States Move to Immunize Nursing Homes from Liability During Coronavirus Pandemic
Chronic understaffing. Low-wage caregivers. Difficulty containing infections. These are problems that nursing homes faced in the best of times but that have proved especially deadly as the coronavirus pandemic has spread like wildfire though long-term [...]
Medicaid Protections for the Healthy Spouse
Medicaid law provides special protections for the spouses of Medicaid applicants to make sure the spouses have the minimum support needed to continue to live in the community while their husband or wife is receiving [...]
Seniors and Adults with Special Needs Who Are Claimed as Dependents Will Not Get Coronavirus Relief Payment
Not everyone will get the relief payment the federal government is sending to help Americans through the economic hard times triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. Among those left out are seniors and adults with special needs who are [...]
Some Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Are Snatching Residents’ Pandemic Relief Checks, FTC Warns
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning residents of long-term care facilities and their families that some facilities may unlawfully require residents who are on Medicaid to sign over their $1,200 pandemic relief checks. “This [...]
Pandemic Relief: Retirement Account Owners Do Not Have to Take Required Distributions in 2020
Retirement account owners, many of whose retirement balances have been pummeled by a stock market drop due to the coronavirus pandemic, do not have to take mandatory withdrawals this year. Federal law requires individuals who were [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
States May Not Terminate Medicaid Benefits During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Access to affordable medical care is especially important during a global health crisis. You should be aware that federal law prevents the states from terminating Medicaid benefits while the coronavirus health emergency continues. The Secretary [...]
How Your Stimulus Check Affects Medicaid Eligibility
The coronavirus relief bill includes a direct payment to most Americans, but this has Medicaid recipients wondering how the payment will affect them. Because the payment is not income, it should not count against a [...]
Three Changes You May Want to Make to Your Estate Plan Now Due to the Pandemic
You may need to reevaluate some elements of your estate plan in light of the coronavirus pandemic. There are unique aspects of this crisis that your current estate planning documents may not be suited to [...]