Law Offices of Agnes J. Orlowski LLC

https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/snap-program-enrollees-to-receive-12-increase-thousands-now-eligible/ar-AA12mRyN?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=8358a49a250a468fcbe91e20b0a3ccd3

SNAP program enrollees to receive 12% increase, thousands now eligible HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – Gov. Ned Lamont announced that the department of social services (DSS) will implement new eligibility benefit levels in the state's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) starting on Oct. 1. The federally funded service helps combat food insecurity for eligible w...

The State of Connecticut has many new laws taking effect on Oct. 1, 2021, many of which pertain to Senior Citizens. Nursing homes are now required to provide technology for virtual visits. Nursing homes are also required to have an infectious disease coordinator, in response to the recent pandemic. Local municipalities will have a dedicated employee to provide assistance to Seniors. There are also laws related to Seniors buried within other laws; for example, a portion of the updated Agricultural law creates a voucher program, giving Seniors food vouchers that can be used specifically at Farmer's Markets. The full list of updated laws taking effect on Oct. 1st is on the State of CT, General Assembly's website:
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/content/aeauto.asp

www.cga.ct.gov

A Conservator of Estate is appointed when a person is found incapable of managing their own finances. In some states it is referred to as a Guardian of the Estate, but the concept is the same. Being conserved imposes many more limitations than appointing your own Power of Attorney to manage your affairs. If you appoint someone to act as your Power of Attorney, you still retain the right to manage your affairs. However, a Conservator has absolute and permanent control.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/01/entertainment/britney-spears-motion-denied-on-co-conservator/index.html

Judge denies November request to remove Britney Spears' father as her co-conservator A Los Angeles Superior Court judge denied on Wednesday a motion to remove Britney Spears' father from his role as a conservator of his daughter's $60 million estate, making official a November request to allow a trust to act as co-conservator of her estate.

Based on my experience as an Elder Law attorney, I agree that falling is one of the most dangerous risks for elderly people. I know of many instances when an elderly person fell at home, often on their way to or from the bathroom. Recovering from a fall is very difficult as we get older. I agree with the home improvements that are recommended in this article.

A Guide to Home Modifications to Prevent Seniors From Falling This guide is intended to help you evaluate the living environment for the seniors in your life, so you can create a space that is free from unnecessary fall risks.

All Probate Courts in Connecticut have been operating throughout the pandemic, and have been holding remote hearings, by phone and/or video conference. Probate Courts handle matters that literally relate to life or death situations, medical and financial emergencies, and urgent matters regarding medical care or finances that are needed, for the support of individuals. It is extremely beneficial that Probate Courts were able to use technology to continue operating during the pandemic. Likewise, this law office has continued working throughout the pandemic due to the fact that we handle so many Probate matters.

Probate Court Doesn't Miss A Beat | New Haven Independent The New Haven Probate court has remained functioning — while closing physical doors to the public —through the Covid-19 pandemic as it fields an increase in petitions or changes to...

Governor Lamont Orders Independent Analysis of COVID-19 in Connecticut’s Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities

https://portal.ct.gov/Office-of-the-Governor/News/Press-Releases/2020/06-2020/Governor-Lamont-Orders-Independent-Analysis-of-COVID19-in-Nursing-Homes?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Governor%20Lamont%20Orders%20Independent%20Analysis%20of%20COVID-19%20in%20Connecticuts%20Nursing%20Homes%20and%20Assisted%20Living%20Facilities&utm_content=Governor%20Lamont%20Orders%20Independent%20Analysis%20of%20COVID-19%20in%20Connecticuts%20Nursing%20Homes%20and%20Assisted%20Living%20Facilities+CID_800f247f1618b60e9d4907491a27568b&utm_source=Office%20of%20the%20Governor%20Campaign%20Monitor&utm_term=Governor%20Lamont%20Orders%20Independent%20Analysis%20of%20COVID-19%20in%20Connecticuts%20Nursing%20Homes%20and%20Assisted%20Living%20Facilities

Governor Lamont Orders Independent Analysis of COVID-19 in Connecticut’s Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Governor Ned Lamont today announced that he is ordering an independent, third-party review to be conducted of the preparation and response to the COVID-19 pandemic inside of Connecticut’s nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

The IRS has now sent Economic Stimulus payments to many Americans, while others are still waiting to receive their payment. There have also been many reports of people receiving incorrect payments, and even of payments being sent to people who had already passed away before this pandemic. The IRS has a page with faq's about how to check on the status of your payment, and also how to handle an incorrect payment. https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/economic-impact-payment-information-center

Economic Impact Payment Information Center | Internal Revenue Service Answers to frequently asked questions about Economic Impact Payments (coronavirus stimulus checks). These questions and answers will be updated periodically.

