Recent Blog Posts
Medicare Enrollment in Florida
Between October 15th - December 7th every year, seniors age 65 and over and enrolled in Medicare have the opportunity to: Change from Original Medicare to a Medicare Advantage Plan Change from a Medicare Advantage Plan to Original Medicare or Switch from one Medicare...
The Great American Tragedy: Homelessness Among Our Veterans
An article in USA Today reports that on a given night, more than 75,000 veterans (male and female) are living homeless on the streets of their cities. Nearly half (40%) of all homeless males are veterans. The homeless are often looked down upon in American society....
A special Thank You
I want to say a special “thank you” to Hawthorne Assisted Living, the Bridges Assisted Living and Superior Residence of Brandon for allowing me and my best friend (and social media diva), Irma Davila, to come into their facilities and sing karaoke with the residents....
Caring for a Mentally Ill Child
Special needs children come in many forms, including children with mental illness. Recently, I met a woman with an 8 year old child who was diagnosed bi-polar and ADHD. She told me how her daughter had to be Baker Acted (click here to learn more) because the child...
Building a financial plan for your special needs children
When you have a special needs child, not only do you worry about how they will be cared for from a health perspective (what doctors they need, health insurance, filing for disability benefits, etc.), but you also worry about how to provide for them after you are...
October is National Special Needs Month and Guardian Advocacy Month
National Special Needs Month and Guardian Advocacy October is National Special Needs Month and I wanted to focus this month on issues related to children with special needs. One of the biggest issues that I deal with on a regular basis as a special needs attorney is...
Who do I name in my estate planning documents? Decisions, Decisions
Who do I name in my estate planning documents? The hardest decision for some (once they’ve decided to do their estate planning) is who to name in the documents to make decisions. Who do you want to name as the personal representative (also commonly referred to as the...
Top 7 Elder Law, Senior Care Experts to Follow on Twitter
I thought it would be fun to create my own list of top Elder Law and Senior Care related twitter feeds that I enjoy following. These are people that I follow from around the country who are the top in their field of law or who have business that help the elderly. ...
Top 10 Reasons People Don’t Do Their Estate Planning
They are intimidated by the process. Estate planning does not have to be intimidating – you just need to know what to expect. Most attorneys will have you fill out a questionnaire that lists your assets and liabilities and asks you questions like, “Who do you want to...
Making End of Life Decisions
Making End of Life Decisions Whenever I talk to people about creating a living will (which outlines important health care decisions that you want – and, not to be confused with a Last Will and Testament, which specifies who you want to inherit your assets and who will...
Estate Planning for Same-Sex Couples
Estate Planning for LGBT couples Estate planning for “non-traditional” families is a very relevant topic and one that I do not think gets enough attention. Same-sex couples have the same estate planning needs as do opposite-sex couples – probably more so, than...
Estate planning after a Divorce
So, you’ve gone through a divorce (and it’s probably taken an emotional toll) and you are thankful that the process is over….or is it? Prior to your divorce, you and your spouse may have taken the time to do your estate planning. Or perhaps you had listed your...
The 3 most important documents every parent should have for their college-bound teenager
Don’t you love that Office Depot jingle where the father is all excited because it’s time to go shopping for school supplies and get the children back to school? It always makes me laugh. It’s also an exciting time for those parents who have children about to go to...
Advance Care Directives – Taking control of your own medical care and destiny
Advance Care Directives are specific instructions about medical care if that person becomes unable to do so. An example is a Living Will, a document that explains the wishes of a person during a terminal illness. Do Not Resuscitate Order, for example: "No CPR if...
What portion of the living expenses are deductible for the Aid and Attendance benefit?
In order to calculate the benefit a veteran or his/her surviving spouse will receive, the VA deducts unreimbursed medical expenses (UME’s). If a veteran or surviving spouse is entitled to Aid and Attendance (because they meet the medical qualifications), the VA...