National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys • Volume 21 • Issue 3 • 2009

Stephen J. Silverberg, CELANAELA President 2009–2010

“How Can I Help?”

Also Inside: Annual Meeting Second Annual Coverage Hill Day

I am the author of the leading consumer guide to Medicaid planning, How to Protect Your Family’s Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs: Medicaid Secrets. Currently in its third (2009) edition, this book has been exceptionally well received by the public as well as professionals. Since the book has a national focus, I am now seeking well-qualifi ed attorneys to become contributing authors for their respective states. In exchange for your editing the book as to state-specifi c changes, and the payment of a modest fee, you will have the exclusive

right to market your special state edition in your practice area.

Use your books to market your practice.

Use or sell them at seminars, talks, give to local assisted living facilities and libraries, display them on your fi rm’s website, use as appointment give-aways, etc.

Being an author gives you immediate credibility and exper-tise in a potential client’s eyes.

View the complete Table of Contents and Index here: www.MedicaidSecrets.com

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I would fi rst have to accept you as being suffi ciently qualifi ed to be a co-author.

You would review the existing national edition and mark it up for state-specifi c changes.

I will then have your changes typeset.

Your special state edition will include your name as co-author, plus your photo and mini-bio on the back cover, next to mine.

You will receive 150+ copies of your book for use in your local marketing.

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Co-author a book on Medicaid planning How it works:

Limited-time Opportunity!Co-Authors Wanted

For more information on how to enhance your marketing through this unique co-authorship opportunity, and for detailed pricing, go to www.MedicaidSecrets.com/NAELA

K. Gabriel Heiser, Phylius Press(615) 397-8958

info@PhyliusPress.com

TELEPHONICSPROGRAM 2009

Client Confi dentiality IssuesSeptember 16, 2009 • 2 pm ESTNancy Gibson90 minutes — $95

Protecting the Home — How to Best Achieve Your Planning Goals in the Face of Nursing Home CostsOctober 8, 2009 • 2 pm ESTTim Crawford90 minutes — $95

How to Use Care Managers in a SNT PracticeOctober 21, 2009 • 2 pm ESTRick Courtney and K.T. Whitehead90 minutes — $95

VA Benefi ts November 17, 2009 • 2 pm ESTRick Law 90 minutes — $95

Planning to Reduce Estate/Guardianship LitigationDecember 2, 2009 • 2 pm ESTWendy Sheinberg90 minutes — $95

Past Telephonic Events are also available. Go to www.NAELA.org and look under Events for the Online Education Library.

For more information and to register go to www.NAELA.org and look under Events for the Online Education Library.

You and your staff can get the training you need to be on top of current Elder and Special Needs

Law issues — without leaving your offi ce. PRICE REDUCTION!

All Telephonics Prices Have Been

REDUCED FOR NAELA MEMBERS.

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FEATURES

NAELA News is published by the National Academy of Elder Law

Attorneys, Inc.1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 220

Vienna, VA 22182703-942-5711

Fax: 703-563-9504www.NAELA.org

8 Featured MemberStephen J. Silverberg: “How Can I Help?”

By Wendy H. Sheinberg, CELA

10 NAELA’s Annual Meeting: A Capital Investment

By Tim Crawford, CELA

12 NAELA Awards

14 Introducing NAELA’s New Board Members

18 Hill Day 2009: Great Work, NAELians! By Mary Alice Jackson

20 Building Relationships with NAELA’s Political Allies

By Charles P. Sabatino

24 10 Ways to Make the Most of Your NAELA Membership

25 NAELA’s Newest Member Benefi t Partner: Amicus Creative Media

26 Th e Leadership Council of Aging Organizations’ Recommendations for Health Care Reform

By Brian Lindberg

Copyright © 2009 National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. Any use of the contents of this publication without the express written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited.

Articles appearing in NAELA News may not be regarded as legal advice. Th e nature of Elder Law practice makes it imperative that local law and practice be consulted before advising clients. Statements of fact and opinion are the responsibility of the author and do not imply an opinion or endorsement on the part of the offi cers or directors of NAELA unless otherwise specifi cally stated as such.

P U B L I C AT I O N S C H A I RWendy H. Sheinberg, CELA

Garden City, N.Y.

E D I T O R - I N - C H I E FRuth E. Ratzlaff , Esq.

Kingsburg, Calif.

E D I T O R SRobert C. Anderson, CELA

Marquette, Mich.

Edward E. Zetlin, Esq. Falls Church, Va.

M. Terry Berthelot, Esq. Mansfi eld, Conn.

Kristi Vetri, Esq. Rapid City, S.D.

Y O U N G / N E W AT T O R N E Y S S E C T I O N L I A I S O NAudrey Heidt, Esq. Waltham, Mass.

Vo lume 21 • Issue 3

DEPARTMENTS 4 President’s Message Welcome to the Sixties — Again By Stephen J. Silverberg, CELA

6 Executive Director’s Message It Starts With You By Peter G. Wacht, CAE

7 Announcing NAELA’s CareerCenter

25 New CELAs

31 NAELA Calendar of Events andNAELA Telephonic Programming

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NAELA News has two complementary purposes: to communicate the activities, goals and mission of its publisher, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys; and simultaneously, to seek out and publish information and diverse views related to Elder Law and Special Needs Law.The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily refl ect the policies of the publisher. Statements of fact are solely the responsibility of the author.

“Once we know something, we fi nd it hard to imagine what it was like not to know it. Our knowledge has ‘cursed’ us. And it becomes diffi cult for us to share our

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Welcome to the Sixties — Again Stephen J. Silverberg, CELA

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Afew days before my term as NAELA President began, Newsday, our Long Island newspaper, announced it

would be highlighting the Class of 1969. Being a member of this class, I wondered why Newsday was doing this. As I read the accompa-nying article, I realized how much of the spirit of 1969 is alive in the

NAELA of today. To me the Fifties ended and the Sixties began not on

December 31, 1959, but on a dark Friday afternoon in November 1963. Th is day and its horrifying events marked the end of an unparalleled period of growth in the United States and the innocence of a generation. Th e following years were tumultuous. Public opposition to an unpopular war grew exponentially, our cities and college campuses were wracked by riots brought on by social injustices, and three more voices for change were silenced through unspeakable acts of violence and hate, all culminating in a massive protest in Chicago in the summer of 1968.

Th en, 1969 arrived. It was a truly remarkable year. It began with the New York Jets forever changing the face of professional football in the United States. Th e New York Knicks began a path that would lead to their fi rst NBA championship (after all, I am New Yorker1 born and bred). Th at summer, two events happened that are for-ever ingrained in American culture: the lunar landing and Woodstock (if you do not remember either of these, you were either not yet born, or you were fully entrenched in the Sixties). Finally, fall brought us the miracle that was the 1969 New York Mets. Yes, it was quite a year. Although the Sixties would truly not end until the resignation of the President, December 31, 1969, found our generation united with a greater sense of purpose and looking forward to the future with new hope and optimism. We were going to change the world. As I begin my term as NAELA Presi-dent, I again feel those stirrings of hope and optimism.

Doing Well By Doing GoodTh e spirit of the Sixties and the concept of the greater

good were never more self-evident that fateful day in 1988,

1 Pronounced “New Yawka.”

when a group of our colleagues, championing the inter-ests of our senior population and individuals with special needs, formed NAELA. “Doing Well By Doing Good” became a mantra that spread through the NAELA com-munity. Th rough those formative years, NAELA thrived and became the academic and professional Mecca for the Elder Law and Special Needs attorney. NAELA members showed the power of an organized group united for a common cause and were instrumental in bringing about legal reforms and improvements in the services available to seniors and people with special needs. It was in these early years that the unique sense of NAELA community and camaraderie took root.

Th e growth of any organization is not without its bumps and detours. 1997 saw passage and preliminary imple-mentation of “Granny Goes to Jail.” Suddenly, NAELA members were literal walking targets for the proponents of that misguided law. Th rough well-designed and skill-fully orchestrated advocacy, we saw this law permanently enjoined. When the dust settled, there was a new aware-ness among NAELA and its members of the importance of public policy advocacy in serving our clients. With this thought in mind, NAELA commenced a strong public policy initiative that eventually resulted in the creation of the Senior Rights PAC.

NAELA’s EvolutionTh en the growing pains of maturation began. Like many

of the children of the Sixties, NAELA began to ask, “Who am I?” and sought to defi ne itself. NAELA and its mem-bers began to look inward and re-evaluate our collective core values and goals. Personal growth and introspection are never comfortable, but are necessary for an organiza-tion to move forward. Because of that introspection and self-examination, NAELA has now moved to a new and dynamic part of its evolution; we now have a strong in-house staff headed by our new Executive Director Pete Wacht. Familiar faces such as Casey Anderson, Frances Bettinger and Meredith Hansen have been joined by the new faces of Nancy Sween, Ann Watkins, Kirsten Brown Simpson and Leah Rose. Together, in less than six months, they have helped us move not only to a new location, but also in a new direction. You may have noticed the impres-sive improvement in Member Services. Our new staff is action oriented; instead of talking about overhauling the

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Web site, they have acted; members had comments on the Membership Directory that were quickly addressed. NAELA members can look forward to enhanced continu-ing education options, such as an increase in telephonic CLE, podcasts and other online programming. I urge all NAELA members to get to know our new staff person-ally. Th ey are ready and willing to help you. Please do not hesitate to provide them with your ideas and suggestions to improve the NAELA experience.

Looking to the FutureIt is a privilege for me to serve as President as NAELA

enters its “1969.” While it is important that we look back and learn from our past actions, we can neither sit on our laurels nor dwell on our failures. Together, we must look to the future. Never before have we had the opportunity to meld public policy on the federal and state levels. Th rough our 27 State Chapters, our new Grassroots Advocacy Initia-tive will assist and teach members how to eff ectively deal

with local elected representatives. We not only have the ideals and resources to help our clients, but the experi-ence and diversity to assist our members in building their practices by providing a forum in which we can all learn from each other and better serve our clients while striking a balance with our personal lives. By working together we can, as we have in the past, make a diff erence.

