Yes, You Can Receive Unemployment and Social Security at the Same Time
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent unemployment to its highest levels since the Great Depression, and older workers have been particularly hard hit, with one in five over age 55 now out of work, according to one estimate. Many people continue to work beyond retirement...
Seniors Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic Have More Time to Apply for Medicare or Change Plans
The closure of Social Security offices has caused problems and worries for recently unemployed seniors who need to apply for Medicare after losing their employer coverage. In response, the federal government has announced that seniors affected by the crisis have...
Payday Loan Use Expected to Spike Among SSI Beneficiaries as Economic Downturn Continues
Written By: Andy Jones As the economic devastation from the coronavirus pandemic continues to mount, new research suggests that many Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will turn to payday loans to meet basic living expenses, much to the distress of consumer...
Enhancing the Trust Beneficiary’s Quality of Life
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...
Coronavirus Relief Funds Paid to Deceased Americans Must Be Returned
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....
SSA Suspends Eligibility Reviews and Other Standard Procedures
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...
A Letter of Instruction Can Spare Your Heirs Great Stress
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...
Three Changes You May Want to Make to Your Estate Plan Now Due to the Pandemic
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...
States Cannot Terminate Medicaid Benefits During the Coronavirus Pandemic
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...
An Overlooked Frontline in the Coronavirus Fight: Group Homes for People with Disabilities
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...
Executive Order Allows Seniors to Now Opt Out of Medicare
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....
Advance (Medical) Directive & Covid-19
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...
What to Do and Not Do with Your Estate Planning Documents
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...
Avoid Disagreements Between Your Power of Attorney Holder and Health Care Proxy
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...
Should Seniors Who Lose Their Job During the Coronavirus Pandemic Claim Social Security Benefits Early?
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...