Littman Krooks

Private Medicare special needs plans now have new quality improvement measures they must adhere to according to a recent announcement by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These types of special needs plans (SNP) cover patients who have severe or disabling chronic conditions, are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, and are oftentimes institutionalized. SNPs will be assessed on meeting an individual with special needs’ care requirements, including developing tailored plans for care and having a team of providers to implement it

In 2012 all SNPs will have to be approved by the National Committee on Quality Assurance. CMS wants to monitor the strengths and weaknesses of SNPs with these new requirements. By 2013, private Medicare plans that help low income patients who are dually eligible must enter into contracts with state Medicaid agencies.

For patients with Alzheimer’s disease and their families, this news is encouraging and stands to improve the quality of care for this disorder that affects millions of elderly Americans. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and highlights the fact that the condition involves very expensive health care, coordination of government benefits, and an extended network of family and friends to support the individual and his or her caregivers.

A part of the CMS changes also eliminates Medicare prescription drug Part D enrollment penalties for patients who delay enrollment. Also, insurance agents and Medicare Advantage and Part D brokers have more regulations against switching coverage plans and giving out marketing gifts.

The New York special needs law firm Littman Krooks LLP has extensive experience with individuals with Alzheimer’s disease and helping their families take advantage of government benefits as well as proactively protect assets and plan for long-term care needs. Their New York City, White Plains or Fishkill Special Needs attorneys are skilled in assisting people with chronic conditions and disabilities. To learn more about New York special needs planning, visit http://www.littmankrooks.com/special-needs-planning.

Founded by Public Safety Officers, Project Lifesaver International (PLI), is an organization whose sole mission is to provide a timely response to save the lives of adults and children with Autism, Alzheimer’s, Down syndrome, Dementia, and other conditions, who wander. Started in 1999, PLI has offered public outreach programs to educate others about wandering. They have also provided equipment, training, certification and support to law enforcement and public safety officials through the country. These trainings include in-depth information on the use of specialized electronic search and rescue equipment technology and most importantly, how to communicate with people with cognitive or developmental conditions. PLI has over 1200 agencies in 45 participating states. They have performed 2,421 searches in the last 11 years with no serious injuries or fatalities ever reported.

How it works:

• If you are a family member or a caregiver of a loved one that wanders:  Call (757) 546-5502 or contact your local agency to enroll your loved one in Project Lifesaver to receive a small personal transmitter (which can be worn around an ankle or wrist) which emits an individualized tracking signal. If a registered client goes missing, the caregiver notifies their local Project Lifesaver agency, and a trained emergency team responds to the wanderer’s area. The recovery time for a person wearing a transmitter is approximately 30 minutes, (95% less time than a standard operational procedure).

Typical costs to enroll will vary by agency and location.   Ask your local agency if they participate in grant funding to find out about wristbands at discounted rates or at no charge.

• If you are an agency that would like to receive Project Lifesaver training: Submit a letter of intent to PLI. A sample letter of intent can be found here. Training can include two days of on-site instruction (for up to 15 people in your agency), provided by a State Coordinator or by PLI’s own staff. Each new agency will also receive training on Alzheimer’s, Autism, and other disorders, to help when responding to a missing client. Costs may vary on agency and location.

To learn more about New York elder law, New York estate planning, visit http://www.elderlawnewyork.com or http://www.littmankrooks.com

Visit www.littmankrooks.com/blog/, www.elderlawnewyork.com/blog/ , and www.specialneedsnewyork.com/blog/

The future of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will become a heated topic again this fall as the 12-member Congressional super committee decides how to cut $2.4 trillion in spending by Thanksgiving. Medicare will most likely take the deepest cuts in the second stage of spending negotiations. This is of special concern to baby boomers who continue to retire and seek these government benefits. Questions regarding how long the Medicare trust fund will last, access to doctors, and the Medicare Part D coverage gap are increasing.

People are concerned that as the cuts get passed, Medicare costs for beneficiaries will rise. The Medicare Rights Center advocates that the bipartisan committee should look to raise revenues by doing away with tax cuts and increasing taxes on the wealthiest individuals and companies. “Only by promoting shared sacrifice can we avoid balancing the budget on the backs of older Americans, people with disabilities and their families,” said Joe Baker, the Medicare Rights Center president.

The second stage of spending negotiations will look at changes to Medicare including:

–       raising the age of eligibility, premiums, deductibles, and co-pays

–       changing the means test for income-related premiums

–       decreasing payments to health care professionals and pharmaceutical companies

–       shifting coverage for individuals who can receive both Medicaid and Medicare

–       allowing states to reduce benefits and eligibility

Littman Krooks Elder Law Attorneys and Medicaid Planning Attorneys are at the forefront of helping seniors stay abreast of the changes and how this can affect their health care and financial decisions. Their New York City, White Plains and Fishkill Elder Law attorneys are skilled in tailoring a plan to protect an individual’s assets and estate plan, deal with insurance and government benefit concerns, and properly plan for the future.

To learn more about New York elder law and New York estate planning, visit http://www.littmankrooks.com or http://www.elderlawnewyork.com.

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has announced that it will implement a comprehensive plan to improve care for female veterans.

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki announced that the VA has first begun a massive outreach effort to contact female veterans and ask them to share their experiences with the system. Callers trained to be “friendly” and “conversational” to encourage candidness ask female veterans why they are not using VA benefits, whether they are aware of VA gender-specific services, and what additional services they would like the VA to offer. Callers also offer to connect women to the appropriate departments if they are interesting in receiving VA benefits.

Shinseki said the department would use the information obtained from the calls to draft its comprehensive plan. He said the initial draft would be released in January 2012.

The Women Veterans Health Care program has made significant changes in the past few years – including providing specialized and improved service for female veterans, comprehensive primary care for female veterans, and using cutting-edge research to study the effect of military service on women’s lives – but Shinseki said that even this “has not been enough.”

The new plan will likely include a renewed focus on military sexual trauma, childcare, homelessness, OB/GYN care, and aging issues.

Female veterans currently comprise 8 percent of the total veteran population in the U.S., and account for 6 percent of all veterans who use the VA system. The VA estimates that these numbers will rise to 10 percent and 9.5 percent, respectively, by 2020.

For more information on Veterans’ Benefits, visit www.elderlawnewyork.com or www.littmankrooks.com.

Social Security payments for August 3, 10, 17 and 24^th will be made on time and as scheduled. People that receive paper checks can sign up for Direct Deposit.All current beneficiaries must switch to electronic payments by March 1, 2013.

For more information, visit the officuial Social Security website by clicking here.