Elder Law Newsletters
Asset Management - Viatical and Senior Settlements
In a viatical or senior settlement, a person who owns a life insurance policy sells the policy for a lump sum payment, usually a percentage of the policy's face value, to a buyer. The buyer of the policy then becomes the beneficiary, pays the premiums, and receives the full amount of the insurance when the original owner dies. Viatical settlements can be risky for both the sellers and the buyers and should be evaluated carefully.
Employment - Veterans - Temporary and Excepted Service and Preference Enforcement
In the federal government, jobs not to exceed one year are known as temporary appointments. Agencies typically select candidates for temporary jobs either using the competitive examination process, discussed in detail in a separate article, or through a separate process known as "outside the register." Successful applicants for temporary jobs do not acquire status as civil service employees, nor are they eligible, outside of the competitive process, for career-conditional appointments. However, veterans are accorded preferences even in temporary appointments and in most excepted service positions.
Income Eligibility for Medicaid
Medicaid programs offer assistance to needy persons who cannot afford to pay for their medical care. The federal and individual state governments jointly administer Medicaid. While federal statutes and regulations provide the template, each state establishes its own methodology for administering its Medicaid program.
Medicare Rights
Every person enrolled in Medicare, whether in Original Medicare (Parts A and B), Medicare Advantage (formerly Medicare+Choice), or a Medigap supplemental policy, has certain rights. Some of these rights relate to how enrollees are treated, some relate to enrollees' rights to care, and some relate to information, privacy, and appeals.
State Guaranty Associations
Generally, all commercial insurers that are licensed by a state to issue annuity policies or contracts must be members of the state's insurance guaranty association in order to conduct business in that state. There are insurance guaranty associations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and all United States territories.