NAELA is recognized as the premier organization for attorneys practicing Special Needs and Elder Law. Nearly every week NAELA or one of its members is quoted in a national publication or appears on television or radio. Many governmental agencies, including the United States Congress, have turned to NAELA for information and ideas.

I am proud to call myself a member of NAELA and hope that each NAELA member feels that same pride. I hope that you fi nd in NAELA the magic and excitement of the summer of 1969, and that together as members of NAELA we can reach higher still. ■

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When I’m not in the NAELA offi ce, I’m usually on a soccer fi eld, either playing or coaching my son or my daughter. In fact, as I write this, my son’s spring travel soccer season is coming to a close. We play

in a very competitive league, but we’ve had a great deal of success from one season to the next because we have an excellent group of boys and parents. And that’s something that other teams often forget. Succeeding in soccer isn’t based solely on a player’s skill and ability, though that is important. It also involves creating an environment in which the player can grow and succeed. And when you spend so much time together as a team, you absolutely must ensure that the parents get along and are supportive, otherwise the atmo-sphere for learning and improving will be lost.

Play Hard, Play Smart, Play Together

In fact our motto is “play hard, play smart, play together.” It’s certainly served us well, as we’ve demonstrated that strong team play will always surpass individual play. I believe that applies to as-sociations as well.

On June 1, Steve Silverberg became president of NAELA and a new Board offi cially took offi ce. I bet no one really noticed. And that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

In many associations, when the annual leadership transi-tion occurs, it could mean complete and total upheaval for the group. What the association had focused on just the day before is no longer important, as the new president has diff erent priorities and objectives, requiring a redistribution of energy and resources and a shift to the new priorities … at least until the next president comes in a year later. For a group such as that, there’s little continuity and consistency and very little, if anything, gets done from one year to the next.

Th ankfully, that’s not the case here at NAELA. With a Strategic Plan in place and varied terms for Board mem-

bers, we have an orderly transition and a continued focus on those priorities identifi ed by the Board, not by a single individual. Th e role of the president is to ensure that the Academy continues to make progress with regard to these long-term priorities, which may extend beyond a year, and to work with the Board to determine what changes will need to be made in the future so that the organization remains relevant in a rapidly changing environment. Steve’s focus on structure for the coming year and ensuring that NAELA has the processes and resources in place to achieve its objectives certainly bodes well for the future.

Success Starts With YouBut where does the organiza-

tion’s success come from? Th e president? Th e Board?

Both are extremely important to the organization, but in all honesty, it starts with you, the member. Consider for a moment some of the more visible benefi ts of membership:• Th is magazine for instance,

which serves as one of the orga-nization’s primary communica-tion vehicles.

• NAELA’s work on Capitol Hill, which is quickly gaining mo-mentum as the Obama Admin-istration and Congress turn their attention to health care reform.

• Th e nine Sections, all focused on specifi c projects of interest to members in specialized areas of practice, ranging from newslet-ters to forms banks.

• Th e various program committees, each one charged with putting together high-quality educational experiences for one of NAELA’s meetings.Yes, staff and the Board play a role in these and many

other activities. But the success of these activities, the suc-cess of NAELA, depends most of all on the broad base of volunteers who have committed their time, expertise and energy to ensuring that the Academy off ers real value to its members. And these contributions to the NAELA team

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S MESSAGEIt Starts With You Peter G. Wacht, CAE

With a Strategic Plan in place and varied terms for Board members, we have an orderly transition and a continued focus on those priorities identifi ed by the Board, not by a single individual.

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are made all the more obvious at this time of the year, for along with the change in leadership comes the transition to new committees and Sections, all of which require volun-teer direction and participation.

So I’d like to off er my thanks, fi rst, to those members who served so ably during the past year on the Academy’s many committees and Sections and, second, to those who will be continuing with or beginning their service for 2009–10. By playing hard, playing smart, and playing to-gether, we can all — volunteers, Board and staff — achieve our objective of strengthening the new NAELA. ■

Announcing:

NAELA’s CareerCenterFind a Job or Fill a Position Using Sophisticated Online Tools

With its mission to serve the legal community and establish NAELA members as the premier providers of special needs

and elder law, NAELA’s CareerCenter is an important link between those looking to work in this fi eld and those fi rms needing talented people. While providing this important link, this site also extends an-other benefi t to NAELA members, a signifi cant savings to post open positions over generic job boards.

Resources for EmployersNAELA members and non-members can use the NAELA

CareerCenter to reach qualifi ed candidates. Employers can post jobs online, search for qualifi ed candidates based on specifi c job criteria, and create an online Résumé Agent to e-mail qualifi ed candidates daily. Employers also benefi t from online reporting that provides job activity statistics to track each job posting’s return on investment.

Resources for Job SeekersFor job seekers, NAELA CareerCenter is a free service

providing access to employers and jobs in the industry. In addition to posting their résumés, job seekers can browse or view jobs based on the criteria they fi nd matches their goals best. Job seekers can also post confi dentially with confi dence or search anonymously by creating a “Job Agent.” Job Agents notify job seekers via e-mail when jobs matching their criteria are posted, eliminating the need to visit their online accounts daily to track new postings.

NAELA’s CareerCenter Benefi tsOnline Job Postings: Streamlines job posting process

and management. Tracks applications, page view traffi c and reports statistics.

Résumé Database: Creates a qualifi ed talent pool that can be resourced over time.

Résumé Agents: Sends new résumés directly to a re-cruiter’s inbox based on pre-determined criteria allowing an employer to search for relevant candidates “while they sleep.”

Featured Jobs: Highlight job postings in search results to make them stand out from the rest.

Featured Employer Profi les: Gives employers a way to promote their companies without having to have a posting listed.

Google Maps: Gives employers a way to plot the job loca-tion on a job posting to give talent a better understanding of the geographic proximity of the job location to their homes.

GoogleBase/Indeed/SimplyHired Job Distribution: When jobs are posted to the NAELA CareerCenter, they are pushed out to job search engines on the internet, creating greater exposure for an employer’s posting.

Benefi ts Specifi c to Job SeekersJob Search and Online Application: Gives job seekers a

way to search and apply for positions online and manage their search by “saving jobs” for review later. Job seekers can also e-mail positions to themselves or to a friend, giving the career center additional exposure through viral marketing.

Résumé Posting: Job seekers can upload a résumé and make it available for employers to review, confi dentially if they choose, giving the passive job seeker a way to make them-selves available for new opportunities as they come up.

Document Manager: Job seekers can upload work samples, references, letters of recommendation or certifi ca-tion, cover letters, etc., and make them available for employ-ers to view.

Job Agents: Similar to Résumé Agents, job seekers can create and save a set of job posting criteria for which they are looking and have results sent to the e-mail inbox on a regular basis. ■

Cimtinfi ptsomspj

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FEATURED MEMBER

The fi rst time I met Steve Silverberg, I was providing ground transportation from the airport for a fellow NAELA member who was returning from NAELA IX in Las Vegas, and that member introduced me to Steve. Steve had his luggage and was walking with the aid of a cane, he was visibly tired, but above all, he was determined to get to his destination and under his own power. That is very Steve. I asked what had happened, and I was told that while on a vacation Steve had been in an accident and had broken his pelvis and sustained other injuries. I was amazed that someone who had been through such a serious accident would get on an airplane and fl y across the country to go to a meeting. I thought, “Wow, that is dedication.” That is Steve. He is truly dedicated to this organization and contributes so much to NAELA.

Much More Beneath the SurfaceA multidimensional and well-rounded person, Steve’s

family and personal life are as full and accomplished as his professional life — not an easy task — but Steve does it. Steve may be best known for his off beat sense of humor and his love of good wine and good barbeque, but there is a lot more to Steve than what is apparent on the surface.

Steve was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was fi ve years old. From Brooklyn, Steve’s family moved to Long Island.

Originally from Poland, both Steve’s mother and father survived the concentration camps of the Holocaust. Steve’s parents met and were married after the war and, like so many other survivors, they sought to build a new life in America. A relative who was an attorney sponsored their entry to the United States from Rosenburg, Germany, after the war. Later Steve would go to work in his offi ce while in college.

Because of the war, Steve’s parents were not able to pursue higher education, but they made sure their son had the opportunity. Steve attended Hartwick College and then Brooklyn Law School. Following law school Steve worked for two of the largest ERISA/pension law fi rms in New York. Transitioning from the pension arena to Elder Law was natural for Steve. He gets great joy from helping others and has a natural ability to communicate eff ectively with seniors and put them at ease, even in times of great turmoil.

Steve met his wife Robin in 1969 at synagogue during Yom Kippur services. Steve won Robin over on their fi rst date to a pizza parlor by showing his sophistication and

Wendy H. Sheinberg, Esq., is a Certifi ed Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation and a member of the law fi rm of Davidow, Davidow, Siegel & Stern, LLP. Wendy is a lifelong New Yorker, and she has practiced law in New York since 1992. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the proud mother of Kelsey, age 15.

Stephen J. Silverberg:“How Can I Help?”

By Wendy H. Sheinberg, CELA

9

ordering a Michelob. Steve and Robin married in 1974. Th ey have two sons, Jared, 24, works for BNY Mellon in Manhattan and Scott, 21, who will be graduating from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Rela-tions later this year.

Service to NAELASteve has been a member of NAELA since 1992. He is a

Certifi ed Elder Law Attorney and a member of the Council of Advanced Practictioners. He has served as the Chair of the Tax Section, the Technology Committee and the Task Force on Estate Tax Reform.

