Nursing Homes Are Evicting Residents to Make Room for Coronavirus Patients
Illegal evictions of Medicaid nursing home residents are nothing new, but the coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating the problem, according to an investigation by the New York Times.
Some states have asked nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients in order to ease the burden on hospitals. Even as...
Four Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic May Affect Long-Term Care Insurance
The coronavirus pandemic has had a devastating impact on the elderly, particularly those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. This has raised questions about how the virus has influenced the costs and provision of long-term care insurance, which covers care in facilities and sometimes at home...
May Someone With Dementia Sign a Will?
Millions of people are affected by dementia, and unfortunately many of them do not have all their estate planning affairs in order before the symptoms start. If you or a loved one has dementia, it may not be too late to sign a will or other documents, but certain...
How Your IRA Can Benefit Both Your Heirs and Charity
Do you want to use your IRA to help a charity, but also benefit your heirs? Instead of leaving your IRA directly to your children, you can leave it to a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) while still benefiting your children. With the SECURE Act making changes to rules about inherited IRAs, this may...
States May Not Terminate Medicaid Benefits During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Access to affordable medical care is especially important during a global health crisis. You should be aware that federal law prevents states that have accepted increased Medicaid funding from terminating Medicaid benefits while the coronavirus health emergency continues.
The Secretary of Health and Human Services has declared a nationwide public health...
States Move to Immunize Nursing Homes from Liability During Coronavirus Pandemic
Chronic understaffing. Low-wage caregivers. Difficulty containing infections. These are problems that nursing homes faced in the best of times but that have proved especially deadly as the coronavirus pandemic has spread like wildfire though long-term care facilities. In response, many states have moved to shield nursing homes -- and in...
Seniors Affected by the Coronavirus Pandemic Have More Time to Apply for Medicare or Change Plans
The closure of Social Security offices has caused problems and worries for recently unemployed seniors who need to apply for Medicare after losing their employer coverage. In response, the federal government has announced that seniors affected by the crisis have additional time to enroll in...
Some Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Are Snatching Residents' Pandemic Relief Checks, FTC Warns
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is warning residents of long-term care facilities and their families that some facilities may unlawfully require residents who are on Medicaid to sign over their $1,200 pandemic relief checks.
“This is not just a horror story making the rounds. These are actual reports that...
Pandemic Relief: Retirement Account Owners Do Not Have to Take Required Distributions in 2020
Retirement account owners, many of whose retirement balances have been pummeled by a stock market drop due to the coronavirus pandemic, do not have to take mandatory withdrawals this year.
Federal law requires individuals who were age 70 1/2 before the end of 2019 to begin taking required minimum distributions (RMDs) from...
Coronavirus Relief Funds Paid to Deceased Americans Must Be Returned
The federal coronavirus relief bill has sent direct emergency payments to some 150 million Americans in the wake of the pandemic. Among the recipients are possibly millions of deceased individuals, raising questions about what their survivors should do with the money. After weeks of silence, the IRS has finally confirmed...