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ELDER LAW TASK FORCE
Chair: Caitlin Evans
Senior Attorney: Mary Aquino
Elder Law Forum Posts
Elder Law Legal Resources
Elder Law Task Force content posted in order of most recent to oldest.
Obamacare Exchanges Are Doing OK Despite Withdrawls of Some Insurance Companies
The high profile withdrawals of a few national insurers from Obamacare exchanges have some experts wondering whether the exchanges are entering a death spiral. The companies’ reports of large losses have led to speculation that the exchanges are unsustainable... Despite the losses suffered by some insurance companies, many others are turning a profit according to a recent report by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.
Affordable Care Act - Key Facts: Minimum Essential Coverage and the Individual Mandate Penalty
URL: http://www.healthreformbeyondthebasics.org/key-facts-minimum-essential-coverage-and-the-penalty/
Healthcare reform fact sheet from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Elder Law articles
The MSBA Bar Bulletin, April 15, 2018, has a lot of good substantive articles on elder law topics - Adv Directives and MOLST, Guardianship changes, Social Security Disability changes, ABLE, new Medicare cards and MA-LTC rules about protecting the home under the Parental Care Rule.
Justice in Aging Issue Brief - Supporting Older Americans' Basic Needs
ISSUE BRIEF - Good Overview of issues for III-B advocates:
http://www.justiceinaging.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Supporting-Olde...
New Budget Increases Some Programs for the Elderly
From Justice in Aging:
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New Budget Increases Some Programs for the Elderly
From Justice in Aging:
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Nuts & Bolts of Collections: IRS and MD
Date:
Wed, 02/21/2018 - 5:30pm - 7:30pm
Nuts & Bolts of Collections: IRS and MD
February 21 5:30pm-7:30pm
Hosted by the Annapolis Office of Frost & Associates
888 Bestgate Road, Suite 400
Annapolis, MD 21401
Foreclosure Mediation Brief Advice Clinic-Anne Arundel
Your client brings in a letter from the IRS or the Maryland Comptroller threatening collection. What do you do?
Join Rebecca Sheppard, Esq. of Frost and Associates and Cheri Wendt-Taczak, Esq. of the Annapolis-based Law Office of Cheri Wendt-Taczak, LLC, as they discuss the different approaches to collection problems and how to choose the best one for your client.
there is no fee for this training but all participants will b asked to take a Tax Collections case within the next six months. Please contact Janice Shih at 443-451-4061 or jshih@mvlslaw.org for more information.
A light dinner will be served.
Social Security and SSI benefits to increase by 2% in 2018
The Social Security Administration has announced that based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 2.0 percent in 2018.
The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 61 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017.
The monthly SSI Federal Payment Standard will increase to $750 for an individual and to $1125 for a couple.
The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) monthly threshold will be $1180. The Trial Work Period (TWP) monthly threshold will be $850.
One will need to earn $1320 in 2018 to receive credit for a quarter of coverage.
Here is a link to a fact sheet that contains more facts and figures for Social Security benefits in 2018: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2018.pdf
Social Security and SSI benefits to increase by 2% in 2018
The Social Security Administration has announced that based on the increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of 2016 through the third quarter of 2017, monthly Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will increase 2.0 percent in 2018.
The 2.0 percent cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) will begin with benefits payable to more than 61 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2018. Increased payments to more than 8 million SSI beneficiaries will begin on December 29, 2017.
The monthly SSI Federal Payment Standard will increase to $750 for an individual and to $1125 for a couple.
The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) monthly threshold will be $1180. The Trial Work Period (TWP) monthly threshold will be $850.
One will need to earn $1320 in 2018 to receive credit for a quarter of coverage.