In 2003, Steve became a Fellow of the Academy. Th e award was presented to him in Miami Beach at the Fon-tainebleau. Th ere, in the middle of all those lawyers, sat a table of older women. Among them was Steve’s mother, Helene, and some of her girlfriends. She was so very proud of Steve that day. Watching her son receive the highest honor bestowed by NAELA gave her much nachas (Yiddish for pride, joy, pleasure and gratifi cation felt at the accom-plishments of loved ones such as children and grandchil-dren). Steve’s joy of making his mother so proud was visible to all in attendance.

A Straight ShooterA good word to describe Steve is the Yiddish word

mensch, which translates to a decent human being, a good, honest person, but it really means so much more. To be called a mensch is the ultimate compliment you can pay someone in Yiddish. Steve always means well, he lacks the capacity for resentment, retribution or vindictiveness; he harbors no grudges and will help anyone; and he always fi nds the time to answer a question or give advice. Steve is a straight shooter. He will never cajole you with the company line, he will tell you his honest opinion, and you always know where you stand with Steve.

Another great quality is his openness to other people’s ideas. Steve will listen to you, he might not agree with you, but he will listen. Long after the conversation is over he will continue to think about what you said, and he is a big enough person that he will come back and tell you if his position has changed. He will also apologize. It takes a big person to say I am sorry and an even bigger person to understand how important saying I am sorry is. No matter how busy he may be, if Steve thinks an apology is in order, he will take the time to make it.

When I asked Robin what is the best thing about Steve, she said his willingness to help and not to expect anything in return, and that helping gives him joy.

I ask you all to take advantage of having Steve as our president. Get to know him, and you will see that even though he is a big macher now (a successful person) he is and always will be a regular guy and a mensch. ■

Steve Silverberg may be best known for his offbeat sense of humor and his love of good wine and good barbeque, but there is a lot more to Steve than what is apparent on the surface.

Little Known Steve Facts• Steve is a Certifi ed Barbeque Judge.

• Steve has qualifi ed for Jeopardy.

• Steve is a talented cook and referred to by some as a gourmet.

• Steve is Jets fan and season ticket holder.

• Steve has a vegetable garden.

• Steve thinks he is in charge but Robin and his assistant Esther really run the show.

• Steve is a trivia guru, his knowledge of movies and music is mind boggling.

• Steve is a Mets fan.

• Among Steve’s favorite movies are The Battle of Britain and The Godfather.

• Steve can’t live without Comedy Central and his daily fi x of The Daily Show.

• Steve loves new technology. He was the fi rst on his block to have a cell phone, a Palm Treo, TIVO and GPS and will undoubtedly have any other technological advancement before the rest of us have even heard of it.

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Over 300 NAELA members came to Washing-ton, D.C., to attend fascinating seminars, be an active part of NAELA by attending the business session and catch up with old friends

as well as make new ones at the social gatherings.

Hill DaySixty-four NAELA members started their Annual Meet-

ing off by participating in Hill Day. Hill Day started with a half-day of basic training led by Brian Lindberg, NAELA’s Public Policy Consultant, and other speakers. Th e training focused on how Congress works and how to communicate with legislators and their staff .

Th en it was up to the Hill. NAELA members met with Senators, Representatives and congressional staff to discuss a variety of topics that aff ect the aging population and those with special needs. (See Hill Day coverage, pages 18–22.)

Demonstrating what eff ect these types of meetings with Senators and Congressman can have, the very next day the Elder Justice Act was introduced as a bill in Congress with signifi cant co-sponsorships and support.

Hill Day participants had very favorable comments about the training sessions and their meetings. Although

they may not have been politically active before, they now feel comfortable in their new roll as advocates.

The Opening Reception and Educational SessionsNAELA’s Opening Reception was held in the Russell

Senate Offi ce Building where NAELA members had the opportunity to mingle, eat and drink in this luxurious setting.

Attendees had over 20 educational sessions from which to choose including tracks in Public Policy and Advocacy, Boomers: Th e Next 10–20 Years, Mental Health Issues,

ANNUAL MEETING COVERAGE

NAELA’s Annual Meeting

By Tim Crawford, CELA

The Opening Reception was held in the Russell Senate Offi ce Building.

Tim Crawford, CELA, CAP, CPA, Racine, Wis., chaired the 2009 Annual Meeting Committee.

11

• In a discussion on the future of Medicare, the speaker pointed out that 28 percent of Medicare benefi ciaries have some cognitive impairment.

It was also noted that the Medicare payroll tax has been level since 1986. Someone will have to pay more. The is-sue is the identity of the payor: Medicare benefi ciaries with higher premiums and co-pays, or taxpayers in general.

• David Wessel, Wall Street Journal Washington Bureau Chief, commented that Vietnam has mastered capital-ism better than the United States.He used an anatomical analogy to put the current eco-nomic crisis in perspective. The banking system is the circulatory system of the economy. The auto industry is a kidney. The cost of avoiding the failure of the banking system should make health care reform seem cheap.

• Late on Saturday afternoon, a rapt audience listened to a discussion on “How Far Shall We Go? Medical Care at the End of Life.” E. Haavi Morreim, Ph.D., is a professor of human values and ethics at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She had a fascinating presentation on informed end-of-life decision making. She works regularly with physicians, but emphasized that their “language of minimization” can thwart good deci-sion making (“Your dad had a little episode last night”).

She encouraged attorneys to discuss medical realities with clients and their families. She emphasized the need for careful conversation about goals and basic values regarding quality of life. She also urged us to have clients share these conversations with their treating doctors.

• In a session on “How to Make Diversity a Profi table Propo-sition in Your Practice,” speakers had ideas on how to attract clients from particular groups. For special needs clients, we were encouraged to look for support groups for families with special needs children. For clients from a particular ethnic group, approaching leaders in their faith community was suggested. We were also encouraged to place simple business card advertisements in alternative newspapers as an announcement that we were open to clients who read those publications.

One audience member asked how to handle staff who weren’t as open and inclusive. The consensus was that staff was okay with new groups once they learned that the new client population has the same concerns as the existing client base.

Random notes were assembled by Ruth E. Ratzlaff, NAELA News Editor-in-Chief and Elder Law and Special Needs attorney in Kingsburg, Calif.

and Hot Topics. Th e highlight was a presentation by David Solie, a nationally recognized expert in geriatric commu-nications. He gave us many suggestions on how to com-municate with our clients. David Wessel, the Wall Street Journal Washington Bureau Chief, presented an interesting and informative discussion on the topic of “Th e Economy in Obama’s First Year.” He captivated the audience with interesting stories and observations.

Since we were in Washington, D.C., our nation’s capital, Brian Lindberg made sure we had many quality speakers talking to us about NAELA’s public policy issues — issues aff ecting our clients. And we heard from NAELA’s Grassroots Advocacy Network Initiative (GRANI) on how to support NAELA’s public policy issues at the state and national level.

(continued on next page)

Random Notes From the Annual Meeting

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BOARD AWARDSDoris E. Hawks, Esq.Board of Directors2005–2009

Michael F. Loring, Esq.Board of Directors2005–2009

Edward E. Zetlin, Esq.Board of Directors2005–2009

G. Mark Shalloway, CELAImmediate Past President2000–2009

PRESIDENT’S AWARDCraig C. Reaves, CELA2008–2009 President

PRESIDENT’S GAVELStephen J. Silverberg, CELA2009–2010 President

PRESIDENT’S RECOGNITION AWARDDoris Weber

2008 FELLOWS*Martha C. Brown, CELASt. Louis, Mo.

Wendy H. Sheinberg, CELAGarden City, N.Y.

Edward E. ZetlinFalls Church, Va.

* 2008 Fellows were not published in last year’s NAELA News. For a complete list of Fellows, go to www.NAELA.org.

2009 FELLOWSPatricia E.K. DudekBloomfi eld, Mich.

Barbara S. HughesMadison, Wis.

Howard S. Krooks, CELABoca Raton, Fla.

Ruth Phelps, CELAPasadena, Calif.

JOHN J. REGAN WRITING AWARDJudge David HardyReno, Nev.

POWLEY ELDER LAW AWARDAlfred (Chip) Chiplin Jr.Washington, D.C.

THERESA AWARDRichard A. Courtney, CELAJackson, Miss.

OUTSTANDING CHAPTER MEMBER AWARDSArizona Chapter Emily B. Kile

Northern California Chapter Tricia A. Shindledecker, CELA

Florida Chapter Christopher A. Likens

Georgia Chapter Heather D. Nadler, CELA Victoria L. Collier

Indiana Chapter Keith P. Huffman

Massachusetts Chapter Timothy R. Loff, Esq.

Missouri Chapter Barbara J. Gilchrist Dianne M. Hansen

New Hampshire Chapter Judith Kyle Jones

New York Chapter Cora A. Alsante

Pennsylvania Chapter Marielle F. Hazen, CELA

Texas Chapter Nancy L. Stone

Virginia Chapter Ethan Allen Turshen (awarded posthumously)

Wisconsin Chapter Jeffrey J. Drach, CELA

Washington Chapter David H. Rorden

ANNUAL MEETING COVERAGE

2008–2009 NAELA Awards

2009 Fellows. Top photo, from left: Patricia E.K. Dudek, her daughter Elana and Judith A. Stein, chair of the Fellows Committee. Second photo, from left: Howard S. Krooks, Judith A. Stein and Craig Reaves. Third photo, from left: Craig Reaves, Barbara Hughes and Judith A. Stein. Bottom photo, from left: Craig Reaves, Ruth Phelps and Judith Stein.

13

Law StudentsFor the fi rst time

ever, through the fi nancial sponsorship of NAELA chap-ters and individual NAELA members, law students were invited to attend all the sessions at the Annual Meet-ing without charge. NAELA looks

forward to being able to extend the same invitation to law students at future annual meetings.

NAELA’s New Executive Director and StaffAttendance at the Annual Meeting gave NAELA

members the opportunity to meet NAELA’s new Executive Director, Peter Wacht, and other new NAELA staff mem-bers. During the Business Meeting, Pete gave us a short report on NAELA’s activities and how well the transition from the management company to NAELA’s own staff is progressing.

