Elder Law

Dear Mr. Di Costanzo: Can I act under my father’s power of attorney after he dies? One of the most important estate planning documents...

On December 15th, 2020, Governor Cuomo signed into law legislation substantially amending the New York General Obligations Law, which is...

by Joanna C. Feldman and Salvatore M. Di Costanzo This is not easy.  Every day brings a new development.  Shelter-in-place.  Workplace...

As the parade route approached, I captured my first glimpse of the Grand Marshal.  He was a 93-year-old seasoned World War II veteran who...

We have all heard the saying “life is full of regrets”.  I have compiled a list of the most common regrets that I often hear from...

As an elder law attorney, I am frequently asked questions, the answers of which have been taken for granted during the ordinary course of...

The need for a guardianship really depends on the facts and circumstances of each case, however, many guardianship cases result from the...

Traditionally, Thanksgiving is the holiday when the entire family, for better or worse, comes together.  After the melatonin calms...

We receive this response too often from clients who, after working with another attorney on their elder law and estate planning matters,...

Generally, in determining the Medicaid eligibility of a person receiving nursing facility services, any gifting of assets made by the...

Reports of elder financial abuse continue to increase, and the elderly are particularly vulnerable to scams or to financial abuse by...

This question often arises where an individual requires some assistance with her activities of daily living but can largely function on...

A 529 plan is a very common planning technique used by grandparents to fund a grandchild’s college education. Simply stated,...

Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman Under the usual fact pattern, a retirement account will not render someone ineligible for Medicaid. ...

While I cannot say whether there are mistakes in your estate planning documents, the wording of your document may be confusing to you as...

The elderly are vulnerable, and as a result, are often soft targets for non-physical abuse. I refer to them as “silent abuses” because...

When I meet with people for the first time who are interested in estate planning, their focus is usually on after-death planning....

Co-authored by Joanna C. Feldman The truth is that very often, “elder law” attorney is a misnomer as it pertains to many of our clients....

According to a recent report published by the Alzheimer’s Association, in 2017, approximately 5.5 million individuals have “Alzheimer’s...

For 2017, the federal lifetime estate and gift tax exemption have increased to $5,490,000.  This means that you can gift this amount over...