By Joel Krooks, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Estate Administration can be a very long and difficult process. It is important to choose the right person as the Executor of your Estate. The Executor is the person responsible for administering your estate. There are five main responsibilities of an Executor (1) Filing for Probate; (2) Marshalling Assets; (3) Determining Cash Needs; (4) Paying Reasonable Debts and Expenses and; (5) Distributing the …
By: Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP COVID-19 has created many issues, including making the elders in our lives feel stressed, isolated, lonely and hopeless. Below are several helpful tips to keep you connected to your loved one and help support them during this time: Set a time each week when you will call and check on them Seniors prefer schedules, and it gives them something to look forward to Have …
By: Bernard A. Krooks, Certified Elder Law Attorney We hear about it on the news all the time; yet, we think it can’t happen to us. Well, guess what, it can. In fact, it recently happened to me! I received a notice from the NYS Department of Labor advising me that my unemployment benefits had been approved. Really? I am still working and blessed with the opportunity to practice law …
By Brian L. Miller, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP In April 2020, New York State passed laws that significantly changed the Community Medicaid program, making it more difficult for New Yorkers to obtain benefits for long-term care at home. These changes include creating a 30 month lookback of an individual’s finances for Community Medicaid and creating a penalty period for uncompensated transfers made during the 30 month lookback period. These new …
By Bernard A. Krooks, Certified Elder Law Attorney One of the things we have learned during this recent pandemic is how important it is to have your estate and financial affairs in order since you never know when you might lose capacity or pass away. One of the questions we most often receive from clients is “how often should I update my will and other estate planning documents?” So, here …
By Stephanie Goldstein, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP On July 10, 2020, the New York State Department of Health Commissioner announced that nursing homes and long-term care facilities will be allowed limited visitation for facilities that have been without COVID-19 for at least twenty-eight (28) days. Precautions must still be taken. Residents are only allowed no more than two visitors at a time; at least one of those visitors must be …
By Stephanie L. Goldstein, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP Our team previously provided updates on the SECURE Act, effective January 1, 2020, which eliminated the “Stretch IRA” provisions for anyone other than the surviving spouse. Beneficiaries of inherited IRAs must now withdraw the entire amount from inherited IRAs within 10 years of receiving it. Prior to January 1, 2020, a beneficiary could stretch their distributions throughout their lifespan. A 30-year-old beneficiary …
In an ideal world, everyone would have an estate plan in place and legal documents drawn up long before they are ever needed. Despite the best efforts of estate planning attorneys everywhere, this is not always the case. For some people, however, early planning is not just smart but critically important. Individuals with dementia are one such group. The sooner legal planning is done, the more the patient can participate …
It is hard to watch parents get older, especially when signs of aging that affect their personality and independence begin to become noticeable. Because it is not always possible for adult children to spend lots of time with their parents it can be easy to miss the little indicators of a beginning problem. Recently, many families have been seeing less of each other due to COVID-19 quarantines and out of …
By Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., Littman Krooks LLP It is quite possible than many of us have plenty of free time on our hands and perhaps are even getting a little bored (after all, how much Netflix can we actually watch!). Here are some ideas on how to pass the time. Some of these things might have even been on your to-do list for quite some time. Why not take …
