Blog: News & Insights

It’s been a rocky start, but the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) opened up their Health Insurance Marketplace so that people without employer-sponsored health insurance can sign up for insurance coverage starting January 1, 2014.  There are subsidies for people whose household income is between 134 and 400% of poverty, using an income calcuation that is “Modified Adjusted Gross...

As of 10pm, October 16, 2013, it is reported that both the House and Senate passed a bill that will reopen the federal government and temporarily raise the debt ceiling.  President Obama stated he will immediately sign the bill.  I suspect the Department of Veterans Affairs will provide notification of return to normal operations on Thursday, October 17, 2013.  Obviously, this will also mean...

Recent new reports show an uptick in the construction of “oversized” houses designed to accommodate three generations of a family. The aging or disabled parents may move in with their middle-aged child, and then the working child in their 20’s may move in as well to have a more affordable living arrangement. For the generation who are aging or have disabilities, who may need...

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adjudication process “‘is not meant to be a trap for the unwary . . . a stratagem to deny compensation a minefield” for claimants.  Percy v. Shinseki,  23 Vet. App. 37, 47 (2009) (quoting Comer v. Peake, 552 F.3d 1362, 1369 (Fed. Cir. 2009).  For Veteran Larry Tyrues, the majority in Tyrues v. Shinseki did not believe this tenet had...

I have linked to the Updated Veterans Field Guide to Government Shutdown.  In terms of disability compensation and pension payments, the Field Guide states, “Claims processing and payments in the compensation, pension, education, and vocational rehabilitation programs are anticipated to continue through late October. However, in the event of a prolonged shutdown, claims processing and...

By now you know that you can start shopping for affordable health insurance at www.healthcare.gov, where you will learn about the insurance policies available on the New Jersey exchange as well as whether you qualify for government subsidies to offset the cost of insurance, and if you qualify for the Medicaid expansion. Considering the catastrophic cost of even one uninsured trip to an...

If you can no longer sustain employment due to severe, medically-determinable impairments that have lasted for a year or can be expected to last for a year or more, you may be thinking about applying for Social Security benefits (“SSDI” or “Title II”). Initial applications are filed online now. You start with http://www.ssa.gov and follow the instructions to...

Over the last week, I’ve received numerous correspondence from veterans concerned that their disability compensation benefits will be stopped due to the government shutdown.  Sometimes this information is coming from internet-based news articles and other times through fellow veterans. To date, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has not published any specific information about...

Reverse Mortgages or home equity conversion mortgages are a type of loan which enables a homeowner to convert the equity in their home to cash that can be used for expenses.  For frail elderly people or individuals with disabilities who are running out of funds and need to pay for an array of services that are needed so they can remain in their house (such as home health aides), tapping into...

There are approximately 450,000 veterans in New Jersey and it appears a decent portion of those veterans have contacted the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) since Governor Chris Christie signed a new law requiring the MVC to add veteran status to drivers’ licenses if requested by the veteran.  See linked October 1st NJ.com article for more information. The new law will not go into...