Medicaid and Veterans’ Benefits: Important Documents to Save
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Medicaid and Veterans’ Benefits: Important Documents to Save

Public Benefits

Medicaid and Veterans’ Benefits: Important Documents to Save

Throughout my years of document gathering for Medicaid and Veterans' benefits applications, most of my clients exclaim at some point, “why didn’t anyone ever tell me I needed to keep this stuff?” With the never-ending pile of junk mail gathering, it can be tough to separate the “keep” and “trash” piles when considering what you may someday need down the road for Medicaid and Veterans' benefits. Below, I have listed the most common items that people wish they had held onto: Social Security card Medicare card Passport (current or expired) Photo ID (current or expired) Birth certificate Marriage certificate Spouse’s [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:26:46-05:00June 9, 2021|

Medicaid Crisis Planning: Paying for Long-Term Care
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Medicaid Crisis Planning: Paying for Long-Term Care

Public Benefits

Medicaid Crisis Planning: Paying for Long-Term Care

Medicaid crisis planning is a crucial step in preparing for the future and taming the unexpected. And as with the case of Marie, a client I was happy to assist, Medicaid crisis planning helped turn an unexpected situation into the best possible outcome for her and her husband. $300,500.00 was most of Marie’s life savings. When she remarried while in her late 60s, it did not matter that her new husband had scant funds. Marie was happily working, and her new husband, Charlie, could help with the bills using his significant pension. No more than 10 years after their marriage, [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:28:06-05:00June 3, 2021|

Veterans: Honoring Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice
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Veterans: Honoring Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

Public Benefits

Veterans: Honoring Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

At Rothkoff Law Group, we honor our veterans in our hearts every day and acknowledge the true significance of holidays like Memorial Day. Like many Philadelphia natives, my dad’s parents retired to the Jersey shore. Although my grandfather passed away when I was just an infant, I had the opportunity to spend every summer with my grandmother in Sea Isle City. Memorial Day weekend always marked the unofficial start of the summer season. It is important to remember why we celebrate Memorial Day. Unlike Veteran’s Day that remembers all who have served our country, Memorial Day is to remember those [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:28:18-05:00May 27, 2021|

Where is My Third Stimulus Check?: Possible Problems
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Where is My Third Stimulus Check?: Possible Problems

Public Benefits

Where is My Third Stimulus Check?: Possible Problems

As your friends and family receive their third stimulus checks, you may have grown increasingly worried about the status of your own economic impact payment. Due to some changes in check distribution this time around, your third economic impact payment may still be coming. Additionally, the IRS is no longer providing assistance via phone, as they did for the first stimulus payments, instead encouraging those eligible to check the status of their payment through the IRS's payment tracker tool, which you can access by clicking here. If your payment has been delayed, the most common reasons are outlined below. Where [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:29:42-05:00April 8, 2021|

How the $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill Impacts Seniors, Health Care
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How the $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill Impacts Seniors, Health Care

Public Benefits, Law Update

How the $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill Impacts Seniors, Health Care

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, commonly known as the COVID Relief Bill, became law on March 11, 2021. The law includes the widely publicized $1,400.00 stimulus checks and expanding vaccine distribution, in addition to increasing access to health insurance, funding for the long-term care community, and continued support for the Elder Justice and Older Americans Acts. For those on Medicaid, the the COVID Relief Bill stimulus check is not income or a resource for Medicaid purposes. The funds may be gifted penalty-free for the first 12 months. After 12 months, it is considered a resource impacting Medicaid eligibility. [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:31:06-05:00March 25, 2021|

What Seniors Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package
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What Seniors Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package

Public Benefits

What Seniors Need to Know About the New Stimulus Package

The new $900 billion stimulus package was signed into law last week in order to address the continued health and economic fallout of the COVID pandemic. The relief measure includes a one-time $600 payment per eligible adult and child, but those $600 payments are not the only provision seniors should know about. The coronavirus relief package was included as a part of a $1.4 trillion omnibus spending bill, which also contained changes to key senior programs. Here are some of the legislation’s most important provisions for older Americans. $600 Stimulus Checks The stimulus package authorizes a one-time $600 relief payment [...]

Jerold Rothkoff2024-03-08T12:33:04-05:00January 4, 2021|

Your Public Benefits Have a Lookback – Even Around the Holidays!
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Your Public Benefits Have a Lookback – Even Around the Holidays!

Public Benefits

Your Public Benefits Have a Lookback – Even Around the Holidays!

The holiday season is upon us yet again. It is easy to get caught up in the festivities and forget that if you or a loved one are enrolled in a public benefits program or are planning to apply in the future, it is important to remember that even holiday gifting can impact eligibility. Are you or your spouse receiving Medicaid benefits? Or will you need long-term care in the next five years? If so, a review of five years’ worth of all financial documents is conducted during the application process. They impose a penalty by delaying eligibility for benefits [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:33:35-05:00December 10, 2020|

2020 Elder Law Numbers
2020 Elder Law Numbers

Public Benefits

2020 Elder Law Numbers

2020 Medicare Numbers The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the new Medicare premiums, deductibles, and co-payments for 2020: Basic Part B premium:...............................................$144.60/month (was $135.50 in 2019) Part B deductible:...................................................... $198 ($185.00 in 2019)Part A deductible:......................................................$1,408 (was $1,364 in 2019)Co-payment for hospital stay days 61-90:................. $352/day (was $341 in 2019)Co-payment for hospital stay days 91-150:................ $704/day (was $682 in 2019) All costs for each day beyond 150 daysSkilled nursing facility co-payment, days 21-100:.... $176/day (was $170.50 in 2019) Also, note that individuals with annual incomes over $87,000 and married couples with annual incomes over $174,000 will pay [...]

Rothkoff Law Group2024-03-08T12:41:30-05:00January 8, 2020|

Comparison of New Jersey and Pennsylvania Medicaid Eligibility Rules
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Comparison of New Jersey and Pennsylvania Medicaid Eligibility Rules

Public Benefits

Comparison of New Jersey and Pennsylvania Medicaid Eligibility Rules

Our elder and disability law office has offices in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Therefore, it is common for a family to consult with our office that has a parent residing in Pennsylvania, and a child in New Jersey, or vice versa. In many of these cases, the family is inquiring about what state they should look to for the potential placement of their loved one in a long-term care setting. Our job is to analyze their assets, income, medical needs, and the family’s goals to recommend whether New Jersey or Pennsylvania is the better long-term care setting. Below we [...]

Jerold Rothkoff2024-03-08T12:43:35-05:00May 10, 2015|

What Do The Letters After A Social Security Or Medicare Number Mean?
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What Do The Letters After A Social Security Or Medicare Number Mean?

Public Benefits

What Do The Letters After A Social Security Or Medicare Number Mean?

This situation has occurred many times over the years: a client gives me a copy of a letter from the Social Security Administration (SSA) which contains a Social Security Number (SSN) followed by the letters “A”, “B”, “E” or other letters, and then asks me to explain what type of benefit is indicated by the letter following the SSN. As this seems to be a common question, I thought that a blog post on the subject might be appropriate. So, what do the letters after a social security or Medicare number mean? FYI, the letters that come after a SSN [...]

Jerold Rothkoff2024-05-20T16:36:06-04:00July 10, 2010|