This month’s question highlights the difference between taking care of your heirs and taking care of yourself: “I have a Will, why do I need a Power of Attorney?” These two legal documents have very different purposes. A Will – also called a Last Will and Testament – specifies what you want to give away [...]
An ABLE Act account can be an important part of your estate and special needs plan, including special needs trusts. One of the articulated purposes of the ABLE Act is “to provide secure funding for disability-related expenses on behalf of designated beneficiaries with disabilities that will supplement, but not supplant, benefits” otherwise available to qualified [...]
Estate planning for families with a special needs family member – someone who is physically or mentally disabled or intellectually limited – is critical because many assistance programs are facing cuts or benefits cut-backs. The easiest form of planning is to create either a testamentary (inherited) special needs trust (SNT) as part of your Will [...]
At the beginning of 2016, the Stephen Beck, Jr. ABLE Act of 2014 (known as the “ABLE Act”) became law. The remarkable aspect of this law is that some, but not all, of the rules regarding resource limits under SSI ($2,000) and Medicaid are now modified as a result of this federal legislation. And, the use of the [...]
New York State Medicaid administers a comprehensive community home care program called Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) on Long Island, and New York City and its boroughs. Long Island is well served by MLTC programs, but there are issues you need to be aware of – that I will discuss in my next two blogs. What [...]
Active listening is a key, two-phase strategy used by trained Mediators. Between family members, active listening is more than just hearing and repeating (“I heard you say…Did I understand you correctly?”). Phase 2 of active listening is Acknowledging. What does Acknowledging mean? You may not like everything you heard from your parent, spouse, former spouse, or [...]
This quote from Stephen R. Covey may describe your family: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” (The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change) For head-to-head family conflict, here is a mediation strategy from “Mom Always Liked You Best”: The [...]
“I’m right, you’re wrong.” Whether you’ve said this out loud to a spouse, children, senior parents, siblings, or just thought it, family conflict can become a part of our personal lives. Often, when conflict escalates, tempers flare, people take sides, lawsuits are filed, costly legal fees chip away at savings, and family relations can be [...]