Elder Law

Although voting is the hallmark of a democracy, it isn’t easy if you are in a long-term care facility. Nursing home residents face several challenges to voting, from registering to vote to actually casting a ballot.

Serving as a trustee of a special needs trust can be a time-consuming and complicated job, which is why trustees are almost always entitled to compensation for their services. Payment of trustees usually takes one of two forms — either a flat fee based on a percentage of the trust’s assets or an hourly rate — and the method of compensation usually depends on who is serving as trustee.

The federal government recently extended minimum wage and overtime protections to most home health care workers. If you are hiring a caregiver for yourself or an elderly loved one, you need to become familiar with the rules, even if the paid caregiver is a family member.

In recent years a number of non-lawyers have started businesses offering Medicaid planning services to seniors. While using one of these services may be cheaper than hiring a lawyer, the overall costs may be far greater.

The Social Security Administration and the Federal Trade Commission recently issued warnings for people to be on the lookout for identity thieves seeking personal information in connection with disability benefit applications.

When a parent of a child with special needs retires and begins receiving Social Security retirement benefits, her child may qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) based on the parent’s work record if the child’s disability manifested itself before the child turned 22 years old.

Assisted living facilities are a housing option for people who can still live independently but who need some assistance. Costs can range from $2,000 to more than $6,000 a month, depending on location. Medicare won’t pay for this type of care, but Medicaid might. Almost all state Medicaid programs will cover at least some assisted living costs for eligible residents.

There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding the Social Security system. Here are four common myths and the truth about how Social Security works and its future prospects.

The median cost of a private nursing home room in the United States has increased slightly to $92,378 a year, up 1.24 percent from 2015, according to Genworth’s 2016 Cost of Care survey, which the insurer conducts annually.