May is Mental Health Awareness Month: Take Steps to Work for More Understanding to Save Lives
By Littman Krooks Imagine you have an illness that is invisible. You look healthy and are functioning on the surface but are in pain all the time, both emotionally and physically. The illness saps all your strength. You cannot concentrate. Many days, you cannot get out of bed. You often cannot sleep or sleep all…
First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage…
By Bernard A. Krooks, Esq., Littman Krooks We all remember the lyrics from that famous song: “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby in the baby carriage.” While these words may be music to the ears of a young couple, folks who are considering getting married later in life have many issues to…
Aging Alone: Tips and Tools
For many seniors, their most important lifelines are their adult children and spouses. Seniors often rely on adult children to help research and secure health care, social services and housing. Those entering their golden years childless and single, divorced or widowed would be well-served to put in place alternatives to these lifelines. Doing so will…
Updates on OPWDD Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board Upstate Forum
By Sandi Rosenbaum, Special Education Advocate, Littman Krooks On February 13, 2018, the OPWDD Autism Spectrum Disorders Advisory Board (“the Board”) held an Upstate Forum, which included the Hudson Valley via video-conference. The Board held a second forum in Manhattan on February 22, which included Long Island and Queens via video-conference. In November of 2016,…
Updates to New IDEA Website
by Arshi Pal, Esq., Littman Krooks Beginning April 30, 2018, the United States Department of Education has announced that the original “Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004“ website from 2004 will no longer be active. However, parents should not panic. Instead, any individual who visits the website will be redirected to the new Individuals with Disabilities…
The Significance of the Pooled Trust Notification Law
By Erica M. Fitzgerald, Esq., Littman Krooks On December 18, 2017, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the “Pooled Trust Notification Bill” into law. This law, which is set to take effect on June 18, 2018, requires plain language notification to Medicaid applicants and recipients of the availability of pooled trusts as a means of maintaining Medicaid…
Building Resilience in Youth after Recent Storms and Other Adverse Events
By Littman Krooks Many of us still lack power and heat after the storm and many schools are still not open. In addition, students and school staff are facing continued fear and anxiety after the Parkland, Florida shooting. For youth with disabilities, the changes in routines and the increased stress can be devastating. The recent…
Letter to Our Clients Regarding Recent Tax Act
By Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., Littman Krooks President Trump signed tax reform legislation, Public Law 115-97, generally referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, into law on December 22, 2017. The Act is the most sweeping tax legislation to be enacted in decades. It is broad in scope, complicated, and will impact almost…
Update on Endrew F.
By Arshi Pal. Esq., Littman Krooks Almost a year ago, in a seminal ruling, on March 22, 2017, the Supreme Court of the United States held that school districts must provide an education “reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child’s circumstances.” The Court was clear that a…
Understand Basics of New FINRA Rules to Prevent Financial Exploitation of Vulnerable Loved Ones
By Stacy Sadove, Esq., Littman Krooks In a positive development for seniors and individuals with disabilities, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) has just approved the adoption of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) Rule 2165 (Financial Exploitation of Specified Adults). Rule 2165 allows broker-dealers to place a temporary hold on disbursements of…
