Legislators Vote Against Seniors

When the U.S. Government provides a program funding care for seniors, states should accept the money and care for seniors. Begun in 2005 under President George W. Bush, the "Money Follows the Person" was designed to allow seniors in nursing homes to transfer home and still receive some level of care through continued Medicaid Funding.

The cost of nursing home care averages more than $5,000 per month; seniors' cost of care is Very Expensive.

BUT, how much more expensive is it to care for seniors in their own home rather than in a nursing home? NOT you might answer. Many seniors could remain in their home or return to their home, but for lack of funding. Medicaid will pay for the nursing home care, but it is very difficult to gain the same level of care at home without Medicaid assistance.

On June 24 this year, the Florida Legislative Budget Commission voted to REJECT $35.7 Million to fund care for seniors in their home. As Florida has one of the Highest Per Capita Populations of Seniors, you would think the Legislature would accept money from a program set up by President George W. Bush. Not so in today's political landscape. The Budget Committee voted to reject the federal money as "duplicative" of state programs and funding. Representatives Ed Hooper, Mike Horner, Matt Hudson, Don Gaetz, Garrett Richter, Stephen Wise, Rob Shenk and Denile Grimsley, all Republicans, voted AGAINST acceptance of the federal money.

When you are trying to find care for your senior adult, it is imperative that all resources be counted to see if they qualify for Medicaid. Unfortunately, "all sources of income" are NOT counted, or even accepted, by the state when they seek to balance the budget.

If you have a senior in need of nursing home care, selecting the right attorney practicing in Elder Law can be challenging. Please call me at 407-645-3297 or visit my website at www.aubreylaw.com

I look forward to speaking with you.

Change to Social Security Hours

In case you missed it, the Social Security Administration announced a change effective August 15 of this year. The announcement will no doubt affect services provided by attorneys as well as the Social Security Office. If your Elder Law Attorney or Family Law Attorney must deal with Social Security Issues as well, this is Not a welcome change. The announcement follows:

Effective August 15, 2011, Social Security field offices nationwide will close to the public 30 minutes early each day. For example, a field office that is usually open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. will close daily at 3:30 p.m.

“While agency employees will continue to work their regular hours, this shorter public window will allow us to complete face-to-face service with the visiting public without incurring the cost of overtime for our employees,” said Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security. “Congress provided our agency with nearly $1 billion less than the President requested for our budget this fiscal year, which makes it impossible for us to provide the amount of overtime needed to handle service to the public as we have in the past.”

Most Social Security services do not require a visit to an office. For example, anyone wishing to apply for benefits, sign up for direct deposit, replace a Medicare card, obtain a proof of income letter or inform us of a change of address or telephone number may do so at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ or by dialing our toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

In Elder Law, Family Law and Divorce, many people have to discuss how to allocate Social Security Benefits paid to children or dependents. Sometimes these are the only assets or income for the family. If you need help, Call me at 407-645-3297 or visit my website at www.aubreylaw.com

I look forward to hearing from you. Aubrey