Sandy rolled up to the table where her poker club sat. “Well?” asked her friend, Diana. “How was the trip?” Sandy rolled her eyes. “Let’s see. The TSA agent kept insisting I had to walk through the security screener, even though I was in a wheelchair and told her I couldn’t walk. Finally, they brought me an airport-approved wheelchair and…
A change in nursing home regulations has some elder advocates up in arms. At the center of the dispute is the way nursing homes are fined for engaging in activities that endanger or injure residents. Under the Obama administration, nursing homes that failed to comply with federal regulations were fined for each day they were out of compliance, resulting in…
We all know that when we turn 65 we are covered by Medicare. But many people don’t know that coverage is not automatic. We actually have to sign up for it. And we have to sign up during a specific time period or risk a penalty. Below is a quick lesson on when and how to do it. WHEN: Some…
According to new federal data, gathered by Medicare from daily payroll records from more than 14,000 nursing homes in the United States, nursing homes have been under-reporting to the government their nurse and caretaker staffing levels for years. For families with loved ones dependent on nursing home care, this is likely not a surprise. There are nearly 1.4 million people…
Mary frowned at the local newscaster on the television. “I swear I have no idea what he’s talking about with this new tax law. He keeps talking about the estate tax this and the gift tax that. I have no clue what’s up and what’s down.” Her husband, John, replied, “Changes in the tax laws seem to affect everything. And…
The California Legislature, late in 2017, enacted the Building Homes and Jobs Act. The stated purpose of this law is to establish permanent and ongoing source of funding for affordable housing developments. Part of the law that affects those doing estate planning is a $75 recording fee that must “be paid at the time of recording of every real estate…