Are you, family members or your clients struggling to meet the needs of an elderly loved one with a chronic illness/disability? If, YES, to any of these, The Elder Law Office of David Wingate can help: · Worries about long-term care costs: Do you have a home or assets in excess of $50,000 – enough to finance a short stay in a care facility but not enough for an extended stay? · Catastrophic event: Has someone experienced a stroke, heart attack, or fall with an injury? · Chronic decline: Has someone been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, ALS, MS…
The Assisted Living Consumer Alliance (ALCA) is pleased to make available, free of charge, audio recordings and related materials from its two most recent webinars: · Comfort as the New Medicine — Improving Dementia Care and Ending the Misuse of Psychotropic Drugs on People with Dementia (July 9, 2013); and · Successful Advocacy — Crafting and Delivering Your Message (June 4, 2013). To access the audio recordings and materials, please visit the Webinars tab of ALCA's website. Please consider joining ALCA to support and strengthen its mission to help assisted living residents across the U.S. Membership in ALCA is $50…
There is much confusion about whether or not the cost of ANY facility is still considered by the VA as a medical expense to offset total household gross income for VA pension purposes. VA Fast Letter 12-23, dated October 26, 2012, was intended to clarify this issue as it relates to independent living facilities. Unfortunately, like with many government explanations, the issue is still very confusing to many people. Although this Fast Letter was intended to explain the costs associated with independent living, many VA adjudicators are applying its rules to assisted living facilities as well. The old saying, "When in Rome…."…
Bakersfield fire dispatcher Tracey Halvorson pleaded with the woman on the other end of the line to start CPR on an elderly woman who was barely breathing. "It's a human being," Halvorson said, speaking quickly. "Is there anybody that's willing to help this lady and not let her die?" The woman paused. "Um, not at this time." According to a 911 tape released by the Bakersfield Fire Department, the woman told Halvorson that she was a nurse at Glenwood Gardens, a senior living facility in Bakersfield. But the nurse refused to give the woman CPR as directed by the dispatcher,…
The Fast Letter directs that, in the future, VA will interpret its pension regulations as follows: The cost of room and board at a residential facility is a UME if the facility provides custodial care to the individual, or the individual's physician states in writing that the claimant must reside in that facility to separately contract for custodial care with a third-party provider. A facility provides custodial care if it assists the individual with two or more ADLs. If the facility does not provide the claimant custodial care, or the claimant's physician does not prescribe care by a third-party provider…
Recently, the VA has changed its policy in a way that limits the pension awards available to veterans who are receiving care in senior and independent living facilities. Issued as a “clarification” of policy, VA Fast Letter 12-23 limits the unreimbursed medical expenses (UMEs) that may be deducted from income for pension purposes – specifically in regard to the cost of room and board at a facility. Fast Letter 12-23 discusses the circumstances under which the cost of room and board paid to senior or independent living facilities will be treated as a UME. It suggests that in some past…
The cost of long-term care increased significantly, according to the 2012 MetLife Market Survey of Nursing Home, Assisted Living, Adult Day Services, and Home Care Costs. Private room nursing home rates jumped 3.8 percent to $90,520 a year or $248 a day, while assisted living facility costs rose 2.1 percent on average to $42,600 a year or $3,550 a month. The average cost of homemaker/companions increased by 5.3 percent to $20 per hour. The news wasn't all about increases, however. The cost of adult day care services remained the same as last year at $70 per day and the average cost of…
In an ideal world, you will retire and enjoy many years fulfilling your dreams and spending time with those you love the most. Your retirement years can be some of the happiest and most enjoyable years of your life. But while we all hope for the best outcome possible, it may be prudent for you to plan for the possibility that life may deal you a difficult hand. Your retirement plan should address the very real possibility that a chronic illness could strike – whether it’s you, your spouse or another loved one that’s affected. For many retirees, there is…
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