The Connecticut Elder Law Blog

Java and the Elderly

I was a late-comer to coffee drinking, just taking it up a few years ago.  I get up at 4am for my morning workout, which means that I hit a significant mental lull around 3pm or 4pm each day.  Now I rely on that afternoon cup o' joe to push me through the end of the workday!

Therefore, I am delighted to pass on to you this report on the latest research regarding coffee and the elderly.  Click here.

And, if you have the time, here's a lengthier article on the same study posted on the wellness blog for the New York Times.  Click here.

An excellent article on broaching the subject of Alzheimers and assistance with money management:

http://paper.li/ElderLawGeorgia/1308259502 .

New T19 Application-Processing Approach at DSS

I'm happy to report on a positive development at Connecticut's Department of Social Services (DSS), which is the entity that is in charge of processing Medicaid applications and determining eligibility.

You're probably aware that there is a five-year look-back period (it was a three-year look-back until 2006) associated with Medicaid applications.  In other words, DSS will essentially audit your financial records for the five-year period leading up to the filing of your Medicaid application.  Up until now, that required your submission of five years worth of monthly statements for every account/asset that has (or had) your name on it.  That's an awful lot of paperwork.

Well, now DSS has apparently acknowledged that IF a Medicaid applicant has gifted money out of her name with the intent of protecting it from the nursing home, that transfer has most likely taken place in the past two years.  I'm not sure if this conclusion is based on hard data or if it's just a guess.  But either way, I suppose the logic makes sense.

Anyway, in light of this conclusion, DSS is now going to require monthly statements for assets over the past TWO years (no longer five) and then one statement for every six-month period for the other three years of the look-back. 

In other words, it's still a five-year look-back, but now they're going to take a "hard" look at the past two years and a "soft" look at the other three years.  The result is much less paperwork to collect and submit. 

And, presumably, applications will be processed more quickly.  This may be the main driving force behind this change since most DSS caseworkers seem to be struggling with an unholy backlog of applications to review.

IMPORTANT: Please note that I'm providing this update based on a brand new memo that is being circulated through DSS regional offices.  However, I do not have any first-hand experience with this new process, and I'm not aware of any elder law colleagues who have any first-hand experience with this either. 

So now we just need to hope that this new approach is actually implemented.  We'll see...

 

 

ASA Webinar on Navigating the Senior Care Maze

The American Society on Aging is offering a free webinar on "Navigating the Senior Care Maze" on May 16th.  It looks like the presenters are top-notch and they will be covering some important topics.

Click here for the details.

Happy Friday!

CT Legislature Passes Hospice Bill

The CT legislature passed a bill yesterday aimed at making hospice care more widespread for the terminally ill and their families.  Click here for the details.

Of course, being a life-long runner, this article at the New York Times' Wellness Blog about exercise and brain power caught my attention.

Couldn't help thinking about the implications of aerobic exercise for my Alzheimers clients...

My legs are finally starting to feel normal again after completing the Cox Sports Marathon in Providence, RI on Sunday. I clocked a 2:59:12 (6:50 per-mile pace), which was good for 32nd place. Luckily, the weather was perfect for running and the race was very well-organized. Nonetheless, I'm glad that's over with!

I enjoyed presenting "The Pitfalls of Estate Planning" to the Glastonbury Senior Center yesterday as part of their popular "Lunch & Learn" series. It was a good-sized crowd with tons of questions...a sure sign of an engaged audience!

AOA's Webinar Series on Alzheimers and Caregiving

It's not too late to sign up for a 3-part webinar series on Alzheimer's Disease and Tools for Caregivers.  This is being presented by the Administration on Aging (AOA), which is part of the Department of Health & Human Services.

The first webinar (5/9) goes over what, exactly, Alzheimer's disease is, as well as the latest updates on treatment and research.

The second webinar (6/13) reviews some helpful online tooks for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers.

The third webinar (7/12) discusses how Alzheimer's patients and caregivers can participate in research opportunities.

I'm already registered for the first webinar.  Click here to get all the details, including registration information.

 

"Husky Health CT" Now Includes Medicaid!

This is one of those (many) instances where the government decides to do something that leaves you scratching your head.

For whatever reason, as of January 1st, "Husky Health Connecticut" includes long-term coverage groups, such as Medicaid.  Specifically, it's called "Husky C". 

I have elderly/disabled clients who are used to receiving gray benefit cards from the State.  Now their cards have the picture of the cute husky-dog on it, and it triggers some confusion because Husky Health is usually associated with children. 

Well, not anymore!  And why not?  Well, your guess is as good as mine.