Tens of Thousands of our Veterans have earned and qualify for a pension benefit of up to $1,800 per month that can be used to pay for assisted living or attendant in-home care, but information about the program appears to be a well kept secret. Inquiries to local VA offices are often met with denial [...]
Wills can be powerful instruments, as thewill of Leona Helmsley makes clear. The hotelier and real estate mogul became asymbol of 1980s greed and was given thenickname ''the Queen of Mean'' afterrevelations of her tyrannical treatment ofemployees came to light during her 1988 trialon tax evasion charges. A housekeepertestified that she heard Helmsley say, ''Onlythe [...]
An Indiana appeals court rules that before the state may be reimbursed for its Medicaid payments to an SNT beneficiary, the beneficiary's parents must be paid for the uncompensated care they rendered. State v. Hammans (Ind. Ct. App., No. 55A04-0606-CV-294, Aug. 2, 2007). In 1994, Roland and Sue Hammans's son Nicholas sustained traumatic brain [...]
An Oregon appeals court rules that foreclosing on a lien to recover the costs of a resident's care does not allow a nursing home to also recover attorney’s fees pursuant to a contract with the resident's agent. King City Rehab, LLC v. Clackamas County (Or. Ct. App., No. CV05020792; A132436, Aug. 1, 2007). Matilda Smirnes’ [...]
The Supreme Court of New Hampshire rules that a child conceived after her father’s death through artificial insemination is ineligible to inherit from him as his surviving issue. Khabbaz v. Commissioner. (N.H., No. 2006-751, Aug. 9, 2007). After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Rumzi Brian Khabbaz banked his sperm so his wife, Donna M. [...]
The Supreme Court of New Hampshire rules that a child conceived after her father’s death through artificial insemination is ineligible to inherit from him as his surviving issue. Khabbaz v. Commissioner. (N.H., No. 2006-751, Aug. 9, 2007). After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Rumzi Brian Khabbaz banked his sperm so his wife, Donna M. [...]
The Delaware Supreme Court fines an accountant for using two lawyers in a "contemptuous scheme" to circumvent its earlier order that the accountant cease engaging in the unauthorized practice of law by drafting wills and trusts for clients. In the Matter of Estep (Del., No. 647, 2006, Aug. 15, 2007). On October 30, 2006, the [...]
Social Security was enacted in 1935 to provide some relief to America's destitute older citizens during the economic cataclysm known as the Great Depression. A direct descendant of that more limited effort, today's Social Security program is in fact a group of related programs, each with its own eligibility and payment [...]
This article addresses a topic that many professionals do not understand fully -- life settlements. For the right clients, a life settlement offers a significant advantage over the alternatives - and one that the client and the planning team should at least consider. Life Settlements - The Basics The secondary market for life insurance [...]
If you're a parent who has taken the time and energy to create a Revocable Living Trust ("RLT") or Will, you should be commended for your initiative and perseverance for ensuring your children and grandchildren are properly cared for when you are gone. If you have not yet created an estate plan, doing so could [...]
