Blog: News & Insights

The Social Security Administration has issued guidance concerning same-sex couples who were married in one state but now reside in a state where same-sex marriage isn’t recognized. Under the Social Security Act, marriage is defined by the state law of the state where the applicant resides: “To decide your relationship as the insured’s wife or husband we look to the laws of...

On June 17, 2014, the Department of Veterans Affairs released VAOPGCPREC 4-2014, an opinion clarifying the application of 38 U.S.C. § 103(c).  Section 103(c) deals with the definition of “spouse” for VA purposes.  In short, if a marriage is “valid under the law of place where they resided at the time of inception of their marriage, it is valid for VA purposes.”  Under...

The subject of family caregiving for sick and elderly relatives has been in the news a lot lately. Many people need to modify their work schedules to provide transportation, prepare meals, give medicine or provide supervision for frail parents. One of the issues is the tremendous number of middle-aged women who leave their jobs to become full-time caregivers for aging parents. See...

Click here to read Part I of this post now. Every day, people conduct their lives using cash payments. They go to ATMs or they write checks to “cash” and get cash from a bank teller. They use cash for groceries, and to pay their gardeners, hairdressers,   and snow shovelers. They hire people for home repairs big and small. They pay in cash for furniture or remodelling when the cash...

The NY Times reported, on 21 June 2014, about a gym being operated by Martin Luther King Addo, a bodybuilder and personal trainer who was raised in Ghana in West Africa. Mr. Addo opened his gym next to an apartment building in  Manhattan and specially tailors much of his work to the residents in their 80’s or even 90’s or have disabilities, helping them to improve their walking,...

As the following Huffington Post Article documents, problems within the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) continue to dominate the news, attract Congressional scrutiny, and, unfortunately, hurt the legitimacy of the agency in the eyes of the veterans it serves. While press coverage and Congressional scrutiny is an important step, constructive problem-solving requires solutions and not...

It’s possible that a few years from now, you’ll need to help someone apply for Medicaid to pay for assisted living, nursing home or home care. These applications are daunting. You can’t apply until the non-exempt assets are down to $2,000 or $4,000 (plus a protected amount for a community spouse), but the biggest challenge is dealing with the “5-year lookback.”...

There is a veterinarian whose practice is next door to my office. He came over today to tell me that he is looking for a family to adopt a  3 year old Tennessee Tree Walker Hound. The dog’s name is Flint, and he reportedly lived for three years with a family who had a child with special needs. According to Dr. Orange, Flint is housebroken and well-adjusted, and has a very mild...

Veterans Compensation pays a monthly stipend based on the severity of a service-connected disability. The recipient may not be totally disabled or unemployable. Social Security Disability insurance, on the other hand, is available to a person who is not engaged in Substantial Gainful Activity (“SGA”) and cannot perform SGA due to a severe, medically-determinable impairment that has...

Most aging clients I meet with say that if they ever need to have someone take care of them, they’d prefer to stay at home as long as possible. For people in New Jersey, this wish poses major challenges. While there are scores of excellent companies that provide at-home companionship and certified home health aide services, there is very limited governmental support for those without...