Below I’ve listed the most popular articles posted to the Vanarelli Law Office Blog based upon pageviews in May 2011. The original post date, along with a short summary of the content of each post, are included after each hyperlinked title.

1. Certain “Blue Water” Navy Vietnam Veterans Now Eligible For Agent Orange Presumptive Service-Connected Compensation Benefits – January 23, 2010. This post described VA policy permitting “blue water” navy Vietnam veterans with designated diseases to receive compensation benefits and medical care from the VA without having to prove exposure to Agent Orange during their military service.
2. Superior Court Judge Upholds Her Decision Authorizing The Establishment Of Third Party Special Needs Trusts Within An Intestate Estate – November 20, 2009. In this case, the trial court authorized the administrator of an intestate estate to establish and fund two Supplemental Benefits Trusts to protect the intestate shares of the estate which passed to the decedent’s two disabled adult daughters, both of whom received needs-based government benefits. Unfortunately, the State of New Jersey appealed the trial court’s decision, the Appellate Division reversed in a published opinion, and the N.J. Supreme Court denied certification.
3. New Statutory Short Form Power Of Attorney And New Major Gifts Rider Form Now Available For New York State – August 21, 2009. This remains one of my most popular posts. In it, I described the new statutory forms in New York: the new New York Power of Attorney form and the new Major Gifts Rider form. I also made the new forms available for download.
4. Gift Tax Annual Exclusion Amount Unchanged In 2010 – October 31, 2009. Although the subject of the post was quite simple, it caught the attention of many readers: The gift tax annual exclusion amount available to taxpayers in 2010 will remain unchanged at $13,000.
5. Summary Of Changes To The Estate And Gift Tax Laws In 2011 And 2012 Resulting From Enactment Of The “Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010” – December 12th, 2010. In this post, I summarized the new tax law passed on December 17, 2010 which is structured as an amendment to current law enacted in 2001 under President George W. Bush, the “Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act.”
6. Top 10 Veterans Service-Connected Disability Compensation Benefit Cases Decided By The Federal Circuit In 2009 – 2010 – November 29, 2010.This post contains a summary of significant VA service-connected compensation cases decided last year.
7. Medicaid Eligibility And The Pickle Amendment – March 30, 2010. In this post, I discussed the Pickle Amendment which created a separate category of Medicaid eligibility for those who receive both Social Security benefits (SSA) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits but become ineligible for SSI due to SSA cost-of-living adjustments.
8. Top Ten (10) Social Security / SSI Disability Appeals Decided By Federal Appellate Courts In 2010 – March 21, 2011. This post contains a summary of significant Social Security and SSI disability appeals decided last year.