Often, people with long-term medical or cognitive conditions that limit their ability to manage their daily care need in-home assistance. Since home care typically costs between $25 and $35 an hour, without long-term care insurance, home care is unaffordable or financially devastating for many.

Subject to eligibility, New York Community-based Medicaid (Homecare) is a solution.

New York State’s Medicaid Homecare program pays for in-home personal care services. New York’s program has long been the best in the country.  One underlying policy behind the program was that people should have every opportunity to remain in the community.  A community focus provides two benefits: the social benefit derived from keeping people independent

Notwithstanding the concept of a “youth culture,” we all want the chance to grow old and live life on our terms, which takes thoughtful planning. Elder law planning is as important as having a healthy lifestyle and planning for retirement.

Elder law planning combines traditional estate planning, planning to maintain control of financial and personal

If you have a loved one with special needs, you know that caring for him or her can, at times, feel totally overwhelming. Presumably, you have retained an attorney to guide you through the special education process in your district. Now it is time to consider meeting with a special needs planning attorney to ensure

Trustee selection for a beneficiary with special needs presents unique challenges. The decision includes practical considerations: the proposed trustee’s geographic proximity to the beneficiary; familiarity with the needs of the beneficiary; and the time, inclination and ability to properly execute the duties that are unique to a trustee administering a trust for a person with

The media is filled with stories of deceased celebrities whose final wishes were either unknown or the subject of dispute. An important lesson: You can retain control of your finances after incapacity and remain in control of your visitation, funeral and burial (or cremation) plans after death, provided you have a comprehensive estate plan in

It is important for all adults to have advance directives in place to ensure that your wishes will be carried out if you become incapacitated. There are three basic types of advance directives: a living will, a health care proxy and a power of attorney.

A living will is a document in which you state

Looking for a way to stop family arguments over politics? Well, who isn’t. A quick way to derail a familial political scuffle: Quietly announce that you want to talk about your will. The silence should be automatic.

It’s important to talk about your estate plan while you’re still around. An unexpected estate plan can leave

As a general concept, estate planning allows an individual to plan not only for what happens to his or her estate upon death, but also how his or her affairs are handled during life. There are certain documents that each person should have in order to accomplish these objectives.

A Last Will and Testament is

New York State Courts and our judicial system in general can be complex and difficult to navigate for unrepresented individuals and even practitioners at times. Several recent initiatives have made attempts to ease some of these burdens in the Surrogate’s Court.

Click here to read more.

Reprinted with permission of the New York State Bar