THE VOICE

Decisions Arising with the Death of a Child

The Voice® is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Leonard F. Berg, CELA. A graduate of the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, Missouri, Leonard is a solo practitioner in East Alton, Madison County, Illinois. Leonard's prior experience includes service as a public defender, prosecutor, and municipal attorney and he has participated in mental health commitment hearings representing both patients and the state. His practice currently focuses on estate planning, special needs planning and elder law. Leonard has been designated as an Illinois Leading Lawyer. He is involved in a variety of civic organizations and has been a speaker for numerous civic groups.

2024-04-22T16:28:40-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Marriage|

The Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIP) Under 2010’s Health Care Reform Law

The Voice is the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Sarasota, Florida attorney Mary Alice Jackson, Esq., a member of the Special Needs Alliance and active participant on its Public Policy Committee. She is a partner at Boyer & Jackson, P.A., where her practice includes special needs and long term care planning, estate planning, probate and end-of-life issues. Mary Alice is also an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, a past Chair of the Florida Bar Elder Law Section, and an adjunct professor in the Stetson University College of Law Elder LL.M. program.

2025-06-19T05:49:26-04:00

The Pitfalls of Caregiver Employment: Paying, Withholding, and Reporting Requirements

The Voice is the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Peter J. Losavio, Jr., CELA, an attorney with Losavio & DeJean, LLC in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Holding both a law degree and LLM in tax, Pete is certified as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation and as a Tax Specialist and Estate Planning and Administration Specialist by the Louisiana Board. Pete is a charter member of the Life Care Planning Law Firms Association and a member of the Society of Louisiana CPAs. He limits his practice to asset protection, life care planning and estate and tax planning.

2024-04-22T16:23:40-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Trust Administration|

The Impact of Special Needs Trusts on Eligibility for Subsidized Housing

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Massachusetts Special Needs Alliance member Emily S. Starr, CELA, an attorney with Starr Vander Linden LLC with offices in Worcester & Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Her practice focuses on estate planning, elder law, and government benefits issues for families which include individuals with special needs. Emily is a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the 2007 recipient of The Theresa Award, a national honor recognizing extraordinary contributions of attorneys to the community of individuals with disabilities, and a recipient of the 2008 Scholar Mentor Award from Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, Inc.

2024-04-22T16:22:39-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Housing|

The Other Special Need: Planning for Those with Severe Mental Illness

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of the Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Shawn Majette, Esq. of Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Majette was recently named to Virginia Lawyers Media 2010 class of Leaders in the Law. This program, now in its fifth year, aims to honor the lawyers who are setting the standard for other lawyers. Mr. Majette has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in Elder Law since 2007. He is also an active member of NAELA and was recently the focus of the organization's magazine cover story, The Magician of Elder Law. Mr. Majette's many articles can be found on the t-mlaw.com website. Involuntary Civil Commitment is one of the most recent posted online.

2024-06-19T10:30:07-04:00Tags: Finding Answers - The Voice, Finding Answers Estate Planning|

The Past, Present and Future of Community Living for Persons with Disabilities – A Christmas Carol

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Walnut Creek, California Special Needs Alliance member Stephen W. Dale, Esq. of The Dale Law Firm, PC. Mr. Dale is a disability rights advocate and attorney dedicated to providing quality estate planning. He is a frequent speaker on a variety of disability related topics across the country. Mr. Dale regularly teaches courses to the public, financial professionals, and other attorneys on special needs trusts and trust administration. Additionally, Mr. Dale serves as the trustee for the Golden State Pooled Trust. Mr. Dale offers numerous videos and handouts to the public and his colleagues, many online through his Achieving Independence initiative.

2024-04-29T10:33:58-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Housing|

What Health Reform Means for Persons with Disabilities

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Albuquerque, New Mexico Special Needs Alliance member Nell Graham Sale, CELA. Nell's practice concentrates on taxation, estate planning, estate administration, business succession, disability planning and elder law. She is a Certified Elder Law Attorney as designated by the National Elder Law Foundation. The recipient of much recognition from her peers, Nell is a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel and since 2007 has consistently been selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers. Not least importantly, Nell is a regular contributor to the blog at her firm, Pregenzer, Baysinger, Wideman and Sale.

2024-04-22T16:15:19-04:00

Veteran’s Benefits

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Jacob H. Menashe, Esq., of Lynnwood, Washington. Jacob is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and is a past Chair of the Elder Law Section of the Washington State Bar Association. Jacob's practice emphasizes estate and long-term care planning, special needs trusts, probate, guardianship and Social Security/SSI disability appeals.

2024-06-19T10:30:13-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Estate Planning|

Life Insurance on a Child with Special Needs: Benefits and Challenges

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by SNA member Hyman Darling, Esq., a partner in the Springfield, Massachusetts, firm of Bacon Wilson, P.C. Mr. Darling concentrates his practice in estate planning, elder law, probate, special needs and guardianships/conservatorships. Before joining Bacon Wilson, he was a trust officer for several years. A frequent speaker for civic and charitable organizations, he serves on the American Cancer Society National Professional Advisory Committee and the boards of several western Massachusetts nonprofit organizations for persons with disabilities. He is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Board of Directors.

