Blog: News & Insights

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...

Frail elderly (over 65) and disabled individuals in New Jersey who reside in the community and require substantial assistance with their Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) have opportunities to obtain home health care and an array of other benefits through the Medicaid Program. Gross monthly income presently cannot exceed $2,130, and there are resource limits as well for eligibility...

The Federal government shut down on October 1, 2013, and certain aspects of the Social Security Disability process will be affected because the work of many of the SSA employees is suspended Individuals who are receiving benefits will continue to receive their payments. Initial applications and Requests for Reconsideration will continue to be processed at the SSA Field Offices and by the State...

Applications for new government -supported health insurance plans are online today. Some people refer to the Affordable Care Act as “Obamacare.” If you have no health insurance or you cannot afford the premiums on insurance offered by your employer, go to http://www.healthcare.gov   to start your investigation. You will set up an account and a password. You’ll be asked to...

For those veterans who have already contacted me, and those about to, I have provided a link to the VA’s Veterans Field Guide to Government Shutdown at http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/Field_Guide_20130927.pdf. Foremost, it is important to note that most services provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will remain unaffected by the federal government shutdown.  This includes...

On September 30, 2013, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (Fed. Cir.) issued a published opinion on two consolidated appeals, AZ and AY v. Shinseki.  A link to the opinion can be found at AZ and AY v. Shinseki. Both cases stemmed from disability claims for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that related to sexual assaults that occurred while in the military .  The...

As the following NJ.com article documents, Governor Christie signed a new law into effect last week ordering the NJ Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to include veteran status on driver’s licenses and license plates upon request.  I’ll provide additional information once the DMV enacts the procedures necessary to implement the law.  

Yesterday’s USA Today highlighted a public campaign to educate patients, their families and the medical community about common but unneeded and possibly harmful medical treatments and tests, especially in the area of psychotropic drugs in children and the elderly.  Look at these two “top five” lists from long-term care and geriatric physicians about what tests, meds and...

While medical and scientific research cannot replace a nexus opinion from a licensed physician, it is an important tool for veterans to both understand the nature of their disability and advance their disability compensation claim before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).  VA disability claims commonly address difficult issues regarding etiology for a disability or differential...