Here is a link to a fact sheet that contains more facts and figures for Social Security benefits in 2018: https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2018.pdf
MVLS TAX CONTROVERSY TRAINING FOR ATTORNEYS, LAW STUDENTS, CPAs and EAs
Date:
Wed, 11/01/2017 - 9:00am - 1:00pm
2017 Welfare Advocates Conference
The 2017 Welfare Advocates Conference is coming up on November 2 at the Radisson Hotel in Timonium, MD. This year, we are excited that our keynote speaker will be Marc Steiner, and he'll be talking about how to amplify the stories and voices of individuals who are marginalized. We are also having an interactive closing plenary where local leaders –including the CEOs of United Way, Catholic Charities, Advocates for Children and Youth, and the Jobs Opportunity Task Force - are being pitched the question "How Do We End Poverty?" that they’ll each answer from their own perspectives. Our theme this year is Casting a Wide Net, speaking to the need for inclusivity in our organizations, in our communities, and in our policies. Along that theme, we are having workshops on assisting our immigrant neighbors, working with LGBTQ youth, and violence prevention efforts in West Baltimore, among others. Our 1-day conference also offers 5 Category 1 CEUs for social workers! Need more convincing? On top of a delicious Italian lunch, we have incredible door prizes this year including (for the first time) tickets to the National Aquarium, tickets to see Madam Butterfly, two different ski packages at two different resorts, and several area restaurant gift cards!
For more information - and to register - please follow this link: http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07eemdqtmk39.... It's really a great conference and we hope to see you there!
Changes in the Affordable Care Act special enrollment periods effective on June 19, 2017. The reference chart link is helpful.
From the Centeron Budget & Policy Priorities:
The Marketplace open enrollment period is the regular time each year when people can newly enroll in a qualified health plan or change to a different plan through the Marketplace. But certain events that occur during the year can trigger a special enrollment period (SEP), when a person may be able to newly enroll in a Marketplace plan or change to a different plan.
This SEP Reference Chart is a tool for those who are helping people enroll in health coverage through a special enrollment period. It focuses on the circumstances that trigger a SEP in the Marketplace, who can trigger a SEP, and the effective date of coverage once a health plan is selected.
http://www.healthreformbeyondthebasics.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/SEP-Reference-Chart.pdf
World Elder Abuse Awreness Day - Randallstown Community Center
Date:
Thu, 06/15/2017 (All day)
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| WEAAD Flyer 2017.pdf | 640.42 KB |
Medicaid Cuts in House ACA Repeal Bill Would Limit Availability of Home and Community Based Services
From the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
The House-passed bill to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which the Senate is now considering, would make home-and community-based services (HCBS) that states fund through Medicaid especially vulnerable to deep cuts. The House bill would radically restructure Medicaid’s federal financing and effectively end the ACA’s Medicaid expansion
Facing steep cuts in their overall federal Medicaid funding, states would likely curtail HCBS programs, which in 2013 allowed almost 3 million seniors and adults and children with disabilities to receive care at home instead of in a nursing home.
The share of Medicaid expenditures for long-term services and supports that states allocate to HCBS has climbed from 18 percent in 1995 to 53 percent in 2014, with the number of people served with HCBS rising dramatically as well. States now spend more for HCBS than for nursing home care.
The House bill —officially the American Health Care Act (AHCA) —would place a fixed cap on per-beneficiary federal Medicaid funding, cutting federal funding to the states by growing amounts over time. Capping and cutting federal funding would force many states to make excruciating decisions on whom they cover because unlike most services in Medicaid, which states must cover, most HCBS are optional Medicaid benefits that states can cut when they face funding shortfalls.
The services that states provide in their HCBS programs vary, but they generally provide home health services plus help with chores, meals, transportation, and other services such as adult day care and respite care for family caregivers. Most states already limit HCBS due to funding constraints, and HCBS are a likely target if states must make substantial cuts due to federal funding shortfalls, because they spend more on optional HCBS than on any other optional benefit. The AHCA would therefore likely generate large increases in HCBS waiting lists.
Read more on how the proposed fixed cap on per-beneficiary funding will result in reduced federal Medicaid payments to the states: http://www.cbpp.org/sites/default/files/atoms/files/5-18-17health.pdf
MVLS Celebrate Pro Bono Volunteer Recognition Event
Date:
Wed, 10/04/2017 - 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Join Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) on Wednesday October 4th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the American Visionary Arts Museum in Baltimore. We will Celebrate Pro Bono by honoring volunteer lawyers, donors and 
friends at our annual recognition reception.
