The beginning of a new year is a good time to take a look at your estate plan to make sure it is up to date. Less than half of people actually have any estate planning documents in place and many of those people may have outdated documents.
It is often necessary to modify a home in one way or another to accommodate a person with special needs. But if the individual is the beneficiary of a special needs trust (SNT) and trust funds might be used to pay for modifications or repairs to a home that the beneficiary doesn’t own, things can get complicated.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently investigated more than 200 instances of fraud and patient neglect in Medicaid-funded programs that provide caretakers for children, adults and the elderly.
More and more states are switching to a managed care model when dealing with Medicaid long-term care patients, a change that has resulted in a loss of services in some cases.
The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, federal legislation that will allow people with disabilities to create their own special needs trusts instead of having to rely on parents, grandparents, guardians or a court, has been enacted.
One of President-elect’s Donald Trump's campaign promises was to repeal the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, which would have implications for everyone covered by the insurance, but it could also adversely affect Medicare beneficiaries.
Parents who have a child with special needs in school will meet annually with the school district to develop an IEP (Individualized Education Program). These meetings can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what to expect or are not prepared.
Medicare recipients considering accepting Medicare’s hospice benefit will not be forced to make a fateful decision under a pilot program. The program will allow some Medicare beneficiaries to receive hospice care while also receiving curative treatment from their doctors.
The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, federal legislation that will allow people with disabilities to create their own special needs trusts instead of having to rely on others, has passed the Congress.
A little-known provision in the Social Security regulations allows the spouse of a retiree to also receive Social Security benefits, even if he has not yet reached retirement age, so long as he is caring for a child with disabilities at home.