National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (“NAELA”) Priority to Aid Children with Disabilities of Military Families Passed by Congress. NAELA Anticipates Allowance of Survivor Benefits to Pass into Special Needs Trusts.

Today Congress passed one of NAELA’s top legislative priorities: provisions that protect children with disabilities of members of the military by allowing their parents’ survivor benefits to go into a special needs trust. The provisions were passed as part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2015 and are substantively equivalent to the Disabled […]

Read More »

New Study Indicates That Exercise Can Lower Alzheimer’s Risk By 40 Percent

No matter how you spin it, the news that exercise may help prevent and treat Disease X doesn’t really qualify as a surprise. That’s the default assumption these days. But when Disease X is Alzheimer’s, a progressive and irreversible degenerative brain condition with few effective treatment options, the finding is worth a closer look. Data […]

Read More »

Maximize Your Savings with an Asset Protection Plan – IRS Announces New 2015 401(k) Plan Contributions

The IRS has expanded the contribution limits for employees with tax-favored retirement savings accounts.  The maximum contributions for private sector 401(k) plans will be raised from $17,500 in 2014 to $18,000 in 2015.  For people over 50 years of age, the “catch up contribution” for IRAs increases from $5,500 to $6,000. With enough advance planning, […]

Read More »

Court Allows Survivor Retirement Benefits Payable to a Supplemental Needs Trust

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 […]

Read More »

New Breakthrough in Alzheimer’s Research

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

Read More »