| AARP (formerly the American Association
of Retired Persons) |
Searchable
site, includes: directory, with direct e-mail links, to
every member of Congress; has taken over from reverse.org
much of the reverse mortgage information, including a handy calculator; information on many topics; read the
latest biennial report on long-term care including the portion on
Connecticut |
| ABA Center for Professional
Responsibility - Model Rules |
Although Connecticut's
Rules of Professional Conduct have not yet been amended
to reflect the most recent changes to the ABA rules, and
so do not have the force of law, they are an important
resource for Connecticut elder law attorneys. |
| ABA Commission on Law and Aging |
Includes
listing of section publications; offers free e-mail
subscriptions. View articles from Bifocal,
the Section's newsletter, order relevant Section
publications, and download publications. |
| Administration on Aging (AoA): |
The
AoA funds caregiver support programs and many other
programs for the elderly. The site includes links to
local agencies, other resources, and compilations of
general and statistical materials. The "Elder Care Locator" is here. |
| Alzheimer Page |
Comprehensive
site on Alzheimers sponsored by Washington University -
St. Louis - sign on to the mailing list |
| ACTEC |
American
College of Trusts and Estates Counsel. No, this is not
only for those who plan for the 8-figure estate set.
Includes the highly-regarded ACTEC Commentaries on the ABA rules of professional
conduct and a terrific, PUBLIC, T&E links page |
| Americans with Disabilities Act
site |
U.S.
Dept. of Justice site, including technical assistance
manuals. |
| Annuityshopper.com |
For reference purposes,
gives instant "quotes" on annuities. Commercial
site - there are probably others. |
  APHSA (formerly, Nat. Association of State
Medicaid directors) |
Health Services Division
of "APHSA," "a bipartisan, professional,
nonprofit organization of representatives of state Health
and Human Service agencies (including the District of
Columbia and the territories)," formerly known as
the "American Public Welfare Association." Fascinating
site that alas, has no search function and one suspects
the best stuff is in the "members only"
section. At one time included a list of Medicaid waivers.
Includes collection of pending legislation, State
Medicaid Director Letters issued by CMS, etc |
| Center for Medicare Advocacy |
Includes
information on Medicare, e-mail link to request the
Center’s printed materials, a "quick
screen" to identify potential Medicare coverage,
articles on Medicare+Choice, and a useful chart of the
various supplemental policy provisions and summary of gaps in coverage. Redesigned; the "hover
buttons" mostly gone -- harder to nagvigate however. |
| Consumer Consortium on Assisted
Living |
"Consumer-focused
advocacy organization devoted to the needs and rights of
assisted living residents." No more checklist for
evaluating assisted living facilities; you have to spring
$14 to order one :( |
| Consumer Reports |
Periodic
consumer information on nursing homes, long-term care
insurance, etc. The comprehensive nursing home info is
now gone, but see the link to SNAPforSeniors checklist for evaluating nursing homes -- previously
on CR's own site. Clients often mention Consumer Reports
articles. |
| Elderweb.com |
Labyrinthine
and comprehensive site created by was created by CPA
Karen Stevenson Brown, also a long-term care consultant.
Look here when you can't find it. Includes "links to
information on legal, financial, medical, and housing
issues, as well as policy, research, and
statistics." |
| End of Life Options pages |
Thanks to
the wonders of the "Wayback machine," this
useful article from Dickinson College is still available.
Includes summaries of the perspectives from numerous
different religions on artificial nutrition and hydration
issues as well as medical and ethical discussions. No
longer online at Dickinson -- perhaps being updated? we
can hope. |
| Families USA |
Families
USA offers free subscriptions to e-mail newsletters and
policy alerts in four areas - Medicaid, managed care,
children's health, and all health care issues.
Direct e-mail link to your congressperson to send
messages on pending legislation. A valuable site
for those involved in advocacy. |
| Fedlaw site. Or see USA.gov |
This is now located in
"The Center for Regulatory Effectiveness."
Federal government site reference center. Links to
the U. S. Supreme Court, all Federal Circuits, and
many District Court opinions, etc. |
FirstGov for Seniors
(formerly Access America for Seniors) (on USA.gov) |
Developed as
a cooperative effort under the aegis of the National
Partnership for Reinventing Government and maintained by
the Social Security Administration, this site provides
access to government services and information covering a
wide range of issues (from Social Security to travel
tips). You can also sign up for a mailing list. |
| Health Privacy Project |
Now part of Center for
Democracy and Technology. No more link to privacy
laws,but does have articles breaking laws down
state-by-state, published i 2002. Contains links for HIPAA (large PDF) and the HIPAA regulations. (Also see the DHHS FAQ in Q&A format). |
| Health Resources and Services
Administration, U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services |
Lists the
annual poverty guidelines used to measure eligibility for
many programs (PDF) |
| U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services |
Links
to recent "briefings" on Medicaid eligibility
policies from DHHS
Office of Assistant Secretary for Planning and
Evaluation, April 2005; provided courtesy of Christine I
Andrew, Esq., of the Connecticut Alzheimers Association. |
| H.E.L.P. |
Non-profit
organization located in Southern California offers useful
"consumer-oriented" pamphlets and newsletter
items suitable for clients. Also includes "Your
Way," a guide to help older adults and families
communicate about medical treatment desires, values, etc. |
| HUD |
Information on Section 8
/ elderly housing: Housing Choice Voucher Program
Guidebook (eligibility); 2008 Income limits (PDF). See: 24 C.F.R. Part 5
Subpart F (replacing prior regulations). Statutory
authority: 42 U.S.C. 1437f. |
| Insure.com |
Easy-to-read
summaries of insurance laws in all 50 states, plus
explanations of HIPAA, COBRA rights, etc., with ample
links to local sources of information. |
| Longtermcare Link |
Consumer-oriented
site that gives a comprehensive look at long-term care
planning, from LTCI to Medicaid planning, with links to
vendors of assisted living. Written by a CLU. Now owned
by National Care Planning Council |
| Medicare.gov |
Includes "Nursing home compare"
information page.