The State of CT has issued a directive to ALL nursing homes and residential care homes to not allow visitors, except in end-of-life emergencies. Many nursing homes are providing friends and family members with the option to use Face Time or similar communications to keep in touch with residents. Residents should still be able to receive and read their own mail, use the telephone, etc. If you have a loved one in a nursing facility, make sure to ask the facility what efforts they are making to allow their residents to continue receiving communications.

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Office-of-the-Governor/News/20200309-Visiting-Restrictions-in-Nursing-Homes.pdf?la=en

portal.ct.gov

Hamden donates bus shelter to elderly housing facility HAMDEN - The city is donating a bus shelter to Davenport Residences, Inc. , Mayor Curt Leng announced in a release Saturday. The facility offers affordable housing to elderly and disabled persons, according to nonprofit tax filings. The Hamden Legislative Council approved the donation, according to....

Medicaid fraud is a punishable offense!

Top prosecutor: Therapist filed bogus Medicaid claims, including some for sessions with client who was dead Authorities have arrested a convicted felon-turned-counselor who they say collected more than $100,000 from bogus Medicaid claims -- including some for sessions with a client after he had died.

Uber Taps Lucrative Medicare Business With Logistics Deal Uber Health’s partnership with American Logistics offers a glimpse into the expanding opportunities for ride sharing companies to expand into non-emergency medical transportation covered by health insurers, Medicare and Medicaid.

There are many transportation programs for the elderly / disabled. This is just one example... If you need assistance with transportation, always check with your town and local transportation authority to see what is available.

Good tips...!

Stretch Your Dollar: 5 tips to avoid falling victim to fake charities It's been three days since the world watched the Notre Dame Cathedral go up in flames. And in that short amount of time, more than a billion dollars has been raised to help with the rebuild.

2,500 nursing home workers vote to strike 20 nursing homes Another major strike is coming to 20 Connecticut nursing homes as 2,500 nursing home workers have voted overwhelmingly to go on strike.  

Government raid exposes nearly $1B telemarketing scam The federal government on Tuesday raided dozens of locations belonging to doctors and medical equipment companies suspected of taking part in a massive telemarketing scam that targeted Medicare recipients and cost taxpayers nearly $1 billion.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/20/well/family/states-seek-financial-relief-for-family-caregivers.html

States Seek Financial Relief for Family Caregivers Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide state income tax credits for families that need help with home caregiving.

Since the average cost of a nursing home in CT is over $13,000 a month, this man is not exactly incorrect...

Houston man giving up nursing home, moving into Holiday Inn A Houston man's Facebook post has gone viral after saying he plans to live in a Holiday Inn instead of a nursing home because it's a better deal.

Residents of Connecticut who receive SNAP benefits received notices informing them that they will receive a payment in late January, but nothing in February, therefore, they should budget accordingly...

Food Assistance Payments Came Early But Have To Last Until March People who got their February food assistance payments early don't know when their food money for March will come as the federal government shutdown continues.

People who receive Medicaid benefits qualify for free rides between their home and medical appointments. The State of Connecticut recently began using a transportation company called Veyo, after many reports of missed rides from their previous company, Logisticare. Unfortunately, Veyo is also not without its problems. It is important to let the State know about specific problems with the transportation company.

Medicaid transportation concerns continue Getting ready for his many medical appointments is quite a chore for Pablo Perez who is confined to a wheelchair. He couldn't do it without his personal care assistant and without the ride provided for Medicaid clients by the state.  But in the last year when Veyo took over he says he has missed ma...

As an Estate / Trusts and Probate attorney, I interact with many financial institutions regarding clients' accounts. I have found that Wells Fargo engages in many inappropriate practices. I am glad that this is not going unnoticed. Financial institutions need continuous oversight.

https://www.wtnh.com/news/ag-jepsen-leads-50-states-district-of-columbia-in-575m-settlement-with-wells-fargo/1678036649

AG Jepsen leads 50 States, District of Columbia in $575M settlement with Wells Fargo Attorney General George Jepsen today announced on Friday Wells Fargo Bank will pay $575 million to resolve claims that the bank violated state consumer protection laws. 

