MARCH 29, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 39 Thomas A. Smith had two daughters from his first marriage and two step-children from his second wife. In 1996, shortly after his second wife’s death, he changed the beneficiary designation on a $100,000 life insurance policy so that the four children would share the policy proceeds equally. In…
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MARCH 22, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 38 Claude Baldwin, Jr., prepared a living trust to avoid probate of his estate. His trust directed a distribution to be made at his death to his sister Bernice Branch. The trust was silent as to what would happen if Ms. Branch died first. Of course Mr. Baldwin could…
MARCH 15, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 37 Louise Friar worried about what would happen to her modest estate if she ever needed to go into a nursing home. She owned her home, and she had two certificates of deposit that represented her life savings. Whether she got the idea from friends, professional advisors, her own…
MARCH 8, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 36 In June 2001, four national advocacy organizations and an individual plaintiff sued Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Tommy Thompson. The lawsuit sought the court’s help to force Secretary Thompson to follow the law’s requirement that comparative written information about what participating Medicare+Choice…
MARCH 1, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 35 When a recipient of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid benefits receives money, the benefits may be reduced or even terminated. That is why most parents of children with a disability should consider establishing a “special needs” trust to handle any inheritance or gifts. Making the decision to…
FEBRUARY 23, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 34 It makes sense that someone seeking to qualify for public benefits would want to argue that they do not have assets available to them. Sometimes, however, an applicant will want to argue that more assets are available, as Charles Smith and his wife did—unsuccessfully. Mr. Smith, an Arizona…
FEBRUARY 16, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 33 In 1999 the Platte County, Missouri, courts appointed a guardian of the person and conservator of the estate for Linda Werner. Because of her schizophrenia and her resulting difficulty in making responsible decisions the court decided that Janet Waddell, the county’s “public administrator,” should handle Ms. Werner’s personal…
FEBRUARY 9, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 32 When someone in a nursing home qualifies for Medicaid, he or she will usually still have to pay a portion of the nursing home bill. In some cases this can mean that the resident must pay more than his or her income—or risk eviction from the nursing home.…
FEBRUARY 2, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 31 Although it is important to plan your estate, it is sometimes not enough just to prepare important documents and make reasonable decisions. It is also critical to select a reliable person to administer that estate. While family members may be the best choice, things may not always work…
JANUARY 26, 2004 VOLUME 11, NUMBER 30 When the courts appoint a guardian or conservator to handle an individual’s personal and/or financial affairs, the subject of those proceedings loses virtually all of his or her autonomy and independence. At least that’s the way things have worked for centuries. In recent years, however, the guardianship system…