60 Minutes recently produced a story exposing the delays that Veterans are experiencing in claiming VA benefits. The story suggests that one of the VA's motives in such delay in awarding benefits is the fact that if the applicant dies prior to an award, no benefits are awarded retroactively.  The claim just ends.  "Deny, delay […]

Long-term care represents 32.1 percent of total Medicaid spending according to a recent report. As costs rise, the program is raising serious budget problems for numerous states, including Mississippi. Total Medicaid expenditures for long-term care increased 3.8 percent in 2008 reaching a total of $106.4 billion. Medicaid is a federal/state partnership to provide health care […]

Sid Salter has an excellent editorial and summary of the Medicaid funding issues facing our legislature this session in today's Clarion Ledger.  The bottom line is that the healthcare reform that is most likely to pass in the next several weeks will insure a large number of the currently uninsured by expanding Medicaid eligibility.  It […]

From its inception, the 2001 tax act was scheduled to repeal the federal estate tax and generation skipping transfer tax (GSTT) for one year beginning January 1, 2010. This should come as no surprise. What is surprising, however, is the fact that the 2001 tax act has now played out and repeal, at least temporarily […]

At the stroke of midnight tonight, the estate tax will expire.  While the House of Representatives passed a stop-gap measure in early December extending the current 45% rate and $3.5 exemption to 2010, Senate Republicans and Democrats have been unable to agree on a temporary "fix" keeping the tax in place.   As a result, […]

Today's Clarion Ledger reports that 6 individuals have been charged with a scam to cheat nursing home residents out of more than $25,000.  Under the scheme, social workers at a nursing home allegedly told seniors whose accounts became too large to remain on Medicaid, to pay the excess money to them or others they directed.  […]

A recent case before the Mississippi Court of Appeals illustrates the importance of planning for disability, and the importance of remaining loyal to a disabled spouse.  In the Conservatorship of Ellis, husband who was not institutionalized (also known as a Community spouse) was denied the right to be conservator over his institutionalized wife's affairs, despite […]

A story in Sunday's Clarion Ledger shows just how important it can be to have your affairs in order to avoid family fights over your care and assets.  Mississippi native Larry Speaks, who served as Press Secretary for Ronald Reagan for 7 years, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2008.  Speaks was taken by his children […]

While football star Steve McNair's estate is not typical in size or complexity as compared to the average estate, it is nonetheless instructive as to how expensive and public a probated estate can become.  The McNair estate has only been open 4 months, and the first interim fee request for the estate's lawyers, Adams & […]

I just learned that Keith Ball has been appointed Federal Magistrate for the Southern District of Mississippi.  I have known Keith most of my life and know him to be honest, fair, and smart.  He will be an excellent edition to our Federal bench.  Congratulations Keith!