Wills versus Trusts: Do I need a Trust?

3 years ago

What is a Will? A Will, also known as a Last Will and Testament, is a document stating how your…

Amazon warns customers about online scams

3 years ago

Amazon recently posted the following warning to customers: Stay safe from scammers this holiday season by getting to know their…

ABLE Accounts

3 years ago

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act of 2013 (S. 313/H.R.647) was introduced in the 113th Congress by a…

New Hospice Resource

3 years ago

On December 9, 2022, the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the National Association for Home Care & Hospice announced development…

Spousal Impoverishment Standards By Year

3 years ago

The Medicaid Spousal Impoverishment allowances are updated annually. Below are some of the annual allowance figures we've saved. The most…

2023 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards

3 years ago

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the 2023 SSI and Spousal Impoverishment Standards. Among the highlights are the…

Judge William T. Boyett to Retire After Serving 40 Years

3 years ago

The Press Release below is re-posted as circulated to the Conasauga Bar Association. Our personal comments are that Judge Boyett,…

If you think you had a stroke

3 years ago

First, if someone you know shows signs of stroke, call 9-1-1 right away. A stroke is a medical emergency so don't…

Resident’s Right to Choose Activities and Interact with Others Inside and Outside the Nursing Home

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the right to who they will spend time with and how they will spend it. Specifically,…

Resident’s Right to Refuse Unnecessary Intra-facility Transfers

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have a right to refuse unnecessary transfers within the facility. Specifically, 42 C.F.R. § 483.10(e)(7) and (8)…

Resident’s Right to Share a Room; Roommates

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have a right to share a room with whomever they wish as long as both residents agree.…

Resident’s Right to Reasonable Accomodation of Needs and Preferences

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have a right to reasonable accomodation of needs and preferences. 42 C.F.R. § 483.10(e)(3) provides that the resident…

Resident’s Right to Personal Possessions

3 years ago

42 C.F.R. § 483.10(e)(2) provides that the resident has a right to be treated with respect and dignity, including: (2)…

Visitation in the Nursing Home

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the right to visitation. Specifically,  42 C.F.R. § 483.10(f) provides that residents have the right to…

Nursing Home Resident’s Autonomy

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the right to make their own choices. This includes basic life choices, the right to information…

Resident’s Right to Self-Determination

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the right to make their own choices. This includes basic life choices, the right to information…

Resident’s Right to Choose Attending Physician

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the right to choose his or her attending physician. The physician must be licensed to practice,…

Additional Guidance Regarding Nursing Home Patients With Cognitive Impairments

3 years ago

Appendix PP provides the following additional guidance regarding treatment of residents with impaired, or potentially impaired decision-making capacity: Definitions: “Court…

Guidance Regarding Resident’s Right to Self-Administer Medications

3 years ago

Appendix PP provides the following guidance regarding a resident's right to self-administer medications as provided in 42 C.F.R. §483.10(c)(7). If…

Resident’s Right to Be Informed of and Participate in Treatment

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have the same right to participate in the informed consent process as any other patient. 42 C.F.R.…

Resident’s Right to Exercise Rights

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have a right to exercise his or her rights as a resident of the facility and as…

Resident’s Right to a Dignified Existence

3 years ago

Nursing home residents have a right to a dignified existence, self-determination, and communication with and access to persons and services…

Definitions Relating to Nursing Home Care

3 years ago

42 C.F.R. § 483.5 defines the following terms: Abuse Abuse is the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or…

Nursing Home Resident Rights, general concepts

3 years ago

Nursing homes, also called skilled nursing facilities, provide a wide range of health and personal care services. Their services focus…

Cash, Bank Accounts and Non-retirement Investments and Medicaid

3 years ago

Cash and Accounts Monetary resources can typically be liquidated within 20 days. These include cash, savings accounts, checking accounts, money…

The Dignity Account

3 years ago

One of the issues families consider as loved ones age is whether an elder is susceptible to financial elder abuse.…

Government Bonds and Medicaid

3 years ago

Government Bonds are debt instruments issued by a government entity. The most common form of government bond owned by a…

Vehicles and Medicaid

3 years ago

General Rule One vehicle of any value is exempt. If the applicant has more than one vehicle, then the most…

Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act

3 years ago

The Uniform Partition of Heirs Property Act ("UPHPA") has been enacted in 21 States. It is designed to preserve family…

POMS Provisions Regarding Property Rights

3 years ago

POMS SI 01120.010 provides that an individual must have some form of ownership interest in property in order for the…

OFR Expands Its Financial Instrument Reference Database to Help Identify Inconsistencies in Financial Terms

3 years ago

Today the Office of Financial Research announced that it added a third data source to it's Financial Instrument Reference Database.…

Priority of claims against a decedent’s estate

3 years ago

In Georgia, O.C.G.A. 53-7-40 provides that claims are paid in the following order: Unless otherwise provided by law, all property…

Property Rights

3 years ago

Assets are things you own that have value. Assets include all income and all resources. 42 U.S.C. § 1396p(h)(1).  They…

How does it help to be worried?

3 years ago

It really doesn't help to worry. The simple answer is "don't do it." In Matthew 6: 25-34, Jesus said: Take…

Divorce and the Community Spouse

3 years ago

Another “option” that may be considered in appropriate cases is divorce. Deeming between spouses terminates when the marriage terminates. In…

Seeking Adjustments to the CSRA or MMMNA

3 years ago

MCCA includes a mechanism for increasing both the CSRA and the MMMNA in certain cases. The methods by which this…

Post-Eligibility Treatment of the Institutional Spouse’s Income

3 years ago

As eligibility is being determined, if the Community Spouse’s monthly income falls below the Minimum Monthly Maintenance Needs Allowance (“MMMNA”),…

Protecting Income for the Community Spouse

3 years ago

Income and resources are treated differently. Unlike resources, income is not pooled in determining eligibility; the Community Spouse’s separate income…

Potential Redetermination When Moving to a New State

3 years ago

In Dullard v. Minnesota Department of Human Services, 529 N.W.2d 438, 443 (Minn. App. 1995), Minnesota was allowed to reevaluate…

Transfer Penalties and the Community Spouse

3 years ago

Some couples might consider reducing the size of the marital estate by giving their resources away. Frequently this is the…

Protecting Resources for the Community Spouse

3 years ago

Federal law protects the healthy (or healthier) spouse of a nursing home resident. The healthier spouse is known in Medicaidland…

MCCA’s Legislative History

3 years ago

The following the committe report for the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act of 1988 (MCCA): The leading cause of financial catastrophe…

Opening Comments regarding the Medicaid Community Spouse

3 years ago

While nursing home bills accrue, the healthy or well spouse, known as the “Community Spouse,” [Note 1] struggles to identify…

Practical Considerations when Preparing Medicaid Applications

3 years ago

If you agree to file a client's Medicaid application as part of your representation, here are a few practical considerations.…

Elder Law and Special Needs Law News Roundup – 10-21-2022

3 years ago

We regularly post links to news articles and other resources related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law. We focus…

Miscellaneous Resource Nuggets – Medicaid and SSI

4 years ago

In States where Medicaid disability determinations are performed by the Social Security Administration, the eligibility rules cannot be more restrictive…

What is a Medicare Supplement Policy (Medigap policy)?

4 years ago

Medicare is a nationwide health insurance program for individuals aged 65 and over and certain disabled individuals. The basic Medicare…

Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003

4 years ago

On December 8, 2003, the President signed the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, P.L. 108-173. On…

Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

4 years ago

The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) was created in 1997 to give health insurance and preventive care to nearly 11…