Voice Cloning Scam – Part 1
I most recently wrote about financial scams in this blog back in October but a recent story on the tv news caught my eye. I wanted to share it here as another example of the “dark side” of technology to which seniors especially can be susceptible. It involves voice cloning. Advances
2023 Medicaid Penalty Divisor
As I have written about frequently in this blog, many of the Medicaid and VA benefit numbers are updated annually. Most are adjusted in lock step with Social Security’s cost of living adjustment (COLA). With inflation being as high as it has been in many years, the COLA for 2023 was also
Protecting Your Money If Your Bank Fails – Part 2
In my blog post last week I began discussing the subject of FDIC insurance, a topic on many people’s minds in light of the recent bank failures. I discussed the types of accounts that are covered by the insurance. I also explained that there is a limit of $250,000 of insurance per
Protecting Your Money If Your Bank Fails – Part 1
As many readers of this blog know, our office concentrates much of our practice on long term care planning as well as estate planning, including planning for younger families.  I have always found that our older clients seem to be more aware of FDIC insurance that protects their bank accounts than
The Imperfect Medicaid Approval – Part 2
In my post last week, I wrote about a trend we are seeing with our Medicaid applications - with every approval we get there almost always is something incorrect about the decision. Last week I told you that some of the mistakes can be easily corrected. Others, however, require that we file
The Imperfect Medicaid Approval -Part 1
In this week’s blog post I return to the topic of Medicaid.  As I often tell people these days, Medicaid application are more challenging than they have ever been.  But even after we get our cases approved, rarely is there an instance in which the approval is a perfect one. There almost
Proposed Financial Elder Abuse Legislation – Part 3
The subject of my last two posts has been a proposed piece of legislation introduced by 2 New Jersey legislators in response to a couple of cases reported upon in the media in which seniors were moved into long term care facilities and their asset taken from them by individuals
Financial Elder Abuse Legislation – Part 2
In my post last week, I wrote about a type of financial fraud targeting the elderly that caught the attention of two New Jersey legislators.  In two cases that were reported upon by the media, a man working with a nursing home convinced 2 seniors to sign powers of attorney appointing
Proposed Financial Elder Abuse Legislation – Part 1
There was a movie released a couple of years ago with Rosamund Pike called “I Care A Lot”. The main character finds elderly people without close family who are living alone. With the assistance of a doctor who examines and certifies that the senior is incompetent and in need of assistance, she petitions
Signing an Admissions Agreement on Behalf of Another (Part 4)
In last week’s post I distinguished the terms “personal guarantor” and “responsible party” which are found in most long term care facility contracts. This week I’ll explain why they are so important, in light of the increasing difficulty in obtaining Medicaid benefits under the government programs that cover long term care