Elder Law & Estate Planning

Important Announcement Regarding Community Medicaid Applications Look-Back Period

Community Medicaid is a needs-based government assistance program that provides long-term care benefits to individuals at home. To qualify, an applicant’s resources and income limits must fall below a determinative limit that is adjusted annually. For the year 2020, that limit is $15,750 for available (non-exempt) resources and $895 of income for a single individual.…

Corporate & Securities

SEC Proposes Exemptive Relief for Finders to Receive Transaction-Based Compensation Without Having to Register as a Broker-Dealer

On October 7, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) voted to propose a conditional exemption from broker registration requirements for “finders” who assist issuers with raising capital in private markets from accredited investors. If enacted, the exemption would permit individuals to engage in certain limited capital-raising activities for privately held companies and…

Special Education Advocacy

Department of Education Says Transition Services Must Continue During Pandemic

Government officials remind schools and vocational rehabilitation centers of their duty to help students with disabilities transition into adulthood. The realities of the COVID-19 pandemic are still setting in for some families who have teenage children with disabilities. While the transition from childhood to adulthood can be difficult for many youths, those living with a…

Elder Law & Estate Planning

The Five Responsibilities of an Executor

By Joel Krooks, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Estate Administration can be a very long and difficult process. It is important to choose the right person as the Executor of your Estate. The Executor is the person responsible for administering your estate. There are five main responsibilities of an Executor (1) Filing for Probate; (2) Marshalling…

Elder Law & Estate Planning

Mental Health Issues with Your Elderly Loved Ones 

By: Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP COVID-19 has created many issues, including making the elders in our lives feel stressed, isolated, lonely and hopeless. Below are several helpful tips to keep you connected to your loved one and help support them during this time: Set a time each week when you will call and check…

Mother with Special Needs Child Playing in Child's Room
Special Education Advocacy

Home Schooling Your Child: Your Rights and Obligations

By Marion Walsh, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Every parent in New York State has the right to home school their child and, given the myriad uncertainties presented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, districts are formally offering this opportunity to parents of registered students as an alternative to remote or hybrid instruction. The prospect of…

Special Needs Planning

Special Needs Beneficiaries Can Be Explicitly Included in Estate Planning

This article for The Voice® was written by Mark B. Heffner, CELA, a graduate of Harvard College and Boston College Law School. He is the principal of Heffner & Associates, a firm with offices in Warwick and Barrington, Rhode Island, focusing since 1992 on elder law, special needs planning, and estate planning. Mark is a…

Couple working with planning professional
Elder Law & Estate Planning

Identity Theft – It Could Happen to You!

By: Bernard A. Krooks, Certified Elder Law Attorney We hear about it on the news all the time; yet, we think it can’t happen to us.  Well, guess what, it can.  In fact, it recently happened to me!  I received a notice from the NYS Department of Labor advising me that my unemployment benefits had…

Elder Law & Estate Planning

Update on the Significant Changes to New York State Medicaid

By Brian L. Miller, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP In April 2020, New York State passed laws that significantly changed the Community Medicaid program, making it more difficult for New Yorkers to obtain benefits for long-term care at home.  These changes include creating a 30 month lookback of an individual’s finances for Community Medicaid and creating…

Corporate & Securities

SEC Amends “Accredited Investor” Definition

On August 26, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted amendments expanding the definition of “accredited investor” to allow additional categories of investors to invest in unregistered private offerings. The new definition moves beyond the long-standing reference to wealth and income to determine whether individuals may be deemed accredited investors, adding established, objective…