Littman Krooks Elder Law
Elder Law & Estate Planning

US Dept of Treasury Warns of Suspicious Calls & Tax Scams

With tax preparation season upon us, the Internal Revenue Service is warning taxpayers of an aggressive and sophisticated scam being perpetrated by con artists posing as IRS agents. Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), said that since October 2013, there had been nearly 900,000 scam calls reported,…

Special Education Advocacy

Raising Children with Autism

Bernard A Krooks, Esq., and guest Liane Kupferberg Carter discuss raising children with autism on this podcast. Liane is a nationally-known writer and advocate for the autism community. She is the author of the new memoir, Ketchup is My Favorite Vegetable: A Family Grows Up with Autism (Jessica Kingsley Publishers).

New York City Seniors
Elder Law & Estate Planning

NYC Seniors Have Access to the Carrier Alert Program

Seniors who live alone may be at risk of falling or becoming ill and being unable to reach a telephone, so no one will know they need help. To protect seniors from these circumstances, the New York City Department for the Aging makes available a program called Carrier Alert. When a senior voluntarily enrolls in…

Elder Law & Estate Planning

What Happens When a Will is Missing?

Melissa Mathison, the screenwriter of “E.T.” and ex-wife of Harrison Ford, died from cancer in November, and her will has gone missing, leaving uncertainty over who will inherit her $22 million estate. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Mathison had written a will, but the original copy could not be located by her business…

littman krooks elder law
Elder Law & Estate Planning

Details Are Important With Required Minimum Distributions

If you have an IRA and you are age 70 1/2 or older, then you must take a required minimum distribution (RMD) from your account, or pay a penalty. While that may sound simple enough, there are important details to be aware of. RMDs are required for IRAs, SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees),…

Special Education Advocacy

Parenting a Disabled Adult Child

Listen to our podcast “Raising Children with Autism,” by clicking here. To download this podcast from iTunes, click here. Our guest blogger this week is Liane Kupferberg Carter. Recently I spent an entire day in an exhibitor’s booth at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York. It was their annual Advances in Autism Conference, and…

Special Education Advocacy

New Proposed Regulations: The Use of 1:1 Aides in Pre-School and School-Aged Settings

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Special Education Advocate, Littman Krooks LLP The New York State Department of Education has issued new proposed regulations regarding the use of 1:1 aides in preschool and school aged settings. The regulations, which also address other areas of preschool special education, are expected to be considered by the Board of Regents at…

Special Education Advocacy

How To Make A Holiday Road Trip Fun For A Child With Special Needs

By Angela Tollersons Any parent who has ever taken a road trip with young children can tell you that several hours stuck in a car is no picnic for anyone and for families with a child with special needs, additional complexities are thrown into the mix and can make long road trips more taxing for…

Medicaid Allowance
Elder Law & Estate Planning

The Community Spouse Resource Allowance for Medicaid

When seniors need long-term care in a skilled nursing facility, the cost can be significant, and many people rely on Medicaid to pay for it. However, Medicaid has income and asset limits, so applicants often must spend down their assets before they can be eligible. When a married person receives Medicaid benefits for long-term care,…

littman krooks estate planning
Elder Law & Estate Planning

What an Estate Executor Must Do — And Not Do

A person named in a will as the executor of the estate has a significant responsibility. It is important for an executor to know what he or she must do, and – just as important – what not to do. In New York State, an executor’s fiduciary responsibility to: have the last Will and testament…