This is also the place to find those elusive "provider manuals." You can order in print or download.
Good hunting, what you are looking for is buried deep
within. See also the nonprofit "member of the family" website that tries to
summarize this information with a list of best and worst.
I haven't listed it separately because I'm ambivalent
about the accuracy from this kind of characterization. |
| Medicare Rights Center |
National,
not-for-profit organization located in New York City;
site offers direct assistance for Medicare beneficiaries
and on-line versions of brochures (some bilingual).
Site now has an excellent interactive guide through Medicare copays, deductibles, and
coverage information. |
| National Academy of Elder Law
Attorneys (NAELA) |
Includes
fill-in form for members to sign up for participation in
NAELA's unmoderated e-mail mailing list. Whether or
not members participate, they can review listserve
archives through NAELA's members only page. Members are
also entitled to a template-style website for $25/year,
available to the public through the popular "Need an
elder law attorney?" link. NAELA Bylaws now
require members to subscribe to "aspirational standards." (PDF) |
| National Center for Home Equity
Conversion |
Nonprofit
site on reverse mortgages containing useful information,
current rates, explanations. Formerly
"reverse.org," this "complements AARP's basic consumer information ... may be particularly useful to
nonprofit counselors, professional advisors, and any
consumers or their family members looking for more
information beyond the basics." |
| National Citizens Coalition for
Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR) |
Nonprofit
group that advocates for nursing home reform. Site
includes address/telephone information for ombudsmen in
all 50 states. Order publications, but I can't
figure out if they still have Nursing Homes:
Getting Good Care There -- their search engine was
not working. Site has a really useful "advance directive" for
quality care. |
| National Council on the Aging (unitedseniorshealth.org) |
A national nonprofit
advocacy group. Includes information about long-term care
insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and Medigap insurance and a
list of publications for sale. |
| National Health Law Project (NHeLP) |
"30
Years of Working for Justice in Health Care for Low
Income People." Includes detailed analysis of
current and proposed legislation. Links page includes an outdated (1997) state-specific page with connections to Medicaid
agencies in most states. Offers a free e-mail
subscriptions for publishing information on current
issues. |
| National Hospice and Palliative
Care Organization |
The National
Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)
represents hospice and palliative care programs and
professionals in the United States. Includes advanced directives for all 50
states available
for download, although annoyingly you have to provide
name, email and address so it's not clear how you get the
directives for other states. Advanced directive forms are
copyright; "reproduction and distribution by an
organization or organized group without the written
permission of the National Hospice and Palliative Care
Organization is expressly forbidden." |
| National Organization of Social
Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) |
National
support organization for attorneys specializing in Social
Security disability law. Includes basic information on
the law and the organization. Purchase the "Listing
of Impairments for Adults, Listing of Impairments for
Children, and the Medical-Vocational Guidelines
(Grids)." Some materials are available only to
members. |
| National Senior Citizens Law Center
(NSCLC) |
NSCLC
advocates nationwide on behalf of low-income elderly
individuals and persons with disabilities. Includes
articles and legal documents on many of these topics. |
| Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term
Care Policy or the
new site |
Component
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. Includes numerous surveys, studies, and
analysis on health care, Medicare, Medicaid, and Managed
Care. |
| Savings Bonds (TreasuryDirect) |
Treasury Dept. site for
determining current value of US savings bonds |
| Social Security Administration |
Includes
Social Security Handbook, benefit calculator, entire Social Security Act, SSA forms, subscribe to a newsletter. See also "Understanding SSI." |
| trustsandestates.net |
Site of T&E lawyer
Noel Ice -- contains Noel's unique and frank (!)
commentaries on the retirement distribution regulations,
hyperlinked -- invaluable. (Scroll down to the
bottom of the page) |
| Veterans Administration |
Includes information on
all benefits programs; download VA life insurance forms, Form 21-526 by which a single veteran can get an
additional $90 excluded from applied income when on
Medicaid; Form 21-534 for a widow. |
= Tech Help (Click HERE for
tech Q&A)