Your Input Is VitalTh e Annual Meeting Committee takes your comments

seriously. Each conference attendee was encouraged to turn in evaluation forms of the various sessions. Th e Committee has reviewed your comments, which will be used to decide how to conduct future NAELA Annual Meetings.

Thank YouI would especially like to thank Kristi Vetri, who stepped

up to become the Vice Chair of the Annual Meeting Committee. Special thanks need to go to Casey Anderson, NAELA’s Director of Meetings and Education. Also, the 2009 NAELA Annual Meeting Committee worked for eight months planning your Annual Meeting with phone conferences scheduled every two weeks, and lots of work in between lining up speakers, reviewing speakers’ materials and making sure that the conference ran smoothly. ■

Annual Meeting CommitteeTimothy Crawford, ChairKristi Vetri, Vice ChairChristine AlsopRobert AndersonBetsy AngevineEd BoyerRobert BroganHyman Darling

Special Thanks to Our SponsorsThe following sponsors made signifi cant contributions to the success of this year’s Annual Meeting.

Gold SponsorTHE CENTER FOR SPECIAL NEEDS TRUSTS ADMINISTRATIONContact: Jillian Whitten4912 Creekside Dr.Clearwater, FL 33760Phone: 727-894-4489Fax: 727-894-4036E-mail: jillian.whitten@admincenter.orgWeb site: www.sntcenter.org

First-Time Attendee Reception SponsorELDERCOUNSEL, LLC Contact: Valerie PetersonPO Box 13Sisters, OR 97759Phone: 541-588-6262Fax: 888-320-6782E-mail: valerie.peterson@eldercounsel.comWeb site: www.eldercounsel.com

Judge David Hardy (right) is presented with the John J. Regan Award by A. Frank Johns.

LL

efiotNliatPowley Award Winner Alfred (Chip)

Chiplin (right), with Doris Hawks.

Brad FrigonLawrene FrolikSharon GruerDoris HawksBarbara HughesMorris KleinJames JaegerRon LandsmanAimee Rudman

Charles SabatinoJohn WargoMichael WeeksJudith WhitingShirley WhitenackMarta WilligerEd Zetlin

14

Franchelle C. Millender, CELAFranchelle is with the fi rm Sherrill Roof Millender in

Columbia, S.C. She was among the founding members of the Carolinas Chapter of NAELA, which subsequently was divided into the South Carolina and North Carolina Chapters, and has served as chair of the South Carolina Chapter and continues to serve as a member of its Board of Directors.

She is a member of the Council of Advanced Practitio-ners and serves on its Program Committee and Steering Committee.

Franchelle served as the fi rst chair of the Elder Law Committee of the South Carolina Bar when it was estab-

lished in 2004, and is the author of South Carolina Elder Law: A Practice Manual, now in its third edition.

Franchelle was elected as a Fellow of the American Col-lege of Trust and Estate Counsel in 2007.

Franchelle is also active in the legislative process in South Carolina, working with the bar elder law committee on revisions to the Statutory Health Care Power of At-torney, enactment of the Uniform Trust Code, revisions to the South Carolina Probate Code and proposed legislation to get the Uniform Guardianship and Protective Proce-dures Jurisdiction Act introduced and adopted in South Carolina.

ANNUAL MEETING COVERAGE

Announcing the NAELA Online Education Library

Keep up with Elder Law and Special Needs Law issues with the new NAELA Online Education Library.

You’ll fi nd instant access to online and telephonic seminars, webinars, podcasts, MP3’s and session materials. The Online Education Library is user friendly, features simple

online ordering and value-priced programs. Continuing Legal Education credits apply to some

programs.

For more information visit www.NAELA.org.

Introducing NAELA’s New Board Members

continued on page 16

Special Needs Trusts

Pooled Trusts

Third Party Trusts

Settlement Preservation Trusts

4912 Creekside Drive, Clearwater, Florida 33760

Phone (877) 766-5331 | Fax (727) 894-4036

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16

FEATURED MEMBER

Franchelle has two sons and one daughter-in-law. Cam is currently serving in the United States Army. He and his wife are stationed at Fort Campbell, Ken. Trey lives in Columbia, S.C., and teaches high school math.

Hyman G. (Hy) Darling, CELAHy is a partner in the Springfi eld, Mass., fi rm of Bacon

Wilson, PC, where he chairs the Estate Planning and Elder Law Department. In addition to his law practice and ac-tivities with community and legal organizations, he enjoys teaching.

Hy teaches in a paralegal program in order to recruit the best students for his 38-attorney fi rm. He also has extensive experience using technology in education as an adjunct

professor of Elder Law in the all-online LL.M. program at Western New England College School of Law. His real-time classes include students from all over the United States and, most recently, one located in Germany.

Hy was a bank trust offi cer before attending law school. He got into Elder Law by taking over the practices of older members of the fi rm as they retired and fi nding that many of their clients were their contemporaries.

He is married with three children and the family enjoys downhill skiing.

Sharon Kovacs Gruer, CELASharon is a confessed news junkie. She subscribes to four

daily papers to keep current on local, national and interna-tional aff airs. She is a sole practitioner in Great Neck, Long Island, N.Y.

She is chair of NAELA’s Trust Section and a member of the Council of Advanced Practitioners. She has an LL.M. in Tax from NYU. She is also active in the Elder Law Sec-tion of the New York State Bar Association, where she is chair-elect.

She looks forward to serving on the NAELA Board of Directors because she feels this is an important time in NAELA’s existence. She wants to make membership and involvement in the organization compelling for the next generation of members.

Kristi Vetri Kristi may be a new NAELA Board member, but she

comes with a wealth of experience working with other groups of elected representatives. Her background in local politics includes 16 years in roles including Township Su-pervisor, Alderman and Mayor. Her solo law practice is in Belleville, Ill., across the Mississippi River east of St. Louis.

In 2008, she became partner in a Rapid City, S.D., law fi rm, and she now divides her time between the two offi ces.

At Hill Day, held in conjunction with the recent NAELA Annual Meeting, Kristi introduced herself to the Washington, D.C., staff members of the two Senators and sole Representative from her new state of South Dakota. She plans to visit them again during an upcoming sched-uled visit to Washington, D.C., to make sure they have identifi ed her as a constituent who can serve them as a resource on elder law issues. ■

NAELA Gives BackNAELA is dedicated to improving the lives of others. During the 2009 Annual Meeting NAELA raised funds for the follow-ing organizations. Thanks to everyone who made contribu-tions!

DC Central Kitchen: $659 plus over 50 lbs. of food donationsThe DC Central Kitchen (DCCK) provides prepared meals and snacks to their partner agencies in the Washington metropoli-tan area. Their partners are nonprofi t human-service organiza-tions, providing meaningful social services. DCCK prepares an average of 4,500 meals per day, 365 days per year, for distribution to approximately 100 agencies. During the 2009 NAELA Annual Meeting, NAELA donated all unused prepared food to the DC Central Kitchen

National Senior Citizens Law Center: $1,225The National Senior Citizens Law Center advocates nationally for the independence and well-being of older people. The only national organization focused principally on the legal needs of the elderly poor.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy: $718The Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. is a national nonprofi t, non-partisan organization that provides education, advocacy, and legal assistance to help elders and people with disabilities obtain Medicare and necessary health care.

ANNUAL MEETING COVERAGE

Introducing NAELA’s New Board Members, from page 14

17

If you missed the Annual Meeting you can still attend the seminar sessions through NAELA’s Online Education Library. And even if you were at the Annual Meeting, there was no way you could get to all the great seminars.

Now you can attend through video recordings available for download from NAELA’s Online Education Library. Seminars display video and audio and include course materials in electronic format.

Some seminars earn CLE units. See individual course descriptions for CLE details.

Seminar sessions are also available on CD. (Course materials are not included with CDs.) To download an order form, go to www.NAELA.org and look under Events for the Online Education Library.

• Update on the New Administration’s Tax Proposals Speaker: Richard Kaplan, University of Illinois College of

Law

• The Future of Long-term Care Financing Speaker: Howard Gleckman, author of the forthcoming book

Caring for Our Parents: Stories from Today, Roadmap for the Future.

• The Growing, Vast and Untapped Markets of Elder Law Estate Planning

Speakers: Cynthia Barrett, CELA, CAP and James (Jim) Schuster, CELA, CAP

• Ethics of Giving Speaker: Jennifer L. Vanderveen, CELA

• Having Your IRA Distributed to a Trust — What Are the Rules?

Speakers: Robert C. Anderson, CELA; Bill T. Edy, CELA; and Sharon Kovacs Gruer, Esq, LL.M. (Tax)

• Guardianship Monitoring Project Speakers: Sally Balch Hurme, AARP; Erica Wood, American

Bar Association; Naomi Karp, AARP

• Health Care Reform Speaker: Chris Jennings, President, Jennings Policy

Strategies

• The Boomers are Coming! What To Do? Speakers: Michael Gilfi x, Esq., CAP; Vincent Russo, CELA,

CAP

• Hoarding Behavior in Elderly Population Speakers: Lawrence Frolik, Professor of Law, University of

Pittsburgh School of Law; Emily B. Saltz, LICSW, Director Elder Resources

• How to Succeed in Your Elder Law Practice Speakers: Lee M. Holmes, CELA; Jason A. Waddell; Judith

A. Whiting

• Case Law Update Speakers: Robert Fleming, CELA and Rebecca Morgan,

Esq., CAP, Professor of Law, Stetson University College of Law

• How to Make Diversity a Profi table Proposition in Your Practice

Speakers: Alfred (Chip) Chiplin, Esq., Center for Medicare Advocacy; Rajiv Nagaich, Esq.; Dennis Sandoval, CELA; Paul Sturgul, CELA, CAP

• Lawyering for Boomers Speakers: Thomas D. Begley, Jr., CELA and Andrew H.

