Pennsylvania (like many other states) has a filial responsibility law that generally requires children with means to support an indigent parent. While it may seem unfair, a Pennsylvania court recently enforced the law to hold a son liable for his mother’s $93,000 nursing home bill despite the son’s claim that he couldn’t afford to pay. […]
[While this article focuses on guardianship for special needs children, similar considerations arise when a spouse, parent, or other loved one’s ability to make important decisions is impaired by dementia, traumatic brain injury, or other condition. We address such guardianships throughout SpecialNeedsNJ.com, particularly in the elder law articles and practice area pages. We also plan […]
To qualify husband or wife for Medicaid, a couple must reduce [“spend down” in Medicaid parlance] money and most other valuables (not counting principal residence, a vehicle, and certain jewelry) owned by either spouse to the smaller of about $110,000 or half the total countable assets of husband and wife. However, rather than spend down […]
For the sixteenth consecutive year, attorney Lawrence Friedman will moderate the New Jersey State Bar Foundation’s Senior Citizens Law Day conference. He also will speak on will, trust, and long term care planning. With nursing homes charging around $10,000 per month for a decidedly institutional setting, care may suffer and families face impoverishment unless they […]
Originally, Medicare had two parts: Part A covered hospitalizations and related services while Part B covered phsysician and other services. Later on, Part C Medicare Advantage was added to permit private all in one plans as an alternative to Parts A and B. Finally, a few years ago, Congress added Part D to Medicare to […]
