Executor of Estate Can Deduct Care Expenses from Sale of House

A New Jersey appeals court holds that an executor has submitted sufficient evidence of expenses incurred in taking care of his mother, brother, and his brother’s house to deduct those expenses from the sale of the house. In the Matter of the Estate of...

Medicare Now Covers Conversations About End-of-Life Care

Medicare beneficiaries may now discuss options for care at the end of life with their health care providers.  Beneficiaries of course were already free to talk about advance care planning with their doctors or other qualified health professionals, but the...

Medicaid Home Care

Traditionally, Medicaid has paid for long-term care in a nursing home, but because most individuals would rather be cared for at home and home care is cheaper, all 50 states now have Medicaid programs that offer at least some home care. In some states, even family...

What Can a Special Needs Trust Pay For?

A special needs trust is designed to provide a person with a disability the funds to enhance her quality of life while at the same time allowing her to remain eligible for needs-based public benefits.  Government programs like Medicaid and Supplemental Security...

Push for Medicaid Work Requirements Encounters Headwinds

Efforts by the federal government and some states to require certain Medicaid beneficiaries to work in order to maintain eligibility for benefits has run into a series of obstacles, both in the courts and in state legislatures.  The push began in January 2018,...

Uber, Lyft Sued Over Wheelchair Access

In theory, the rapid growth of Uber, Lyft and other on-demand ride-sharing services should make cities more accessible to people with disabilities, especially considering the tendency of municipal governments to underfund paratransit systems.  However, these...

Federal Housing Agency (Finally) Releases ABLE Guidance

For several years it has been clear that ABLE accounts – a new form of tax-free savings account for certain people with disabilities – would not affect a person’s eligibility for important government benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI)...

Disability Advocates Wary of Proposed Medicaid Funding Changes

A recent push by the federal government to change Medicaid’s funding structure is raising concerns among disability rights advocates that the effort will slash funding for necessary services. At present, Medicaid is a joint partnership between the federal and...