, LLC at 908-232-7400, or visit online at http://VanarelliLaw.com/.

Format/Skill Level: Webinar
Location: Online
Date: December 1, 2020
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM ET

Moderator/Speaker:

Crystal West Edwards, CELA, Esq. Past President, NJ Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Porzio, Bromberg & Newman, PC,  Morristown

Gary Mazart, Esq. Past Chair, NJSBA Elder and Disability Law Section Fellow, The American College of Trust and Estate Counsel Schenck Price Smith & King, LLP, Florham Park, Paramus and Sparta

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Speakers include:

Melissa Abu-Adas, Esq. Brogan Law Group, Brick

Lauren S. Marinaro, Esq. Fink Rosner Ershow-Levenberg, LLC, Clark

Ryann M. Siclari, Esq. Central Jersey Legal Services, Inc., Trenton

Donald D. Vanarelli, Esq. Past Chair, NJSBA Elder and Disability Law Section Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient, by the NJ State Bar Association Certified Elder Law Attorney, Accredited by the American Bar Association Accredited Veterans Attorney, by the Department of Veterans Affairs Vanarelli & Li, LLC, Westfield

Jordan M. Wassel, Esq. Schenck Price Smith & King, LLP, Florham Park, Paramus and Sparta

Shirley Berger Whitenack, Esq. Past President, National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) NJSBA Trustee Schenck Price Smith & King, LLP,, Florham Park, Paramus and Sparta

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NJICLE’s Annual Elder and Disability Law Symposium is a unique program for truly every Elder and Disability Law attorney. The program will begin with an update on the recent case law and legislation involved in this practice area. After you get the latest on the law, you’ll have the opportunity to select from a series of “no-fluff” workshops geared to your specific level of practice, featuring segments for novice, intermediate and seasoned practitioners. Led by experienced practitioners, each workshop will provide essential information and key practice tips with a focus on COVID-19 issues. The day will conclude with a presentation on diversity and inclusion so you can get a jump on the new mandatory diversity ethics credits.

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Program Agenda:
9:00	Opening Remarks
9:05	Case Law and Legislative Update – Lauren S. Marinaro, Esq.
9:40	Medicaid Math and Methodology – Ryann Siclari, Esq.
10:20	Surrogate Decision Making – Melissa Abu-Adas, Esq.
11:00	The Contested Case – Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq.
11:40	Resources Review for Adults with Disabilities – Crystal Edwards, Esq., CELA
12:15	Luncheon
12:45	Estate and Gift Tax Planning: 20/20 vision – Gary Mazart, Esq.; Jordan M. Wassel, Esq.
2:25	VA Planning after 2 years in the rearview – Donald Vanarelli, Esq.
3:05	Ethics/Keynote – Equity and Inclusion Panel
3:55	Closing Remarks
4:00	Adjourn

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CLE Credits:

NJ CLE information: This program has been approved by the Board on Continuing Legal Education of the Supreme Court of New Jersey for 6.7 hours of total CLE credit. Of these, 1.0 qualify as hours of credit for ethics/professionalism

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Donald D. Vanarelli

Donald D. Vanarelli is a Certified Elder Law Attorney, Certified by the National Elder Law Foundation, an ABA-certifying organization. In addition to being one of only about 500 attorneys who have been Certified in Elder Law in the United States, Mr. Vanarelli is also one of about 100 members of the Council of Advanced Practitioners of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, selected for this honor by his fellow practitioners.

Don also received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Elder and Disability Law Section. The Lifetime Achievement Award, the Elder and Disability Law Section’s highest honor, is bestowed on an attorney with an established history of distinguished service who has made significant contributions in the field of elder and disability law throughout his or her career. Don is also an Accredited Veterans Attorney,  an Accredited Professional Mediator and a Past Chair of the Elder and Disability Law Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Don is actively involved in trial advocacy on behalf of elderly and disabled citizens, and has successfully litigated cases in New Jersey’s Supreme Court and in federal court.  Don was lead counsel representing the plaintiff in a seminal estate planning / guardianship / Medicaid planning case entitled In re Keri, 181 N.J. 50 (2004), in which the New Jersey Supreme Court, for the first time, permitted guardians to engage in public benefits planning to obtain Medicaid eligibility for their wards. Don also represented the plaintiff in a pivotal case entitled Saccone v. Police and Firemen’s Retirement System, 219 N.J. 369 (2014) in which the New Jersey Supreme Court, for the first time, permitted a special needs trust to be designated as the beneficiary of a state pension. Don was also co-counsel representing the plaintiff in Galletta v. Velez, Civil No. 13-532 (D.N.J. June 3, 2014) in which a federal court ruled, for the first time, that a pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs may not be counted as income in determining Medicaid eligibility.

Don represents seniors and disabled persons in estate planning, financing long-term medical care, nursing home issues, qualifying for Supplemental Security Income, Medicaid and other public benefits, special needs planning, and litigation, including probate, elder abuse and guardianship lawsuits.