Hook, CELA

• Elder Law and the Mental Health Commitment Process: How Do They Interconnect?

Speaker: Richard Spiegle, Psy.D

• How Far Shall We Go? Medical Care at End of Life Speakers: Terry Berthelot, MSW, JD; Jim Jaeger, CELA;

E. Haavi Morreim, Ph.D

• Creating a Management System for a Special Needs Trust for a Benefi ciary with a Psychiatric Disability

Speaker: Stephen Dale, JD LL.M. (Tax)

• What Every Attorney Needs to Know About Special Needs Trust Funding and Administration

Speakers: Mark Munson, Esq. and Theresa Varnet, Esq.

• The Secret Mission of Senior Clients Speaker: David Solie, MS, PA, Managing Director, Marsh

Private Client Life Insurance Services

• “Please, Judge, Please Keep Reading!” Powerful Appellate Advocacy Tips for the Elder Law Attorney

Speaker: James R. (Jim) Layton, State Solicitor, Offi ce of the Attorney General of Missouri

Virtual Seminar Sessions From NAELA’s Annual Meeting

NAELA’s Online Education Library • www.NAELA.org

You and your staff can attend these seminars without leaving the offi ce and at a time that’s convenient for you.

18

HILL DAY COVERAGE

Th e government is us; we are the government, you and I. — Th eodore Roosevelt

Educate. Advocate. Persist. Th is is the opportu-nity given to all NAELA members who have a unique window on the challenges experienced by individuals and families facing the complexities

of aging and disability. And this was the role taken up by 64 determined NAELA members who attended the second annual NAELA Capitol Hill Day on April 1, 2009, and spent time meeting with members of Congress and their staff s.

Because change can most eff ectively be made once rela-tionships have been established, one of our primary goals is for NAELA members to become known experts. Prior to heading to Washington, D.C., attendees made appoint-ments to see local Representative and home-state Senators,

Hill Day 2009: Great Work, NAELians! By Mary Alice Jackson

NAELA members meet with Obama administration offi cials Tina Tchen, Susan Sher and Karen Richardson.

Mary Alice Jackson is a NAELA member from Sarasota, Fla.

From left: White House Special Assistant for Policy and International Affairs Michael Okoye with Diana Law, Stu Zimring, Brian Lindberg, Stephen Silverberg, Howard Krooks and Ruth Phelps.

19191919191919191919191919199191919191919191919191919919199119919191919191919191991919191919199919991199991999999199999199

key Congressional staff and targeted Committee members.

Brian Lindberg, NAELA’s Public Policy Consultant, introduced us to ad-ditional key people who can advance our agenda items. He and Gail MacInnes, as our legislative staff , provided background information on the top priorities for discussion and gave us additional informa-tion and tips before

we began our meetings. Topics included DRA reform, the Elder Justice Act, funding for LTC services and ending the 24-month waiting period for Medicare benefi ts for people with disabilities.

Our ListServes are full of complaints and observations about the role of government. To be credible, we have to be prepared to identify problems, propose solutions and then work until some just and fair resolution is reached. While we employ staff to track the issues, how can we fail to take a big gulp and push the agendas ourselves? Civic engage-ment, a buzzword for retirees, is also a call to each of us. It’s a bit daunting at fi rst, much like I imagine our clients feel as they walk toward our offi ce doors for the fi rst time.

So here’s what I learned best from my fi rst time on Capitol Hill: Plan and prepare in advance. Develop rela-tionships with your members of Congress and their staff to establish credibility. We have information that can resonate with most Members’ constituencies. We can make them look good while they are doing the work that we feel needs to be done. It takes time to do this, but not a lot of time, and there are big paybacks.

Educate. Advocate. Persist. We understand and believe in the role of law in government and we must step forward and speak. ■

(More Hill Day coverage on the following pages.)

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From left: Susan Goldring, Rep. Rush Holt (D-12th-NJ) and Bob Brogan.

19

20

HILL DAY COVERAGE

In preparation for Hill Day on April 1, 2009, NAELA identifi ed several U.S. Senators and Representatives deserving of recognition for their eff orts on behalf of older adults. Th e individuals who were chosen

received either a “Legislator of the Year” or “Advocate for the Aging” award. Recipients were chosen using a variety of criteria, including: legislative action on issues aff ecting older adults; voting record and legislative action on key NAELA issues, such as DRA; and position on key commit-tees with jurisdiction over issues aff ecting NAELA’s clients. All of the individuals selected have been steadfast champi-ons for older adults in Congress.

NAELA members from each of the award recipients’ home states presented the awards. NAELA’s purpose in rec-ognizing the award recipients’ eff orts is to encourage their continued commitment to these issues. NAELA hopes each recipient will also be proactive in protecting older adults from harmful changes which may be proposed. As Mary Alice Jackson notes in her Hill Day article: Progress on public policy issues depends on the relationships you make and build with decision-makers — legislators, their staff and others. Th e “Legislator of the Year” and “Advocate for the Aging” awards will help strengthen these relationships for NAELA!

Legislator of the Year AwardsSenator Dick Durbin (D-IL): Senator Dick Durbin

was elected by his fellow Democratic senators in December 2006 to the post of Assistant Majority Leader, also known as Majority Whip. It is the Senate’s second highest ranking position. Currently, Senator Durbin is lead sponsor of a bill

to add a public plan option in Medicare Part D, the Medi-care Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2009 (S. 330). He also is a cosponsor of the Ending the Medi-care Disability Waiting Period Act of 2009 (S. 700), and was a cosponsor of the Elder Justice Act in the 110th Con-gress. He led an eff ort to defeat the Defi cit Reduction Act when it was proposed in 2005.

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-9th): Represen-tative Schakowsky currently serves in the House Demo-cratic Leadership as Chief Deputy Whip and as a member of the Steering and Policy Committee. She is a member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which is one of the key committees of jurisdiction for health reform legisla-tion. She names “providing aff ordable, quality health care coverage for all Americans” as her top priority in Congress.

NAELA President Craig Reaves, Charles Golbert, SR PAC Chair Kerry Peck, President-Elect Stephen Silverberg, Diana Law, Executive Director Peter Wacht and Ben Neiberger present the 2009 Legislator of the Year Award to Sen. Dick Durbin (center).

20

Charles Sabatino, Washington, D.C., is a past president of NAELA.

Building Relationships with NAELA’s Political Allies

By Charles P. Sabatino

21

She has recently demonstrated her commitment to seniors by sponsoring the Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act of 2009 (H.R. 468) and co-sponsoring the Medicare Prescription Drug Savings and Choice Act of 2009 (H.R. 684) and the Elder Justice Act (H.R. 2006). Rep. Schakowsky also off ered and supported amendments to remove harmful provisions from DRA.

Advocate for the Aging AwardsSenator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR): Senator Blanche

Lincoln’s advocacy on behalf of seniors in the U.S. Senate distinguishes her as a true Advocate for the Aging. Senator Lincoln is a member of the Senate Finance Committee and

Senate Special Committee on Aging, where she frequently raises issues related to older adults with dementia and the needs of family caregivers. In particular, Senator Lincoln has been a leader on elder abuse issues as one of the lead sponsors of the Elder Justice Act (S. 795), and on care co-ordination for older adults with multiple chronic illnesses as the sponsor of the RE-Aligning Care Act (S. 1004) in the 111th Congress. She has also sponsored amendments to increase Older Americans Act funding.

Senator Max Baucus (D-MT): Senator Max Baucus has been a leader in eff orts to preserve Social Security and Medicare in his role as chair of the powerful Senate Finance

NAELA Members Meet White House Senior StaffNAELA’s Hill Day events included a terrifi c trip to the White House complex and a meeting with members of

President Obama’s Senior Staff. Kerry Peck arranged for a meeting with Tina Tchen, Director of the Offi ce of Public Liaison (recently renamed the Offi ce of Public Engagement), and Susan Sher, Associate General Counsel in the White House Counsel’s offi ce. Both Ms. Tchen and Ms. Sher joined President Obama in the White House from Chicago. Ms. Tchen asked her senior issues staffer Karen Richardson to join us at the meeting held in the historic Executive Offi ce Building.

We discussed older adult legislative issues, administrative issues and legislative matters affecting persons with disabilities. The dialogue was fantastic, as the President’s advisors sought insight into the issues the NAELA representatives brought to their atten-tion. At the conclusion of the session, Kerry Peck presented to Ms. Tchen and Ms. Sher a hand-cut crystal sculpture of the Chicago skyline. This en-graved award from NAELA to President Obama (who was in Europe at the time) named him Advocate of the Year 2009 for older adults and people with disabilities. The President’s advisors Ms. Tchen and Ms. Sher were very gracious and thrilled with NAELA’s award to President Obama.

NAELA will continue to work with the Obama Ad-ministration to assist older adults and persons with disabilities and advance legislation through Con-gress by continued meetings with elected offi cials and members of the Obama Administration. We look forward to continued support from our NAELA members.

21

NAELA presents President Obama with the 2009 Advocate of the Year Award, here accepted by members of his senior staff.

22

Committee. Th e Committee is one of two Senate commit-tees with primary jurisdiction over health reform legisla-tion. His health reform proposals to date have included targeted provisions to address the needs of older Americans in health reform legislation. His committee oversaw the passage of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008, which strengthened low income protections against rising Medicare costs and improved mental health parity in Medicare. He is a champion of the Medicare Qualifi ed Individual (QI) program that assists low-income seniors with paying their Medicare premiums. He sponsored a bill (S. 3560) in 2008 that authorized an additional $45 million in spending for the program. He opposed punitive provisions of the Defi cit Reduction Act of 2005. As Chair of the Finance Committee, he ensured passage of the Elder Justice Act out of the committee in 2008, and pushed for consideration of the bill on the Sen-ate fl oor.

Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI): NAELA recognized the contributions of Senator Kohl by awarding him the Ad-vocate for the Aging Award because of his ongoing work on behalf of older adults as Chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Senate’s principal committee charged with examining the many issues aff ecting older Americans, like Medicare, retirement security and protec-

tion from fraud and abuse. Kohl has led eff orts to im-prove the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefi t, urging the Administration to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors and close the “donut hole” in coverage that is leaving many benefi ciaries with unexpectedly high drug costs. He has also successfully pushed for increased funding for nursing home inspections and the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Programs, is a co-sponsor of the Elder Justice Act, and has introduced legislation to require background checks for long-term care employees to ensure that people with abusive and criminal histories do not prey on vulnerable patients. Recently, the Committee held a hearing on the need to include long-term care in health reform. Senator Kohl, a senior member of the Sen-ate after six terms, also serves on the Senate Appropria-tions Committee and Senate Judiciary Committee.

Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ-6th): Repre-sentative Pallone chairs the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health, which has jurisdiction over Medicaid, the Food and Drug Admin-

istration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Con-trol (CDC), and shares jurisdic-tion of Medicare with the Ways and Means Committee. Th e Subcom-mittee will play a lead role in crafting health

reform legislation. Pallone is recognized as a leader on such issues as expanding health care access and aff ordability and protecting Medicare and Medicaid programs. Currently, he is the lead sponsor of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act) (H.R. 1721) in the House. Th e bill creates a new national, voluntary disability insurance program. He was a strong ally in the fi ght against the Defi cit Reduction Act of 2005. ■

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President-Elect Stephen Silverberg, SR PAC Chair Kerry Peck, and President Craig Reaves present the Legislator of the Year Award to Rep. Jan. Schakowsky.

Jeffery Drach, Jim Jaeger, Barbara Hughes and Tim Crawford present an Advocate for the Aging Award to Sen. Herb Kohl, here accepted by Anne Montgomery, Professional Staff of the Senate Special Committee on Aging.

HILL DAY COVERAGE

22

24

NAELA News, the eBulletin and NAELA Journal off er high-quality content that keeps you apprised of the latest happenings in the Elder and Special Needs law fi eld.

NAELA’s Online Locator can lead to client referrals and more business. But there’s much more to NAELA. Here are 10 things you can do to get the most value out of your membership.

Meet the needs of the ever-changing world of Elder and Special Needs law with specialized information:

1. Join any of the nine NAELA Sections. Advocacy/Liti-gation, Guardianship/Capacity, Health Care, Practice Development/Practice Management, Tax, Special Needs Law, Trusts and Special Needs Trusts, Benefi ts and Financing, and Young/New Attorneys. Have access to information and networking opportunities specifi c to your practice and areas of interest through the Sec-tions’ biannual newsletters, Section sessions at NAELA meetings, or peer-to-peer information sharing. Inves-tigate all the Sections online by logging on to www.NAELA.org, click on the Members tab, then scroll down to Section Sites.

2. Join your State Chapter (see page 29 for a list of Chapters). Participate in the Chapter’s ListServe. Get state-specifi c information about Elder and Special Needs Law. Make contact with your peers in your state, build relationships and participate in State Chapter-sponsored events.

3. Use your user name and password and maintain your online profi le information and pay your an-nual dues online. An accurate online profi le ensures an accurate listing in the Online Locator. If you don’t

know your login information, e-mail Leah Rose at lrose@NAELA.org for your unique information.

4. Look through the new Online Store for materials that might address a need. Newly reorganized and with more information. As part of the Online Store, NAELA now off ers an Online Education Library that provides you with access to upcoming NAELA Tele-phonic Seminars, as well as instant access to archived Telephonic Seminars, webinars, and recorded seminars from past NAELA live events like the Annual Meeting and the Special Needs Law Program. In addition, you can order specialty items like the Best of NAELA and Advanced Elder Law Review Course material.

5. Interact more with NAELA members. Take advan-tage of peer-to-peer opportunities and attend program or annual meeting events. Participate on the national NAELA ListServe — and if you are a State Chapter member, on your state ListServe.

6. Take advantage of the NAELA Member Benefi t Pro-gram. Th e companies partnering with NAELA extend discounts as well as special program off erings to you as a part of your membership. You’ll fi nd everything from document storage to rental cars. Th ese unique partners help support NAELA programs in many ways. See page 30 for a list of NAELA Member Benefi t Partners and check NAELA’s Web site for additional informa-tion. Member Benefi t Partners help extend the power of membership and support Elder and Special Needs law attorneys and their fi rm needs.

7. Enhance your profi le information by including ad-ditional offi ce locations online or registering your professional experiences. Extra location listings are just $75 a year. Applications for professional experi-

Ways to Make the Most of Your NAELA Membership10

25

ence listings, which allow you to carefully target your areas of practice, are $150 a year and can be combined with extra locations so that each offi ce will carry the same experience information. E-mail Leah Rose at lrose@NAELA.org for information.

8. Get more involved with NAELA. Learn who is on the new board and committees. Get to know NAELA staff . (Log on to www.NAELA.org, click on the Member tab and scroll down to NAELA Operations.) Give com-ments and suggestions for programs you would like to see or changes you would like NAELA to make. Or volunteer to become a mentor and help attorneys with their unique situation by sharing similar experiences and what you learned from it all. Attend a NAELA program.

9. Ensure your clients understand you are a NAELA member and are committed to professional devel-opment in Elder and Special Needs Law. Display your NAELA membership proudly. Make sure your membership certifi cate is displayed where clients can see it. Use the NAELA logo on your business card and web site. Log on as a member on www.NAELA.org to download NAELA logos for your own needs.

10. Use NAELA’s new CareerCenter to help you fi ll a position in your law fi rm or fi nd a position if you’re in the job market. Using sophisticated online tools, you can automate the process. See page 7 of this issue for more information, or check out the CareerCenter online by going to www.NAELA.org and look for the CareerCenter under the Public tab. ■

Congratulations to the Newest Certifi ed Elder Law Attorneys

Jeffrey D. Stinson, Indianapolis, Ind.

Mavis W. Kennedy, St. Louis, Mo.

Martha Jo Patterson, Glendale, Calif.

Grayson Heberley III, Haddonfi eld, N.J.

NAELA’s Newest Member Benefi t Partner:

Amicus Creative MediaConnecting online with clients in need of an Elder or Special Needs attorney might seem daunting. Legal

marketing on the Internet has become a mainstream prac-tice, making it more important than ever to have a Web site that can convert common Web site hits into actual, paying clients. Amicus Creative Media offers a comprehensive attorney Web site system that includes custom Web site design, search engine optimization, customizeable legal content, e-mail address setup and domain registration. Amicus Creative’s attorney Web sites offer four crucial pillars of success:1. Elegant designs that make a statement. Each site

is customized to create a unique look for your fi rm. Visi-tors will fi nd Web sites built by Amicus Creative Media easy to navigate from top to bottom. Amicus has a team of talented designers who create sites that rivals the best of large fi rm sites.

2. Sophisticated search engine optimization. A great Web site is useless if people can’t fi nd it. A sophisticated search engine optimization system is critical for your fi rm’s online marketing. If your Web site isn’t designed in a search engine friendly format, the search engines will not index your site properly, or worse, simply ignore the site. Amicus Creative Media’s Organic Search Optimiza-tion process ensures maximum effectiveness as search engines change the way they index and rank Web sites.

3. Quality content and effective site tools. High-quality content attracts more visitors to your site and encourag-es them to engage with your fi rm. Amicus Creative Media offers a rich collection of editable legal content includ-ing special reports and FAQs to support specifi c practice areas such as real estate planning and family law.

4. Easy site management, anytime, anywhere. With a self-service site manager that makes it easy for anyone to update virtually every aspect of the site’s content, their service allows clients to add, remove or edit prac-tice areas, FAQs, articles, attorney profi les, fi rm loca-tion, custom pages and more. Their site manager also provides traffi c reports of the Web site, newsletter distri-bution, schedules events and reviews appointments.

Amicus Creative also offers rapid deployment and can launch your new site in as little as two weeks, depending on the number of revisions and the complexity of the site’s layout. NAELA members receive a 20 percent discount off the design fee. Contact Amicus Creative at 877-269-0076, or for more information go to www.AmicusCreative.com.

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IntroductionTh e Leadership Council of Aging Organizations

(LCAO) is the nation’s largest and most active advocacy coalition for older adults. NAELA is one of its 60 mem-bers. Th e LCAO member organizations touch the lives of more than 134 million older Americans with their service provision and advocacy. As NAELA’s public policy advi-sor, I have represented NAELA at LCAO for many years, serving as Co-Chair of the Health Committee (currently) and chairing this and other committees in the past. Charlie Sabatino, NAELA’s Public Policy Committee Chair, Gail MacInnes, NAELA’s Senior Associate for Grassroots and Public Policy, and Vicki Gottlich, with the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and Gene Coff ey, with the National Senior Citizens Law Center (who both serve on NAELA’s Public Policy Committee), often participate in these meet-ings as well.

In addition, Pete Wacht, NAELA’s Executive Direc-tor, is located in the Washington, D.C., area and available to participate as needed. Th is combination of paid staff and D.C.-based NAELA members gives NAELA a strong “boots on the ground” Washington team with diverse expertise.

Health Care Reform LegislationAs you can imagine, health care reform is a top priority

for many of LCAO’s members. NAELA recently helped organize a one-day retreat to identify LCAO recommenda-tions to submit to Congress and the Administration on health care reform. Congress has health care reform on a fast legislative timetable, with the goal of marking up bills in June. Th e Senate Finance Committee, under the leader-ship of Senators Max Baucus (D-MT) and Charles Grassley

(R-IA), has been extremely active in recent weeks, conven-ing three half-day roundtable meetings of stakeholders and experts to discuss a wide range of health care fi nancing, delivery, and coverage options, conducting “walk-throughs” for committee members to familiarize them with all op-tions, and making white papers with their proposals avail-able for comment. Th e Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led by Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Michael Enzi (R-WY), will release their draft of health care reform legislation the week of June 1.

