In an earlier posting, we provided an overview of the benefits of a supplemental needs trust (also known as a “special needs trust”) for a disabled child.  However, funding such trusts can pose some challenges.  Recently, the highest court in New Jersey ruled in favor of allowing a retired firefighter to name a supplemental needs […]

Researchers have announced the ability to create human brain cells that develop structures of Alzheimer’s disease in a petri dish.  This gives researchers a new format to study the disease and to develop new drug treatments.  Additional information can be found in a New York Times article found here:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/13/science/researchers-replicate-alzheimers-brain-cells-in-a-petri-dish.html?_r=0

Of the 53.9 million school-age children 5 to 17, about 2.8 million were reported as having a disability in 2010. Parents of children with special needs face the uncertainty of knowing whether the child may be able to support himself in adulthood.    Monetary lifetime gifts or future inheritances can significantly impact an adult disabled child’s […]

DOJ Launches Elder Justice Website The Department of Justice (DOJ) launched an elder justice website located here at http://www.justice.gov/elderjustice/ to offer resources for victims, family members, prosecutors, and researchers. Information includes: How to report elder abuse and financial exploitation in your state; Prosecutor databases with sample pleadings and statutes; Bibliographic information for thousands of articles […]

In thirty states, a filial responsibility laws hold adult children responsible to pay for the nursing home costs of an indigent parent.  Massachusetts is one them and imposes a fine of not more than $200 or imprisonment for not more than one year, or both.  This law is not enforced in Massachusetts, but could come […]