Author: Lauren Marinaro

NAELA has been at the forefront of keeping the Spousal Impoverishment Protections in the Medicaid Home Care Program (HCBS) that were included in the Affordable Care Act.  So far, with great effort, it’s working. It’s important for disabled people who are under 65 and who meet the nursing facility level of care to recognize that these protections are out there. The “level of...

  ABLE accounts are accounts created under Section 529A of the Internal Revenue Code with State counterparts, designed  for people who became disabled before the age of 26. Finally, New Jersey has adopted its Plan. A disabled person or their POA or guardian can use the account for any expenses that are incurred as a result of living with a disability and are intended to improve the disabled...

Recently I attended a national NAELA seminar where I was re-introduced to the PASS account program.  What is a PASS account? This SSA program allows a disabled individual who wants to make a plan to have a new career or job to divert their own existing income and assets from any source to a designated account to pay the expenses of this plan.  The expenses can include college tuition,...

House and Senate Republicans have approved their plans to reform the tax code and are currently in a conference committee. The House legislation calls for ending the medical expense deduction (MED). This proposed change will cause major disruption to individuals and families trying to privately pay for the catastrophic costs of long-term services and supports (LTSS). The MED has been in the...

After the Governor and the Assembly leader resolved their Fourth of July Weekend Budget Kerfuffle, some positivity came out of it for Medicaid long-term care providers and beneficiaries. Nursing home reimbursements would be increased by $10.5 million, shifting funds from Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS). This would be $5.25 million of state funds with an identical federal match....

Many of our clients are caregivers of elders with Dementia.  They feel shut in taking care of their loved ones, never sure if they can go out together without incident.  Well, here is one option:  Jewish Family Services of Central New Jersey presents the Memory Cafe, on February 9th, March 23 and April 27th from 12 pm to 2pm at 655 Westfield Ave., Elizabeth, where individuals with dementia and...

Since the election, there have been serious plans put out there to radically alter the Medicaid program .  Right now, while it can be hard to get Medicaid without guidance and assistance,  if you meet the eligibility criteria you are entitled to receive certain statutory benefits under federal law.  The benefits provided to every person on Medicaid are paid for through a combination of  state...

Recently, a senior client who had a very small business that he ran by himself came to see me in a panic.  He was just making ends meet. His spouse had been on Medicaid in a nursing home for several years, but the county board of social services was now questioning the nature of the business and whether it was a countable resource that should have been spent down.  They were going to...

Setting up meaningful funeral and burial arrangements is an important component of estate planning and end of life planning.  Many veterans are unsure about whether they or their family members are entitled to burial in a VA Cemetery.  Family members may not realize that  VA burial is a possibility and may miss an opportunity despite the fact that service in the military was very important to...

Stakeholders in New Jersey made their feelings known in a big way to State DDD officials on a new transition plan that New Jersey had to give to the federal government showing the State’s increased efforts to develop residential placements that integrate people with developmental disabilities and other enrollees in the community. It looks like the revised plan has satisfied the...