Guests will enjoy a cocktail hour, seated dinner and awards ceremony honoring those who have made noteworthy contributions to the delivery of pro bono legal services over the past year. The reception also kicks off Maryland’s participation in the American Bar Association’s National Celebrate Pro Bono Week (October 22-28).
There is a suggested $35 donation to attend Celebrate Pro Bono. and RSVP is required. Registration will open in June. please check back soon for further details!
Event Sponsorship
We invite sponsors to partner with us to recognize our amazing volunteers by underwriting the cost of this great event. Sponsorship’s start at $500 and sponsors are publicly acknowledged for their generosity. Click here for a full list of sponsorship levels and benefits.
Sponsor:
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Tax Controversy Training for Attorneys
Date:
Wed, 06/21/2017 - 9:00am - 1:00pm
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service invites interested attorneys to attend a free training session on handling IRS and Maryland tax controversy cases for low-income taxpayers on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at MVLS’ office at 201 N. Charles St., Suite 1400, Baltimore, MD 21201. This case will also available for viewing by webinar.
The course will be taught by experienced tax attorneys, Gerald Kelly and Cheri Wendt-Taczak; IRS Local Taxpayer Advocate, James Leith; and Assistant Director, Compliance Division, Comptroller of Maryland, Jay Maschas. While the training will cover handling tax cases generally, the focus of this session will be on the mechanics of advocating for the taxpayer who is battling with tax collection issues.
There is no fee to attend but each participant will be asked to accept one tax controversy case over the next six months. Please contact Janice Shih at 443-451-4061 or jshih@mvlslaw.org for more information.
Continental breakfast will be served.
Affordable Care Act Still in Place Despite House Actions
From the Center on Budge tand Policy Priorities:
"It is important to emphasize that, at this time, the ACA is still law and its provisions are still in place. People’s coverage hasn’t changed, and open enrollment is on schedule for November."
On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care
Act (AHCA). The bill now moves to the Senate, where the bill will likely
change and then to a conference committee or a vote on the Senate bill in
the House.
This process will take time, and we have no way of knowing now what
provisions, if any, will be enacted and signed into law. We do know that
many people who gained coverage due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are
confused and worried about what is going to happen to their coverage. It
is important to emphasize that, at this time, the ACA is still law and
its provisions are still in place. People’s coverage hasn’t changed, and
open enrollment is on schedule for November.
As passed by the House, the AHCA would dramatically
reverse the gains in coverage that we’ve made since the
passage of the ACA. For an in-depth look at the key provisions in the
AHCA, please see a summary of
the AHCA from our friends at the Kaiser Family Foundation.
We will continue to follow the progress of this bill, and will keep you
informed of any updates as it proceeds through the Senate. The
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities website at www.cbpp.org
includes numerous papers and resources on the AHCA and is updated on an
almost daily basis with new material.
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Trump Administration Gives Money to Florida Hospitals Instead of Encouraging Medicaid Expansion
The Trump Administration will increase the amount of money in the uncompensated care fund for hospitals rather than encourage Florida to to give health insurance to low income people through the Medcaid expansion. Instead of having a broad range of health care services covered by medical insurance (Medicaid) hospitals will have more of their uncompensated care covered when people show up in their emergency medical departments.
Read more at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/us/politics/medicaid-expansion-trump-obama-florida.html?_r=0
NHeLP's Protect Medicaid Webinar Series
Webinar - Fri, Mar 17, 2017 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM EDT
National Health Law Program's Protect Medicaid Webinar Series:
"Proposals to drastically cut federal Medicaid spending are gaining ground in the Republican-led Congress. In this third in a series of webinars on Medicaid financing and services, NHeLP/LA Staff Attorney Abbi Coursolle describes how efforts to impose Medicaid per capita caps or block grants will endanger Medicaid expansion to low income adults."
For more information and to register:
http://www.healthlaw.org/issues/medicaid/defending-medicaid
US Poverty Guidelines as of January 31, 2017
The US Dept. of Health & Human Services has updated the poverty guidelines for 2017. The guidelines are used in determining financial eligibility for certain federal programs. In Maryland the poverty guideleine for a household of one is $12,060, and for a household of four is $24,600. Here is the link for all household sizes and for all states
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