Deceptive practices in prepaid funeral plansBy Lee BenezeElder Law, June 2000On April 10, 2000, the Senate Select Committee on Aging held a hearing on financially deceptive and fraudulent practices in the prepaid funeral and burial industry.
Identifying and reporting health care fraud: part IIBy Lee BenezeElder Law, June 2000As noted in the first part of this article (See Elder Law, Vol. 5, no. 3, May 2000), the cost of health care fraud and abuse in this country--out of a trillion dollar expenditure for health care--may be as much as a quarter of a billion (not million!) dollars every day.
“Let’s kill all the lawyers”?By Edward F. StanulaElder Law, June 2000I had to read through Macbeth and half of King Lear before I found Shakespeare's quotation on lawyers.
New assisted living law to be implemented in 2001By Lee BenezeElder Law, June 2000The Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act (Public Act 91-0656) was passed by the General Assembly in the 1999 spring session.
Not an elder law self-help bookElder Law, June 2000Seeing the title Fifty and Beyond: The Law You and Your Parents Need to Know, one might think that it's another legal self-help book, this time directed to older persons.
Notes from the chairBy Constance B. RenziElder Law, June 2000As I sit down to write these notes, I can hardly believe that it is time to pass the baton to the newly appointed chairperson of the Elder Law Section Council, Lee Beneze, vice-chairperson William Cleaver, and secretary, Naomi Schuster.
Power to make organ donations added to health care power of attorneyBy John F. ErbesElder Law, June 2000The Statutory Short Form Power of Attorney for Health Care has been amended by P.A. 91-240, effective January 1, 2000 to allow individuals to make an anatomical gift part of their health care power of attorney and authorize the agent to effectuate the organ donation.
Aging delayed—aging denied?By Lee BenezeElder Law, May 2000This article is based on "Can Human Aging Be Postponed?," Scientific American, Vol. 281, No. 6 (December, 1999), pp. 106-111.
Health care fraud is everybody’s businessBy Lee BenezeElder Law, May 2000The Illinois Department on Aging is a participant, along with other state and federal agencies, in a federal initiative called "Operation Restore Trust."
Illinois annual Elder Rights Conference plannedBy Lee BenezeElder Law, May 2000The 14th Annual Elder Rights Conference, organized by the Illinois Department on Aging, will be held in Chicago on August 2 and 3, 2000, at the Holiday Inn City Center.
Viatical settlements: a summary and updateElder Law, May 2000A viatical settlement is a transaction in which a holder of a life insurance policy sells the policy before his or her death and receives a percentage of the face value.
Baby boomers age and the effect on all of usBy Edward J. MitchellElder Law, March 2000Age Power:How the 21st Century Will be Ruled by the New Old by Ken Dychtwald, Ph.D. (Tarcher/Putnam, 1999 236 pp. $24.95) is not a law book as such nor does it give specific examples that we can use in our day-to-day practice.
Care hurtsElder Law, March 2000A recent study of persons who provide unpaid care to older persons indicated that two-thirds of the persons studied suffered economic loss in lost promotions, pay raises and training opportunities.
Regulatory changesBy Steven C. PerlisElder Law, March 2000It used to be that somebody going on Medicaid could buy an annuity, so long as it was a single payment, was irrevocable, and met the federal and state life expectancy table requirements.
Supreme Court holds age discrimination law not applicable to statesElder Law, March 2000In Kimel et al. v. Florida Board of Regents, et al. (No. 98-791), the U. S. Supreme Court held that the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) could not be used to bring an action against states as employers.
2000 Federal Census will include inquiries on grandparental caregiversBy Lee BenezeElder Law, November 1999Few people stop to think that one measure of the importance of a social, economic or demographic trend is when questions related to it are included in the federal decentennial census.
Brief summaries of some recent legislation signed by the GovernorBy Lee BenezeElder Law, November 1999PA 91-244 (HB 524) (signed July 22, 1999)--Provides that each license application (or renewal form) to a person required by law to report child abuse or elder abuse shall include the telephone numbers where such reports should be made.
The double helix: ID 2000By Daniel M. MooreElder Law, November 1999It can't be forged. It can't be lost. It's good for our lifetimes--and even beyond. It courses through our veins, it's in our bones and in every cell of our bodies, and each of us has a very unique one.
An elder-friendly officeElder Law, November 1999In a recent article in the ABA Journal, Jerome Ira Solkoff suggests ways to make a lawyer's office inviting to older persons.
Illinois Annual Elder Rights Conference a successBy Lee BenezeElder Law, November 1999The 13th Annual Elder Rights Conference, organized by the Illinois Department on Aging, was held in Chicago on July 28 and 29.
National Aging and Vulnerable Adult Clearinghouse opensElder Law, November 1999The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WCADV) has announced that is has opened the National Aging and Vulnerable Adults Clearinghouse (NAVAC) with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice's Violence Against Women Office.
New end-of-life laws from other statesElder Law, November 1999Here is some legislation concerning end-of-life decisions that was recently passed in various states.
Resources for the elder lawyerElder Law, November 1999What "Fair Housing" Means for People with Disabilities is a new booklet published by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
Senior citizens’ real estate tax exemptions for married personsBy Carl H. StoweElder Law, November 1999Counsel helping senior citizens with application for any one of three exemptions which may apply to real property used as a home should be mindful of the fact that married persons who maintain separate residences qualifying as homestead property may not be entitled to the same relief as single persons who are over 65.
Tobacco and older persons: of studies and settlementsElder Law, November 1999For a generation that was raised on the idea of smoking cigarettes, pipes and cigars as a basic activity of adulthood, the change in society's attitude over the last fifteen years must be disconcerting.
Contributions welcomeElder Law, June 1999The Elder Law newsletter serves as the communications vehicle for and between members of the Elder Law Section, other practitioners and the legal profession at large.
