There are practical and legal steps to take when planning for your child with special needs as they turn eighteen and become a legal adult. Begin well before their birthday to ease the transition and ensure they continue receiving their…
Growing numbers of people with disabilities live in the United States, and planning for an adult child’s future well-being is a responsive, continuous process. A Journal of the American Medical Association reports the life expectancy of adults with Down Syndrome…
An appeals court recently ruled that some Medicare beneficiaries may now appeal decisions regarding their patient status. The Underlying Issue When Medicare patients go to a hospital, they often enter through the emergency department. The physician who attends to them…
Martin, your grandfather, cannot make decisions on his own anymore. A court appoints you to be Martin’s guardian of property, to help Martin manage his money. You become Martin’s “fiduciary.” The law now requires you to act to a high…
There is nothing you can do about aging, and it affects everyone in your family. It can be challenging for adult children to imagine their parents as seniors and to understand and respond to the reality that each parent will…
In order to help Roberto manage his Social Security benefits, you have been assigned to assist him. In the Social Security system, you’ll be called Roberto’s “representative payee.” The situation is similar if you’re appointed to help your elderly father,…
According to sources, long-term care facilities are underfunded by government agencies. They lack the resources to do proper inspections of residential health facilities. You may have seen the rating system provided by the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).…
Nursing homes face a variety of public health challenges from infectious diseases like the flu and COVID-19. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, CMS, outlines specific policies and protocols for residential health facilities. These measures outline policies related to…
It is possible to make mistakes when it comes to inheritances and Medicaid. It can be very costly to make those mistakes. When a person is drawing Medicaid benefits and inherits money or property, that inheritance jeopardizes the benefits. The…
Americans who live in nursing homes are among the most vulnerable. When the novel coronavirus did hit, these nursing homes became its ground zero as many residents and workers did not receive testing, and staff found obtaining personal protective equipment…