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Elder Law Answers


Reports Find Hospice Deficiencies Go Unaddressed
Hospice care is supposed to help terminally ill patients maintain their quality of life at the end of their life, but two new government...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Should You Sell Your Life Insurance Policy?
Older Americans with a life insurance policy that they no longer need have the option to sell the policy to investors. These...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Medicaid's Gift to Children Who Help Parents Postpone Nursing Home Care
In most states, transferring your house to your children (or someone else) may lead to a Medicaid penalty period, which would make you...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


New Rule Once Again Allows Nursing Home Arbitration Agreements
The Trump administration is officially rolling back a ban on the use of arbitration agreements by nursing homes that was initiated under...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Estate Planning for Younger Families
If you were to review my client files over the last decade, you might be surprised to learn that estate plans for people younger than...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


How to Plan Your Funeral
Thinking about your funeral may not be fun, but planning ahead can be exceedingly helpful for your family. It both lets them know your...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Medicare Launches App to Help Beneficiaries Find Out What's Covered
At the doctor's office and want to know if a procedure is covered by Medicare? There is an app for that. Medicare has launched a free app...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


A Final Retirement Account Distribution Must Still Be Made After Death
Federal law requires that beginning on April 1 of the year after you reach age 70 1/2, you must begin withdrawing a minimum amount from...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Tips on Creating an Estate Plan that Benefits a Child with Special Needs
Parents want their children to be taken care of after they die. But children with disabilities have increased financial and care needs,...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Protecting Your House from Medicaid Estate Recovery
After a Medicaid recipient dies, the state must attempt to recoup from his or her estate whatever benefits it paid for the recipient's...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Medicare's Different Treatment of the Two Main Post-Hospital Care Options
Hospital patients who need additional care after being discharged from the hospital are usually sent to either an inpatient...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Do you understand who will inherit your Estate if you die without a Will?
Co-Authored by Joanna C. Feldman, Esq. Do you understand who will inherit your Estate if you die without a Will? We recently read an...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Is Medicaid’s penalty period pro-rated depending on when a gift or uncompensated transfer is made?
Co-Authored by Joanna C. Feldman, Esq. The short answer is no, but let’s go further. Medicaid applications to cover expenses in a nursing...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


How to Deal With Student Loan Debt as You Age
The number of older Americans with student loan debt – either theirs or someone else’s — is growing. Sadly, learning how to deal with...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Using a Donor-Advised Fund May Be a Way to Get a Charitable Tax Break Under the New Tax Law
Donor-advised funds are a growing trend in giving that may get more popular due to the new tax law. These funds allow you to donate...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Protecting Your House After You Move Into a Nursing Home
While you generally do not have to sell your home in order to qualify for Medicaid coverage of nursing home care, it is possible the...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Getting Paid as a Family Caregiver Through Medicaid
Caring for an ailing family member is difficult work, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be unpaid work. There are programs available...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


How Parents Can Provide for a Caregiver Child
Taking care of a parent can be a full-time job. Children may have to give up paying jobs in order to provide care to aging parents....

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Do You Have a Powerless Power of Attorney?
The Power of Attorney (“POA”) and Statutory Gifts Rider (“SGR”) are two of the most important documents drafted by an elder law...

Salvatore Di Costanzo


Report Ranks States on Nursing Home Quality and Shows Families' Conflicted Views
A new report that combines nursing home quality data with a survey of family members ranks the best and worst states for care and paints...

Salvatore Di Costanzo
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