Our Blog
Welcome to the blog of R. F. Meyer & Associates, where we share company news and informative articles related to our Elder Law, Probate and Estate Planning legal practice.
States May Not Terminate Medicaid During the Pandemic
You should be aware that federal law does not allow states that have accepted increased Medicaid funding to terminate Medicaid benefits while the coronavirus health emergency continues. Access to affordable medical care is especially important during a global health...
June newsletter released: Coronavirus, unfortunately, still key focus
Earlier today, we issued the June 2020 Newsletter from R. F. Meyer & Associates. Please find a link to it in PDF form below. We hope the newsletter finds our client and referral partner subscribers safe and in good health. Unfortunately, the Coronavirus/COVID-19...
How Low Nursing Home Wages Help COVID-19’s Spread
In mid-February, a cluster of residents at the Seattle-area nursing home, Life Care Center of Kirkland, came down with a respiratory illness and fever. On February 28, a 73-year-old female resident tested positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Over the next...
Bring Your Parent Home from the Nursing Home During the Pandemic?
With the coronavirus pandemic hitting nursing homes and long-term care facilities especially hard, families are wondering whether they should bring their parents or other loved ones home. It is a tough decision with no easy answers. The number of coronavirus cases in...
Should Seniors Who Lose Jobs Claim Social Security Benefits Early?
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, unemployment is skyrocketing. Seniors who lose their jobs may be tempted to claim Social Security benefits early, but should they, given the resulting reduction in future benefits? The answer depends on your situation, but you...
How Your Stimulus Check Affects Medicaid Eligibility
The coronavirus relief bill includes a direct payment to most Americans, but this has Medicaid recipients wondering how the payment will affect them. Because the payment is not income, it should not count against a Medicaid recipient’s eligibility. The Coronavirus...
Social Security Shutters ‘Petri Dish’ Field Offices for Safety
To protect its workers and the public during the coronavirus pandemic, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has suspended face-to-face service to at its field offices and hearings offices nationwide until further notice. Payments to the nearly 70 million Social...
Medicare Expands Telehealth Services During Pandemic
As part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, the federal government is broadly expanding coverage of Medicare telehealth services to beneficiaries and relaxing HIPAA enforcement. This will give doctors the ability to provide more services to patients...
Staying Connected When Nursing Home Visits are Banned
The spread of the coronavirus to nursing home residents has caused the federal government to direct nursing homes to restrict visitor access, and many assisted living facilities have done the same. While the move helps the residents stay healthy, it can also lead to...