PA Judge Declares LGBT Surviving Spouse Entitled to Pension Death Benefit
Bob Dylan sang ‘the times they are a changing.’ Now is definitely one of those times. Since the United States Supreme Court issued its decision in Windsor (holding that the Defense of Marriage Act violates the equal protection clause of the Constitution and is unconstitutional) there has been change afoot to provide federal rights to…
Reverse Mortgages: The Good and the Bad
Full Article available at: https://helpwithaging.com/income-savings/reverse-mortgages-the-good-and-the-bad You want to stay in your house as you grow older, but you need a ready source of cash to pay your bills, now and in the future. With a regular mortgage, you make payments to the lender, whether it is a bank or a credit union or some other…
Personal Care Agreements and Medicaid Planning
Personal Care Agreements: Don’t Try This Without An Elder Law Attorney You might have received a flyer or, seen a newspaper ad advertising Medicaid planning for a very low fee. It catches your eye. You maybe go so far as to meet with the person (a non-attorney) and they tell you “Yes. We can prepare…
The quality gap at elder-care homes
Long-term care options can easily confound families researching facilities for an older loved one. A distinction that’s not always explored among continuing-care retirement communities, assisted-living facilities and nursing homes is the difference between non-profit and for-profit institutions. Each of these three facility types comes in both flavors, and research suggests the distinction could influence the…
United States Supreme Court Rules Doma Unconstitutional!
Hot Off The Press – Scotus Rules – It’s Official At 10:15 a.m. today the United States Supreme Court published its opinion in U.S. v. Windsor ruling that “DOMA is unconstitutional as a deprivation of the equal liberty of persons that is protected by the Fifth Amendment.” It is a historic day in our nation’s…
June is Gay Pride Month
On Thursday June 6, 2013 I presented at The Pride Center in Wilton Manors for National Gay Pride Month. I spoke about important legal developments for the LGBT community. In case you were not able to attend here’s a recap: February 2013 The Department of Defense issues a memo stating that military departments will now…
Lessons Learned About Life Care Planning – An Anecdote
I just returned from three great days at Disney World with my daughter. It’s great to be a kid and see the world through a child’s eyes – ah the wonder and joy. Have you ever noticed how almost every Disney movie begins with something tragic happening but ends happily ever after? If real life…
Medicaid & Holocaust Reparations: Know Your Legal Rights!
Federal Medicaid law protects Holocaust reparations from being considered as countable resources or countable income when applying for Medicaid assistance. It is suggested that reparations not be commingled with other assets but rather, kept in a separate account. This will make it easier to get through the Medicaid application process. It can be difficult to trace…
Is Your Child Graduating High School? Read this!
Are you planning your child’s graduation celebration? Thinking about what present to give your child for graduating with good grades? Look no further – give the gift that is priceless (as the MasterCard commercial says). Give your child, and you, the peace of mind of creating a legal plan now that they are adults. Yes, even…
Long Term Care Planning: Divorce Is Not Your First Option
A hotly contested issue in the Florida Legislature this month concerns spousal refusal. ‘Spousal refusal’ is both a federal and state law that enables a married person to obtain Medicaid assistance when one spouse refuses to make their assets available to the spouse who requires long-term care. The person applying for Medicaid must sign a form that assigns…
