Talks between President Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner to avert the “fiscal cliff” continue this weeks. While not the only leaders involved in the effort, most disagreement on the issues exist between the President and House Republicans. Some observers are confident that the parties will reach an…
News about the New York Medicaid system has been surprisingly positive over the past few weeks. While stories of doom and gloom dominate federal discussions of the program, in our state there has actually been cause for optimism. Most prominently, Governor Cuomo recently announced that while the program is still…
Making the decision to place a loved one in a nursing home is no routine matter. Emotions run deep during this time, when families struggle to balance the senior’s need for close care and safety with their concerns about the quality of life available in these assisted-living facilities. Our New…
Demand for retirement communities, assisted-living facilities, and nursing homes is likely to balloon in the next two decades. During that time the number of Americans over the age of 65 is expected to double. Current projections predict that there will be more than 71 million seniors nationwide by 2030. Through…
Virtually all aging residents strive to create arrangements that will allow them to live at home and participate in their usual activities for as long as possible no matter what their specific healthcare needs. The ability to achieve this goal often hinges on the amount of planning that the individual…
Unfortunately current economic hardships may exist more acutely for the LGBT elder community because of a lifetime of federal law discrimination that has affected their financial security and health care options. Of all the so-called financial safety nets, including Social Security and retiree health insurance benefits, the harshest effects on…
by Michael Ettinger, Esq. I am unsure how many of you have run into this scam. I have seen it off and on for the last few years and think all should know about it. These companies that flog Medicaid annuities have a deal going with assisted living facilities that…
Medicaid Supervisor for Ettinger Law Firm, Elizabeth Schalk, has been reviewing Medicaid applications for over fifteen years. Having worked in this capacity for a nursing home and an elder law estate planning law firm, Schalk has gained valuable insight and experience from counseling New York State residents in various counties…
Each county in New York State demands a unique set of paperwork when applying for Medicaid assistance to pay for nursing home care. While this is subject to change in April when the New York State Department of Health will institute statewide uniformity application rules, right now the rigid documentation…
Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI), a federation of 73 national Alzheimer’s organizations, recently released a report on the economic impact of the disease. In the U.S., there are as many as 5.3 million Americans living with Alzheimer’s and every 70 seconds someone in America develops the incurable illness. In 2010, there…