Congressional Republicans have also introduced a bill called the “Patient’s Choice Act” (H.R. 2520 and S. 1099), which focuses on a new system of tax credits and state-level insurance changes. It would not include a mandate for individuals to buy health insurance, nor would it create a public insurance plan.

NAELA’s Health Care Public Policy GoalsNAELA continues to push for coverage for long-term

supports and services for older people and people with special needs and reforms to the long-term care system. In a variety of roles — as co-chair of the LCAO Health Commit-tee, as a member of other coalitions, and as an independent organization — NAELA is pursuing these and other public policy goals in the health care reform eff orts in Washington, D.C. Here are a few examples of our involvement:• Organizing Hill meetings for LCAO members to rein-

force support for addressing long-term care issues in the upcoming committee mark-ups.

• Providing input to the Finance Committee on various aspects of reform including Medicare and Medicaid community-based care and meaningful public plan options.

• Supporting eff orts to secure care coordination for indi-viduals with multiple chronic illnesses, including serving

THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL OF AGING ORGANIZATIONS’

Recommendations for Health Care ReformBy Brian Lindberg

Brian Lindberg is NAELA’s Public Policy Consultant, based in Washington, D.C.

27

on the steering committee of the National Coalition for Care Coordination, drafting letters of support for care coordination coverage, conducting meetings with Hill staff , and providing legislative language and comments on Finance Committee proposals.

• Supporting Senator Kennedy’s (D-MA) Community Liv-ing Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS Act) (S. 697/ H.R. 1721). Th e CLASS Act creates a new na-tional insurance program fi nanced by voluntary opt-out payroll deductions to help individuals stay independent and remain in their communities when or if they need assistance with two or more activities of daily living. We have met with senior HELP Committee staff and have provided letters of support and input on the bill.

• Planning for a session at the NAELA Public Benefi ts and Guardianship Institute in the fall on how health care reform will change Medicare, Medicaid and long-term care.NAELA has weighed in on a number of other parts of

health care reform by:• Opposing age rating by insurance companies under the

new health care system. Such ratings could be particu-larly expensive for individuals in the 50 to 65 year age group prior to becoming eligible for Medicare. We signed a letter to Congress that AARP and the American Heart Association conceived.

• Working in a coalition to end the two-year waiting peri-od for Medicare eligibility for individuals that have been determined eligible for Social Security disability benefi ts. NAELA sent out a grassroots (GRANI) alert on this topic and asked all NAELA members to write to their members of Congress to address this unfair hardship.

• Working with the Hill to secure changes to DRA through either the legislative or regulatory process. Th e expansive nature of repealing DRA makes this diffi cult, but we are most hopeful that new CMS leadership will support NAELA proposals to correct some of the issues.

• Reviving our earlier eff orts to ensure that everyone who falls under the new health care reform model will have appropriate appeals rights regarding their health care decisions. As part of the Consumer Coalition for Quality Health Care, NAELA participated in the development of an appeal rights white paper during the health care re-form eff orts during the Clinton Administration. NAELA is assessing the current proposals’ protection of basic

notice and appeals rights and will advocate for a compre-hensive approach.Th is should give you a sense of some of the issues

with which NAELA and its aging-world colleagues are grappling.

Th e complete list of recommendations LCAO recently presented to Congress can be found at www.LCAO.com. ■

Letters to the EditorNAELA News welcomes Letters to the Editor. The “Letters

to the Editor” section of NAELA News is meant to facilitate free and civil debate among the readers of the magazine. If you have comments you would like to make about topics in these pages, please send your Letter to the Editor to Nancy M. Sween, Director of Communications and Publications, nsween@naela.org.

We will strive to publish as many letters as possible in the pages of NAELA News itself. Should we receive more let-ters than there is space to publish within the pages of the magazine, a representative sample of comments received will appear in print and a fuller presentation will be published online, at such time as the completion of the expansion of the NAELA News section of the Web site. (Space available for letters in the printed version of NAELA News is limited not only by the number of letters received but also by the number of pages we print.)

There may be occasions when we are unable to publish a letter to the editor or must insist that the author edit its content, but this is never a matter that we take lightly. We encourage vigorous debate and the presentation of a diversity of points of view but cannot permit the publication of materi-als that create exposure to potential legal liability for the author, NAELA and/or NAELA News. Items that may trigger increased scrutiny include (but are not limited to) discussion of rates, calling for boycotts, making libelous statements, infl ammatory statements targeted at individual members or groups and other matters prohibited under antitrust, libel, or other governing laws. In these cases, there may be a need to restructure a letter.

Statements of fact and opinion contained in letters to the editor (in print or online) and within the editorial content of the magazine are and will remain solely the responsibility of the author and do not necessarily express the opinion or endorsement of NAELA or anyone connected with NAELA.

Submit letters to the editor to Nancy M. Sween, Direc-tor of Communications and Publications, nsween@naela.org; NAELA, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 220, Vienna, VA 22182.

NAELA has created a federal political action committee, Senior Rights PAC, to increase our recognition and eff ectiveness in the public policy arena. Please join your fellow NAELA members in this exciting time

as NAELA actively advocates for our Country’s seniors and persons with special needs!

Name ________________________________________________ Member ID ____________________________________________

Occupation ___________________________________________ _____________________________________

Employer ___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________________________________________________

City _________________________________________________ State _______________________ Zip Code _________________

Phone ________________________________ Fax ____________________________ E-mail ________________________________

Contribution I wish to contribute $____________, as denoted below: Patron: $1 - $499 Supporter: $500 - $999 Benefactor: $2,500 - $4,999 Friend: $1,000 - $2,499 Pacesetter: $5,000

Payment Details Enclosed is my personal check, payable to NAELA Senior Rights PAC

Personal checks are preferred. Corporate checks are not acceptable. If this contribution is drawn on a partnership (including LLC) account, the contribution should be attributed to:

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________. If no name is indicated, NAELA will attribute the contribution to the partner who is the signatory on the contribution. Th is person’s account should be charged with the contribution on the partnership’s books.

Charge my Credit Card, details as follows: American Express Visa MasterCard

Card Number ________________________________________________________ Expiration Date ______________________

Signature _______________________________________________________________________________________________ I certify that this is a personal or fi rm (partnership) credit card, not a corporate card.

Charge my credit card in ___ installments of $ ______ every ______ month(s) for a total amount of $____________

Please return Commitment Form and payment to: NAELA SR-PAC, 1577 Spring Hill Road, Suite 220, Vienna, VA 22182 / Fax: 703-563-9504

Th ank you for your generous support!

Th e purpose of the SR-PAC is to help elect candidates who will support the goals and objectives of NAELA. SR-PAC funds are used to make contributions to can-didates for public offi ce. Th e contribution amounts listed are only suggestions; more or less may be contributed (subject to a limit of $5,000 per donor per calendar year). Th e amount given, or the refusal to give, will not benefi t or disadvantage a member. You may refuse to contribute without reprisal. Only members of NAELA may be solicited to contribute. We may not accept contributions from corporations, foreign nationals, federal government contractors, or by one person in the name of another person, nor may we accept contributions of more than $5,000 per calendar year from any one contributor. Contributions are not tax deductible. Federal law requires us to obtain and report the name, address, occupation and employer of each contributor who gives more than $200 in any calendar year.

NAELA Senior Rights PAC

Contribution Commitment Form

Political Action Committee

SENIORRIGHTS

NAELA

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PRESIDENT Stephen J. Silverberg, CELA

East Meadow, N.Y. elderlawyer@gmail.com

PRESIDENT-ELECT Ruth A. Phelps, CELA

Pasadena, Calif.rphelps@elderlawyers.com

VICE PRESIDENTEdwin M. Boyer, Esq.

Sarasota, Fla. emboyer@boyerjackson.com

TREASURER Gregory S. French, CELA

Cincinnati, Ohio Gfrenchlaw@aol.com

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 2009–2010SECRETARY

Howard S. Krooks, CELA Boca Raton, Fla.

hkrooks@elderlawassociates.com

PAST PRESIDENT Craig Reaves, CELA

Kansas City, Mo. craig@reaveslawfi rm.com

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Peter G. Wacht, CAE

Vienna, Va.pwacht@naela.org

Brian W. LindbergPublic Policy

Washington, D.C.

Hugh K. Webster, Esq. Legal Counsel

Washington, D.C.

