Agenda / Content Covered

1. IS MEDICAID RIGHT FOR YOUR CLIENT?
   9:00 - 10:00, Nancie G. Dorjath
   
   1. Is Medicaid the Right Solution for the Client?
   2. Citizenship and Residency
   3. Application for Other Benefits
   4. Client and Agency Responsibilities (Reporting Changes of Income)
   5. Out-of-State Coverage
   6. Medicaid Coverage vs. Private Alternatives
   7. Four Basic Eligibility Criteria in a Nutshell
   8. Partial Eligibility and Share of Cost
   9. Medicaid Programs and Rules Update
2. EXCLUDED VS. COUNTABLE ASSETS
   10:15 - 11:15, Morris R. Saunders
   
   1. Community Spouse Resource Allowance and CSRA Appeal
   2. Assets Without Saleable Value
   3. Annuities
   4. Insurance and Other Assets Being Converted
   5. When are Bank Accounts Excluded?
   6. Creating Burial Contracts/Funeral Trusts
   7. Disaster Relief Act and Other Excluded Government Payment Programs (Reparation Payments, Alaskan Native Claims, Nazi Persecution Payments, etc.)
   8. Earned Income Tax Credit
   9. Garden/Wood Plots and Other Property Used for Home Consumption
   10. Limits on Household Goods
   11. Income-Producing Property
   12. Insurance Settlements
   13. Life Estates/Life Leases and Their Impact on Estate Planning
   14. Loans
   15. When Life Insurance Becomes Countable
   16. Vehicles
   17. Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Fund Shares
   18. Trusts
   19. Valuation of Assets for Eligibility Purposes
3. QUALIFYING ASSET TRANSFERS: WHICH TECHNIQUES WORK
   11:15 - 12:00, Christine A. Barone
   
   1. Timing of the Transfers
      1. DRA and Look-Back Period
      2. Transfer Penalty
      3. Penalty Beginning Date
      4. Partial Months of Ineligibility
   2. What Counts as a Gift for Purposes of Medicaid Planning?
   3. Repayment of Debts and Prepayment of Expenses: Creative Uses
   4. Recording Purchase of Exempt Assets
   5. Treatment of IRAs and Retirement Accounts
   6. Purchase of a Life Estate
   7. Planning with Promissory Notes and Annuities
   8. The Reverse Half-Loaf Income Technique
   9. How to Protect the Community Spouse
   10. Reverse Mortgage: Legitimate Solution or Scam Artist's Dream?
   11. Other Exempt Transfers
4. APPLICATION PROCESS, APPEALS AND POST-ELIGIBILITY ISSUES
   1:00 - 1:45, Catherine E. Lenert
   
   1. Application Procedure Step-by-Step
   2. Supporting Documentation to Include with the Submission
   3. Medicaid Fair Hearings Case Presentation Tips
   4. Crisis Planning to Shorten Penalty Period and Restore Eligibility
   5. Appeal Procedure
   6. Solving Overpayment Problems
5. INCOME ELIGIBILITY
   1:45 - 2:30, Casey Fundarek
   
   1. How MAGI (Modified Adjusted Gross Income) is Calculated
   2. Common Risks to Income Eligibility
   3. Monthly Maintenance Need Allowance for the Community Spouse
6. LEGAL ETHICS
   2:45 - 3:45, Casey Fundarek
   
   1. Conflicts of Interest When Representing Both Spouses
   2. Protecting Confidentiality
   3. Attorney Fees
   4. Mental Capacity in Elder Law
   5. Practical Scenarios - What Would You Do?
7. LIENS, ESTATE RECOVERY AND HARDSHIP WAIVERS
   3:45 - 4:30, Casey Fundarek
   
   1. Estate Recovery Rules
   2. Hardship Waivers
   3. Estate Recovery Exemption with Qualified Long-Term Care Insurance Policy
   4. Claim Reduction

Accreditation Details:

CHRISTINE A. BARONE is an elder law attorney with Delaney Delaney & Voorn, Ltd, where she devotes her practice to elder law, balancing her efforts between guardianships for adults with disabilities and decedents’ estates within the Circuit Court of Cook County, Probate Division. Ms. Barone is also appointed as a Guardian ad Litem (GAL) in Cook County. She expertly handles administrative hearings and appeals in the area of Medicaid and public benefits law. She is a loyal advocate for seniors and people with disabilities, and exhibits the utmost in professionalism at all times. Ms. Barone is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. She is a master of completing inventories and accountings, and enjoys the mathematical aspects of the practice. Ms. Barone earned her B.S. degree from the University of Iowa and her J.D. degree from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where she also received her Certificate in Tax Law.

NANCIE G. DORJATH is an attorney with the Dorjath Law Center. She focuses on handling many different aspects of elder law and estate planning, such as long-term care planning, nursing home or assisted/supportive living, nursing home contract review, Medicaid crisis planning, Medicaid appeals, revocable trusts, irrevocable trusts, wills, living wills, powers of attorney, asset protection planning, veterans benefits planning, and special needs planning. Ms. Dorjath applies her professional and personal experience, along with her legal expertise, to advise her clients and their families how to achieve the highest quality of life whether a client is long-term planning or crisis planning. She is dedicated to working hard for individuals in order to protect their assets and plan for an uncertain future. Ms. Dorjath is a VA accredited attorney who also does a great deal of work handling many different aspects within the elder law and estate planning community. She earned her undergraduate degree from Loyola University of Chicago and her J.D. degree from John Marshall Law School in Chicago. Ms. Dorjath is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA), ElderCounsel, and the National Care Planning Council. She is an adjunct professor at Concordia University of Chicago, teaching medical ethics, and is a frequent speaker on ethics and elder law topics.

CASEY FUNDAREK is the Medicare Secondary Payer Compliance Attorney for Sharpline Allocations, Inc. She oversees all Medicare conditional payment matters and Medicare Set Aside re-review and amended review defenses, and develops Medicare Set Asides, Medical Cost Projections, and Zero Medicare Set Aside evaluations. Ms. Fundarek guides clients through their Medicare related issues, helping them understand their liability, use all available defenses and mitigate future medical exposure for both workers’ compensation and liability claims. She attends claim review and other client meetings to provide strategic insight on the Medicare related issues. Ms. Fundarek is licensed in Illinois and Wisconsin. She received her B.S. degree from Texas Christian University and her J.D. degree from Valparaiso University School of Law.

CATHERINE E. LENERT is an attorney with Mickey, Wilson, Weiler, Renzi & Andersson, P.C., where she focuses her practice in elder law, estate planning, guardianship, special needs planning, municipal law, and school law. Ms. Lenert is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association. She was selected to Super Lawyers Rising Stars for 2017-2018. Ms. Lenert earned her B.A. degree, magna cum laude, from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and her J.D. degree, with honors, from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

MORRIS R. SAUNDERS is a partner in the Chicago law firm of Levin Ginsburg. He concentrates his practice in the areas of wealth management, asset protection, estate planning, business planning and taxation law, real estate, ownership and management succession, and deferred compensation. Mr. Saunders also deals extensively in business succession and in the negotiation and preparation of commercial real estate and equipment leases and other business agreements. He is a member of the Illinois State and American bar associations. Mr. Saunders has spoken to various professional and community groups about estate planning, trusts, estates, business succession planning, and deferred compensation. He earned his B.A. degree from the University of Virginia, his J.D. degree from The John Marshall Law School, and his LL.M. degree from DePaul University College of Law.