An esteemed panel made the case for special needs planning that goes beyond standard approaches in a 2020 ASNP Annual Meeting session, “Advanced Strategies for Enhancing Person with Disabilities’ Quality of Life.”  The father-son duo of ASNP Advisory Board...

The federal coronavirus relief bill has sent direct emergency payments to some 150 million Americans in the wake of the pandemic. Among the recipients are possibly millions of deceased individuals, raising questions about what their survivors should do with the money....

Written By: Andy Jones Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has scaled back its normal operations, and this means that eligibility reviews and other  standard procedures for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental...

While it is important to have an updated estate plan, there is a lot of information that your heirs should know that doesn't necessarily fit into a will, trust or other components of an estate plan. The solution is a letter of instruction, which can provide your heirs...

Whether you have already completed your estate plans or are called to do so now, the current COVID-19 pandemic is surely making all of us think about our own health, the health of our loved ones, and our ability to survive as we wish. For all of us, the language used...

A provision in one of the coronavirus relief packages signed into law prevents states from terminating Medicaid benefits during the pandemic. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“CV Response Act”), signed into law on March 18, 2020, prevents states from...

Written By: Lelia Wardwell Mander While the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting nursing homes hard, it is also posing enormous challenges to group homes for developmentally disabled people. Although many of these are neighborhood homes that are much smaller than large...

During President Obama’s administration, three retired federal employees – among them former Republican House Majority Leader Dick Armey -- sued the federal government because they wanted to drop their Medicare Part A coverage without losing Social Security benefits....

The world is not the same as it was just two short months ago. Covid-19 is leaving a deadly footprint. It’s probably not comfortable to talk about end-of-life with your loved ones, especially during this Covid-19 tragedy, but it is best to do so. When decisions about...

Creating and executing estate planning documents is just the first step. Once you have completed the documents, you need to know what to do with them. All estate plans should include, at minimum, two important planning instruments: a durable power of attorney and...

A durable power of attorney and a health care proxy are two very important estate planning documents. Both allow other people to make decisions for you in the event you are incapacitated. Because the individuals chosen will have to coordinate your care, it is...

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment is skyrocketing. Seniors who lose their jobs may be tempted to claim Social Security benefits early, but should they, given the resulting reduction in future benefits? The answer depends on your situation, but you...

With the coronavirus pandemic hitting nursing homes and assisted living facilities especially hard, families are wondering whether they should bring their parents or other loved ones home. It is a tough decision with no easy answers. The number of coronavirus cases in...

The centerpiece of the $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, signed into law March 27, 2020, is its one-time $1,200 payments to millions of eligible individuals. When can you expect your payment and how much will it be? The answer to...

Written By: Andy Jones The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has issued regulations clarifying that people who have to take time off work to care for family members with disabilities may be eligible for the new paid sick leave protections enacted by Congress in the wake...