This week, I had two experiences, one in my practice and one in my personal life, that reiterated how challenging our health care system is. First, I had to tell a client that while I could get her 19-year-old son DDD services, there is nothing I could do to get him covered by Medicaid during the two-year waiting period for him to become Medicare eligible.*» Read More

The impact of COVID-19 has disproportionately affected New Jersey seniors living in long-term care facilities. Nearly half of the state’s deaths were residents of these facilities, and nursing homes remain under strict lockdown. I have mourned the loss of clients and listened as families shared devastating stories of death, sudden and drastic decline, and isolation.» Read More

The law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is pleased to present the Special Needs Spotlight Webinar Series. In this session, “Guardianship and Supported Decision-Making,” A. Nichole Cipriani, a Member of the firm, was joined by Elizabeth McKenna, CFP and Chartered Special Needs Consultant at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.» Read More

The law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is pleased to present this Special Needs Spotlight Webinar Series. In the fifth session, “Creating a Letter of Intent and a Life Plan,” Abbey M. Horwitz, a Member of the firm, spoke with Elizabeth McKenna, CFP and Chartered Special Needs Consultant of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, and Heidi Rome, internationally-recognized expert on the autism journey for mothers, Autism Mom Coach, and founder of Moms Spectrum Oasis.» Read More

The law firm Norris McLaughlin, P.A., is pleased to present the second session of the Special Needs Spotlight Webinar Series, “Integrating Financial & Legal Planning for Families with a Child with a Disability.” Shana Siegel, a Member of the firm and Chair of its Elder Care & Special Needs Law Practice Group, and Elizabeth McKenna, CFP and Chartered Special Needs Consultant at Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, spoke on financial, estate, and other legal planning for families with children with special needs.» Read More

For at least the last eleven weeks, nursing home residents have been separated from their families. Some family members have gotten creative – visiting through windows, on ladders, via Zoom, and from parking lots. But many have had no way to reach their loved ones except by relying on staff to give them updates.» Read More

For years, elder law attorneys have warned clients about a troubling, curious quirk in the Medicare system. Many times, when older patients are hospitalized, instead of being officially admitted, they are placed on “observation status,” which was originally meant as a temporary designation for individuals who were receiving medical care and tests in a hospital setting until they were released, or a diagnosis was made and they were officially admitted.» Read More

New Jersey Governor Murphy has just made it easier to complete your estate planning during this coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Many law firms, like ours, are offering Zoom meetings and phone consultations to comply with the social distancing measures. We email and mail documents to our clients.» Read More

Every hour another complication of the coronavirus (COVID-19) seems to emerge, many of which seem to fall most heavily on individuals with disabilities and seniors. Obviously, the risk of illness is greatest for the elderly and other people with underlying health illnesses.» Read More

Seniors and nursing home residents are at particular risk from the COVID-19 Coronavirus. Current estimates are that the death rate is likely to be at least 15% and perhaps substantially higher for this population. Many area nursing homes have decided to prohibit all visitors out of “an abundance of caution.”» Read More