USDA moves to tighten work requirements for food stamps The Trump administration is setting out to do what this year's farm bill didn't: tighten work requirements for millions of Americans who receive federal food assistance.

Medicare To Cut Payments To Nursing Homes Whose Patients End Up Back In The Hospital Medicare's incentive program to discourage nursing homes from discharging patients too quickly will also give bonuses to facilities that have fewer rehospitalizations.

There are people who truly benefit from a service / support dog due to a diagnosed ailment or disability. Having an untrained, badly behaved fake service dog can adversely affect those people who need a real service dog.

Delta imposes new rules for service dogs after "serious incidents" The company says it's seen an increase in incidents since 2016, including a dog attack that sent a victim to the hospital

Home Care Agencies Often Wrongly Deny Medicare Help To The Chronically Ill Home health firms sometimes turn away Medicare beneficiaries who have chronic health problems by incorrectly claiming Medicare won't pay for their services, say advocates for patients.

For anyone on Medicare - it appears that your Medicare number and your Social Security number will no longer be the same number...

Get Ready! Medicare Will Mail New Cards to 60 Million People The federal health program for seniors and the disabled is removing Social Security numbers from the ID cards of 60 million people in an effort to prevent identity theft

A woman (and her son) were arrested because she is accused of using her elderly mother's funds for her own benefit, acting under a Power of Attorney. It is important to remember that any fiduciary, such as an agent acting under a Power of Attorney, has a duty to use the principal's funds ONLY for the principal's benefit. A fiduciary cannot use the principal's money for their own benefit. In particular, a fiduciary may not make payments or gifts to themselves without special permission. The State of Connecticut recently enacted a greatly expanded Power of Attorney statute, with new rules governing how a fiduciary can make payments or gifts. As in the situation below, if a fiduciary doesn't follow the rules, they may be guilty of fraud.

Mother and son accused of stealing from family member Following a two year investigation of theft, an Ansonia mother and son are both facing charges.

Dire predictions about Medicaid funding cuts in Connecticut, expansion of sales tax proposed With just 10 days remaining in the state budget year, Governor Dannel Malloy and legislative leaders have scheduled one more budget summit to see if there is common ground on solving the state budg…

"Studies have found connections between animal abuse and violence against people. In one study cited by the Humane Society, the Chicago Police Department found that 65 percent of those arrested for animal crimes had also been arrested for battery against another person."

In A First, Connecticut's Animals Get Advocates In The Courtroom The state's legal advocates are one sign of the emerging field of animal law. In 2000, nine law schools had courses in animal law; by 2015, that number was 151.

Quinnipiac seniors move out of senior living facility as unique program concludes first year While a lot of college seniors may be out at the bars whooping it up with their friends, two Quinnipiac students chose a different way to spend their last year at school. They moved into a home for…

A power outage can be a dangerous situation for elderly / disabled people who rely on medical equipment. Hope they can remedy this situation quickly...!

185 patients evacuated due to power issue at New Haven nursing home Officials are dealing with a power issue at the Advanced Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in New Haven.

http://www.npr.org/2016/10/31/499876610/a-girl-and-her-service-dog-head-to-the-supreme-court?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=2057

A Girl And Her Service Dog Head To The Supreme Court

New Connecticut website encourages in-home caregiver careers Foreseeing growing demand in the field, Connecticut is rolling out a multimedia advertising campaign encouraging people to consider jobs as in-home caregivers.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/30/472295791/big-financial-costs-are-part-of-alzheimers-toll-on-families?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160330

Big Financial Costs Are Part Of Alzheimer's Toll On Families

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/09/469792479/medicare-looks-to-cut-drug-costs-by-changing-how-it-pays-doctors?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20160309

Medicare Looks To Cut Drug Costs By Changing How It Pays Doctors The agency plans to reduce the incentive for doctors to use the most expensive drugs and link prices to patient outcomes, perhaps paying less when patients have to be admitted to a hospital.

Connecticut bills would restore cap on probate fees Three Connecticut lawmakers are proposing bills that would restore a $12,500 cap on probate court fees that was eliminated in last year's state budget.