Kimberly Bliss | Laidlaw & Simon

What is Medicaid?

Kimberly Bliss — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 20:40:09 +0000

Medicaid is a publicly funded health insurance program designed for people with low incomes and for adults over age 65, certified blind, or certified disabled individuals. It is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. As such, each state administers its own Medicaid program in accordance with federal requirements but with different eligibility rules […]

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More Potential Changes to Retirement Accounts: Secure Act 2.0

Kimberly Bliss — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 14:57:31 +0000

At the end of 2019, Congress passed a major piece of legislation impacting qualified retirement plans. This piece of legislation is referred to as the Secure Act. Among the Secure Act’s many provisions, the two most substantial changes were: (1) the age that retirement plan participants need to take distributions was pushed back from age […]

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Benefits of Revocable Trusts Now and After Death

Kimberly Bliss — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 17:36:06 +0000

Revocable trusts are useful tools to manage your assets during your lifetime and after your death. As the name implies, revocable trusts may be revoked or amended while you are alive giving them the nickname, “living trusts”. They are useful estate planning tools for individuals with moderate and high asset values because they avoid probate […]

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Important Medicaid Changes For New Yorkers Aged 65 or Over

Kimberly Bliss — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 16:42:51 +0000

Earlier in the year, we discussed Governor Hochul’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023. As part of the budget, the Governor proposed to eliminate the resource test for New York’s Medicaid program for those individuals aged 65 or older. That proposal was not passed. Instead on April 8, 2022, the New York State Legislature passed […]

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Could More Changes Be on the Horizon for New York State’s Medicaid Program?

Kimberly Bliss — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 17:37:01 +0000

Over the last few years, New York State has been looking to change its Medicaid program. As part of former Governor Cuomo’s budget for fiscal year 2021, New York State drastically amended its laws to provide for a thirty-month look-back period for community-based long term care services (i.e., home care), among other changes. Due to […]

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Business Interests and Long-Term Care Planning

Kimberly Bliss — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 14:18:48 +0000

As they grow older, many individuals in New York look towards Medicaid to provide vital long term care services such as personal care services (i.e., homecare) or nursing home care. Currently, in order for an individual over the age of 65 to qualify for Medicaid in New York, that individual must have less than the […]

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I Signed a Will; Isn’t That Enough?

Kimberly Bliss — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 12:30:09 +0000

As an estate planning attorney, I quite frequently talk to people about whether they have engaged in estate planning (i.e., signed estate planning documents). The answer in many instances to this inquiry is a simple yes. But when I inquire further and ask what specific documents were signed, I receive some variety of this question […]

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Medicaid Home Care Look-back Period – Delayed Again

Kimberly Bliss — Tue, 20 Jul 2021 13:08:37 +0000

As many know by now, the New York State Department of Health (DOH) has been taking steps to implement a thirty (30) month look-back period for Medicaid Applications filed for Community-Based Long Term Care Services (i.e. home care). The look-back period would apply to gifts made on or after October 1, 2020, but only for those applications […]

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