Published in Florida Assisted Living Coalition News (FALC) A gift of cash from family, or anyone else could end up costing seniors and families with special needs thousands of dollars in government benefits and services. Government benefits programs do not allow people to have more than $2,000 in their name. Here are a few tips: Do…

Stephanie L. Schneider has been a Board Certified Elder Law Attorney since 1997. Stephanie is accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to provide clients with guidance and assistance about qualifying for veteran benefits. Stephanie and her team will primarily focus on assisting veterans and their spouses with becoming eligible to obtain benefits under…

Published in Families of Loved Ones (FOLO magazine) By Stephanie L. Schneider Health care professionals and elder law attorneys provide information to caregivers and people with disabilities regarding long term care planning, options and advance directives. It is important to communicate and understand different cultural beliefs and practices in the medical decision-making process for all parties…

Published in Florida Justice Association Journal We await the decision of the United States Supreme Court in the case of Ahlborn v. Arkansas Dept. of Human Services, 397 F.3d 620 (8th Cir 2005). Court Stats: September 27, 2005: Certiorari was granted. February 9, 2005: The US Court of Appeals ruled that a state’s right to…

Published in American Bar Association By Stephanie L. Schneider, Esquire The increasing growth rate of our elderly population in the United States is causing the legal profession to take a long hard look at the everyday problems people face as they age, become incapacitated or disabled, and to create practical working solutions for our clients, their…

Published in Florida Justice Association Journal People tend to avoid dealing with issues of illness, death and mortality. The laws in Florida as well as the United States generally do not provide your clients who may be same sex and heterosexual partners with the same rights as married couples. Therefore, it is even more important…

Published in South Florida Hospital News Many of us in the healthcare industry and legal profession have a variety of reactions and personal opinions on the medical and legal issues Terry Schiavo and her family have encountered. Notwithstanding, I believe there are common lessons we can take from it that if implemented would increase the…

[on behalf of the Academy’s Women’s Caucus Section] Published in Florida Justice Association Journal As an elder law attorney I have had the privilege of working with many talented trial lawyers who achieve settlements for permanently disabled individuals. These experiences have taught me that trial lawyers and elder law attorneys can benefit their clients and…

Consider the sad case of Terri Schiavo, the Pinellas County woman whose parents and husband are bitterly fighting over whether to remove the feeding tube keeping her alive. Schiavo was only 26 when, 13 years ago, her heart stopped for unknown reasons. By the time she was revived, she was so severely brain damaged that…

Published in Florida Banking Magazine By: Stephanie L. Schneider, Esquire – Board Certified Elder Law Attorney The first part of this article explained the legal basis for creating special needs trusts and addressed the differences between a self-settled and a third-party created Special Needs Trust. The second part of this series focuses on two ways in…