Richard A. Courtney, CELA Jackson, Miss.

rcourtney@frascourtlaw.com

Timothy P. Crawford, CELARacine, Wis.

tpc@execpc.com

Hyman Darling, CELA Springfi eld, Mass.

hdarling@baconwilson.com

A. Kimberley Dayton, Esq. Minneapolis, Minn.

kdayton@wmitchell.edu

Robert B. Fleming, CELA Tucson, Ariz.

naela@fl emingandcurti.com

Bradley J. Frigon, CELA Englewood, Colo.

frigonlaw@qwest.com

Nancy P. Gibson, Esq. Missoula, Mont.

fi rm@ngibsonlaw.com

Sharon Kovacs Gruer, CELAGreat Neck, N.Y.

skglaw@optonline.net

Franchelle Millender, CELAColumbia, S.C.

millender@srmlaw.com

Rajiv Nagaich, Esq.Federal Way, Wash.

rnagaich@eldercounsel.com

Dennis M. Sandoval, CELA Riverside, Calif.

dennis@cal-elder-lawyer.com

Wendy H. Sheinberg, CELA Garden City, N.Y.

wsheinberg@davidowlaw.com

Kristi VetriRapid City, S.D.

kristiv@mindspring.com

Kathleen T. Whitehead, CELA San Antonio, Texas

Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq.Morristown, N.J. sbw@spsk.com

DIRECTORS

CONSULTANTS

Chapter PresidentsArizona ChapterChristopher H. MathisOro Valley, Ariz.ch.mathis@hotmail.com

California Chapter–NorthernHelene Wenzel, Esq.San Francisco, Calif.wenzellaw@sbcglobal.net

California Chapter–SouthernMarilyn SheaOceanside, Calif.marilynshea@aol.com

Colorado ChapterMarcia G. O’BrienDenver, Colo.mgo805@qwest.net

Connecticut ChapterPaul T. Czepiga, CELANewington, Conn. paul@czepigadaly.com

Florida ChapterRandy C. BryanOviedo, Fla.randy@hoytbryan.com

Georgia ChapterVictoria Collier, Esq. Decatur, Ga.victoriacollier@elderlawga.com

Illinois ChapterD. Rebecca MitchellChicago, Ill.drebeccamitchelllaw@yahoo.com

Indiana ChapterKeith P. Huff manBluff ton, Ind.huff man@dale-huff man.com

Kansas ChapterJames P. Berger, Esq.Overland Park, Kan.jim@bergercarmody.com

Maryland/DC ChapterMorris Klein, CELABethesda, Md. morrisklein@netzero.net

Massachusetts ChapterSuzanne R. SaywardDedham, Mass.sayward@ssbllc.com

Missouri ChapterRudy D. BeckSaint Charles, Mo.rbeck@rbecklaw.com

New Hampshire ChapterJan P. MyskowskiConcord, N.H. myskowski@gcglaw.com

New Jersey ChapterSharon Rivenson Mark, CELA Jersey City, N.J. rivensonmark@comcast.net

New Mexico ChapterNell Graham Sale, CELAAlbuquerque, N.M. ngsale@pbwslaw.com

New York ChapterMichael AmorusoRye Brook, N.Y.michael@amorusolaw.com

North Carolina ChapterWendy A. Craig, Esq.Black Mountain, N.C.wacraig@wncelderlaw.com

J. Gregory Wallace, Esq.Raleigh, N.C.jgwallace@ncelderlaw.com

Ohio ChapterDonald H. Chapin, CELAHilliard, Ohiodonc0725@gmail.com

Pennsylvania ChapterMarielle F. Hazen, CELAHarrisburg, Pa.mhazen@hazenelderlaw.com

South Carolina ChapterNat B. Benson Jr.Mount Pleasant, S.C. nat@bensonmiller.com

TennesseeOpen

Texas ChapterW. Bailey BartonSan Marcos, Texaswbaileybarton@ourlawfi rm.org

Vermont ChapterDianne Rosen Pallmerine, CELAShelburne, Vt.drpallmerine@yahoo.com

Virginia ChapterJean Galloway Ball, CELAFairfax, Va.jgball@uselderlaw.com

Washington ChapterJames M. BrownAberdeen, Wash.jbrown@pkblaw.com

Wisconsin ChapterJeff ery J. Drach, CELAWausau, Wis. jdrach@drachlawfi rm.com

NAELA Member Benefi t Program The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ (NAELA) Member Benefi t Program provides special offers to NAELA members on a variety of products and services.You can look forward to receiving information directly from these vendors by contacting them for further information. NAELA will announce new partners as they are approved; meanwhile, we encourage you to take full advantage of this member service and reap the benefi ts of your NAELA membership!NAELA does not imply warranties as to the products or services offered by Member Benefi t Partners.

Amicus Creative Mediawww.amicuscreative.com 1-877-269-0076 Product Information: Comprehensive attorney web site system that includes custom web site design, search engine optimization, customize-able legal content, E-mail address setup and domain registration. Benefi t to Members: 20% discount off the design fee.

Bank of Americawww.newcardonline.com 1-866-738-6262 (NAELA priority code FAC6C7)Product Information: No annual fee Platinum Plus Visa card. Around the clock fraud protection, 24-hour service from courteous, helpful representatives, quick, secure online access to your account and free additional cards for those authorized to make charges on your account. Benefi t to Members: Customized NAELA program including NAELA-branded credit card.

Docubankwww.docubank.com610-667-3524Product information: Emergency storage and retrieval service for living wills and other advance medical directives. Benefi t to Members: 33 percent discount on fees (1 year = $20, 5 year = $60) Complimentary memberships to attorneys and all their staff.

Fed Exhttps://advantagemember.visionary.com/4973/1-800-MEMBERS (1-800-636-2377, 8 am. - 6pm. EST, M-F)NAELA passcode 6PVQPW Product information: There is no cost to enroll in the FedEx Advantage® Program and there are no minimum shipping requirements. Benefi t to Members: Up to 21 percent on select FedEx Express® U.S. services. Up to 12 percent on select FedEx Ground® services. Up to 10 percent on select FedEx Home Delivery® services. If you create your shipping labels online using FedEx Ship Manager® at fedex.com, you can receive an additional 5 percent discount on eligible FedEx Express shipments.

Hertz1-800-654-2200 Hertz Discount CDP# 1673984 Product Information: With 7,000 locations in more than 150 countries, Hertz is able to offer special discounts on car rentals worldwide. Benefi t to Members: Ten percent discount on Hertz Standard daily, weekend, weekly and monthly rates. Five percent or greater, discount on Hertz Leisure daily, weekend, weekly and monthly rates.

Interactive Legal Suitewww.interactivelegal.comsales@interactivelegal.com321-252-0100Product information: Comprehensive collection of intelligent drafting systems that work synergistically, sharing data and common processes: Benefi t to Members: Ten percent discount off Elder Law & Special Needs Planning. Use Promo code NAE01. In addition, license Elder Law & Special Needs Planning Professional Version and the Company will pay (or reimburse) your NAELA dues for one year (applies to fi rst year subscription only). Use Promo code NAE02.

NAELA CareerCenterhttp://careers.naela.orgProduct information: Highly specialized career center provides focus to Elder and Special Needs Law fi rms with free search function for applicants. Benefi t to Members: NAELA members receive 25 percent off a single 30-day job posting and 30 percent off multiple (three, fi ve and ten) 30-day job postings.

Premier Softwarewww.premiersoftware.com856-429-3010Product information: Installation and training of Elder Law Feature Package software for elder law practices. Benefi t to Members: Ten percent off Elder Law Feature.

VSA, Inc.http://www.vsaprospecting.com/centers-infl uence.htmValerie.schlitt@vsaprospecting.com1-856-547-3500Product Information: VSA implements programs to build and expand Elder Law Attorneys’ base of professional referral sources. Through list research, targeted mailings and telephone calls, Elder Law Attorneys meet other professionals (assisted living facilities, discharge planners, etc( who can refer business. Benefi t to Members: Ten percent discount to NAELA members.

Westland Remembers, Inc.www.westlandremembers.com1-800-622-0722Service Information: Westland provides personalized long-term beautifi cation and maintenance services at a family’s gravesite anywhere in the United States and Canada for a one-time cost with services provided for 20 years — longer if desired. Color photographs of the family cemetery plot are forwarded to designated persons twice annually. Westland’s Irrevocable Burial Maintenance Contract qualifi es as an “acceptable spend down” for Medicaid planning purposes. Benefi t to Members: NAELA client families receive two additional years of personalized care and maintenance at their family gravesite (total of 22 years) at no additional cost.

Give this handy desk reference to your offi ce manager.

31

2009 NAELA Council of Advanced Practitioners MeetingAugust 21–22, 2009Hotel MonacoChicago, Ill.Hotel Reservations: 1-800-KIMPTON

2009 NAELA Public Benefi ts and Guardianship Institute/Introduction to Special Needs and Elder LawNovember 5–8, 2009Hyatt Regency Jersey CityJersey City, N.J.Hotel Reservations: 1-800-233-1234

NAELA Telephonic Programming

You and your staff can get the training you need to be on top of current Elder Law and Special Needs Law issues — without leaving your offi ce. To register and for more information, go to www.NAELA.org and look under Events for the Online Education Library.Each program is 90 minutes and costs $95.

CLIENT CONFIDENTIALITY ISSUESSeptember 16, 2009 • 2 pm ESTNancy Gibson

PROTECTING THE HOME — HOW TO BEST ACHIEVE YOUR PLANNING GOALS IN THE FACE OF NURSING HOME COSTSOctober 8, 2009 • 2 pm ESTTim Crawford

HOW TO USE CARE MANAGERS IN AN SNT PRACTICEOctober 21, 2009 • 2 pm ESTRick Courtney and K.T. Whitehead

VA BENEFITS November 17, 2009 • 2 pm ESTRick Law

PLANNING TO REDUCE ESTATE/GUARDIANSHIP LITIGATIONDecember 2, 2009 • 2 pm ESTWendy Sheinberg

Past Telephonic Events are also available. Go to www.NAELA.org and look under Events for the Online Education Library.

NAELA News and NAELA Journal are always looking for new submissions for possible publication!

NAELA News is looking for short, substantive articles on Elder Law or Special Needs Law topics, or news about NAELA! If you have an ar-ticle in mind or would like to suggest a Featured Member, please e-mail the Editor-in-Chief of NAELA News, Ruth Ratzlaff, at RERatzlaff@gmail.com. NAELA News is printed six times a year and takes submissions year round.

If you are interested in con-tributing to NAELA Journal, which specializes in substan-tive articles on Elder Law or Special Needs Law for aca-demic use, please contact A. Frank Johns, Editor-in-Chief, at afj@nc-law.com. NAELA Journal is published twice a year and is always looking for ideas and submissions.Thank you for your continued support of your NAELA publi-cations!

Go to www.NAELA.org and click on “Events” for more information.

CorrectionIt was brought to our attention that Rajiv Nagaich was incorrectly designated as a CELA in the last issue of NAELA News. Mr Nagaich, of course, did not submit mate-rial misrepresenting his status. This was a staff error. We apologize for this error.

NAELA Calendar of EventsNAELA Calendar of Events

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