2024-04-22T16:08:19-04:00

Planning Options With Retirement Benefits

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Ken W. Shulman, Esq., a partner in the Boston, Massachusetts office of Day Pitney LLP. His practice includes estate planning and related issues for families who have children with disabilities, and elder law. He presently serves on the board of the Asperger's Association of New England and on the Combined Jewish Philanthropies Committee on Disabilities. He previously served on the board of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He is a co-author of Special Needs Trust Administration Manual, A Guide for Trustees, available through DisABILITIESBOOKS.

2024-04-22T16:06:47-04:00Tags: Finding Answers – Taxation|

Retirement Accounts and Government Benefits

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance members Edward V. Wilcenski, Esq. and Tara Anne Pleat, Esq..

EDWARD V. WILCENSKI, Esq., is a founding partner of the law firm of Jones Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC in Clifton Park, New York. He practices in the areas of special needs planning, elder law and trust and estate planning and administration. A member and past president of the Special Needs Alliance, Ed writes and lectures frequently on issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families.

TARA ANNE PLEAT, Esq. is a founding partner of the law firm of Jones Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC in Clifton Park, New York. She focuses her practice in the areas of special needs planning, trust & estate planning and administration, long term care planning and elder law. Tara is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, frequently speaking on estate planning and administration, special needs planning and related disability issues for state and local bar associations and community organizations.

2024-04-22T16:05:46-04:00Tags: Finding Answers – Taxation|

Crummey Doesn’t Mean Lousy

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by H. Amos Goodall, Jr., CELA of the State College, Pennsylvania law firm Goodall & Yurchak, P.C. His practice emphasizes estate planning and implementation for elders, persons with special needs and their families. A member of the Special Needs Alliance and of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Amos is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel

.

2024-04-22T16:04:22-04:00Tags: Finding Answers – Taxation|

Being Prepared For a Disaster

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member, Mark Shalloway, CELA of West Palm Beach, Florida. Mr. Shalloway is a certified elder law attorney (by the National Elder Law Foundation), and is a member of the charter class of attorneys board certified in elder law by the Florida Bar Association. He has practiced law since 1989, and is a past president of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. His practice primarily includes elder law and special needs planning.

2024-04-24T11:18:40-04:00

Housecleaning? Please Don’t Pitch These Records!

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Janet Lowder, CELA; Sandra J. Buzney, JD, LISW and Mary B. McKee, JD, who practice law in northeast Ohio with Hickman & Lowder Co., L.P.A. Janet and Sandra are members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA); Mary belongs to the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR). Janet is also the Vice President of the Special Needs Alliance, a national organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who represent them.

2024-04-22T15:58:04-04:00Tags: Finding Answers Adulthood, Government Benefits, Special Needs Planning|

18, 19, 21 Candles on that Cake

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Barbara Hughes, Esq. of Madison, Wisconsin, who comes to her interest in facilitating the best in special education experiences from her long past "life" as a sixth grade teacher. Ms. Hughes is a partner in the Madison law firm of Hill, Glowacki, Jaeger & Hughes, LLP, where her practice is focused on special needs planning, elder law, and general estate planning and administration. A Fellow and past board member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, in recent years she (along with several of her law partners) has consistently been recognized as one of the city's best attorneys in Madison Magazine and selected as a Wisconsin estate planning and probate Super Lawyer in Law and Politics Magazine, ranking in 2009 as one of Wisconsin's 25 top women attorneys.

2024-04-22T15:54:08-04:00Tags: Estate Planning, Finding Answers Adulthood, Special Needs Planning|

Taxes and Special Needs Trusts

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Lisa Nachmias Davis, CELA and Shawn L. O'Sullivan, who practice law in New Haven Connecticut as two-thirds of the firm Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC. Lisa is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Shawn has handled trust accounting and tax returns for over twenty-five years. Lisa is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who represent them.

2024-04-22T15:46:26-04:00Tags: Finding Answers – Taxation|

Medicare Premium Rules Will Affect Some Large Trusts

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Nancy Gibson, Esq., a Montana elder law and disability law attorney. Her Missoula-based practice spans the state of Montana. She is a member and past director of The Special Needs Alliance, an invitation-only organization of attorneys specializing in special needs and settlement planning. She is actively involved with the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), an organization dedicated to improving the lives of the elderly and persons with special needs. She currently is serving a second two-year term on the NAELA board of directors. Ms. Gibson limits her practice to elder and disability law, including estate planning and administration, but the majority of her cases involve special needs trusts and/or settlement planning.

2024-04-22T15:43:34-04:00Tags: Finding Answers – Taxation|

Advocacy for Parents of Children with Disabilities

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Lois M. Zerrer, whose practice is in Springfield, Missouri. She focuses on estate planning, Medicaid, Medicare, probate and veteran's benefits. She has served as president of the Missouri Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and as chair of The Missouri Bar Elder Law Committee. She is the principal attorney in the Zerrer Elder Law Office, LLC, in Springfield.

2024-04-16T14:54:51-04:00Tags: Advocacy, Finding Answers Adulthood|

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