A clear and authoritative guide to life planning, financial strategies, and legal protection for people facing retirement, The Complete Retirement Survival Guide, Second Edition is a thoroughly updated edition of the popular The Elder Law Handbook—written specifically for those over age 55, for anyone with a parent over age 55, as well as for people with disabilities or family members with disabilities. Important issues covered include planning for health care needs; managing and paying for medical and long-term care; life planning for individuals and their families; taxes; working and retirement; meeting housing needs; and getting help. This indispensable collection of facts and advice provides the necessary foundation for ensuring that the quality of life and autonomy of older people and people with disabilities are maintained while their independence and their resources are protecteced. Fully updated coverage includes: --Changes in Medicare, Medicaid, health and long-term care insurance, home care, HMOs and managed care, and financing options for long-term care --Living wills, powers of attorney, and pain management --New estate and gift tax laws, retirement plan rules, and Social Security rules --Supplemental needs trusts for people with disabilities --Developments in the assisted living and senior housing industry.
Author(s): Peter J. Strauss, Nancy M. Lederman
Edition: 2
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 420
Contents......Page 6
Dedication and Acknowledgments......Page 16
Preface......Page 18
Future Shock, Future Anxieties......Page 22
Planning Lessons from Elder Law......Page 23
Multiple Strategies for Survival......Page 25
How to Use This Book......Page 28
Part 1: Planning for Your Health Care Needs......Page 30
Choosing a Doctor......Page 31
Checking on Your Doctor......Page 34
Getting the Medical Information You Need......Page 35
Privacy......Page 37
How Your Doctor Charges......Page 38
Choosing a Hospital......Page 39
In An Emergency......Page 40
How Hospitals Are Organized......Page 41
Patient's Bill of Rights......Page 42
Regulating Doctors and Hospitals......Page 45
2: Making Health Care Decisions......Page 47
The Emergence of Patient Rights......Page 48
Consenting to Treatment......Page 49
Experimental Procedures......Page 52
The Patient Self-Determination Act......Page 53
The "Right To Die"......Page 55
Enforcing Your Rights......Page 56
3: Home and Community Care......Page 58
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)......Page 59
Types of Programs......Page 60
Adult Day Care......Page 61
Hospice Services......Page 62
Family Caregiving......Page 63
Community-Based Services and Care......Page 64
How To Find Home Care......Page 65
How To Evaluate a Home Care Agency......Page 66
Private Care Managers......Page 67
Paying for Home Care......Page 68
Where to Complain......Page 69
4: Nursing Homes......Page 70
Finding a Nursing Home......Page 71
How to Evaluate a Nursing Home......Page 72
Nursing Home Reforms......Page 74
Admissions and Discrimination......Page 75
Deposits and Payments......Page 76
Quality of Care......Page 77
Chemical and Physical Restraints......Page 79
Bed-Hold and Bed Reservations......Page 80
Transfers and Discharge......Page 81
Resident's Bill of Rights......Page 82
Sex in Nursing Homes......Page 84
Regulating Nursing Homes......Page 85
Enforcing Your Rights......Page 86
Part 2: Managing and Paying for Health Care......Page 90
5: Medicare......Page 91
Eligibility for Medicare......Page 92
Enrollment (Part A Hospital Coverage)......Page 93
Enrollment (Part B Medical Insurance)......Page 94
Medicare Buy-In Program......Page 95
Coverage and Exclusions......Page 96
Medicare and Alzheimer's Disease......Page 98
Prescription Drugs......Page 99
Deductibles and Copayment......Page 100
Outpatient (Ambulatory) Care......Page 101
Physician Fees......Page 102
Hospital Costs and Treatment......Page 104
Discharge......Page 105
Expedited Review Before Discharge......Page 106
Appealing a Medicare Decision......Page 108
6: Health Insurance......Page 114
Types of Health Insurance......Page 115
Policy Terms and Conditions......Page 116
Preexisting Conditions and Waiting Periods......Page 118
Renewability......Page 120
Checking the Insurance Company......Page 121
Filing an Insurance Claim......Page 122
Insurance Regulation......Page 124
Continuing Coverage When You Stop Working......Page 125
Medical Savings Accounts......Page 127
Medigap Supplemental Insurance......Page 128
Medicare Coverage When You're Working......Page 132
What Is An HMO?......Page 133
HMO Coverage......Page 134
Enrolling In Medicare + Choice......Page 135
Your Medicare + Choice Rights......Page 136
Switching Medicare + Choice Coverage......Page 137
Appealing an HMO Decision--External Review......Page 138
Appealing a Medicare + Choice Plan Decision......Page 139
Assessing the Medicare + Choice Program......Page 140
Part 3: Financing Long-Term Care......Page 142
Post-Hospital Care Under Medicare......Page 143
Home Health Care under Medicare......Page 145
Medicare and Hospice Services......Page 148
9: Medicaid and Long-Term Care......Page 149
Medicaid Coverage......Page 150
"Spending Down" For Medicaid......Page 151
Qualifying for Medicaid......Page 152
Your Home and Other Exempt Assets......Page 153
Protecting Spousal Resources......Page 154
Protecting Spousal Income......Page 157
Transferring Assets......Page 158
Trusts and Medicaid Planning......Page 160
Claims for Recovery......Page 163
Appealing a Medicaid Decision......Page 164
Medicaid's Future......Page 165
10: Long-Term Care Insurance......Page 167
Evaluating the Long-Term Care Policy......Page 168
Public-Private Partnership Policies......Page 171
Reverse Mortgages......Page 174
Loan Amount and Payment Options......Page 176
Truth in Lending Requirements......Page 178
Finding a Reverse Mortgage......Page 179
Annuities......Page 180
Using Life Insurance......Page 181
Part 4: Life Planning for You and Your Family......Page 184
12: Advance Directives for Health Care......Page 185
Living Wills......Page 186
Specific Treatment Instructions......Page 189
"Do Not Resuscitate" Orders......Page 191
Physician Responsibility and Liability......Page 193
Living Will Statutes and Legal Formalities......Page 194
5 Wishes......Page 199
Health Care Proxies......Page 200
Appointing a Health Care Agent......Page 201
Proxy Formalities......Page 204
Surrogate and Family Consent......Page 205
Organ and Tissue Donation......Page 207
Assisted Suicide......Page 209
Oregon Death With Dignity Act......Page 210
Supreme Court Rulings on Physician-Assisted Suicide......Page 212
Pain Management Statutes......Page 215
End-of-Life Care......Page 216
Enforcing Your Rights......Page 217
Power of Attorney......Page 219
Durable Power of Attorney......Page 220
Springing Power of Attorney......Page 221
Appointing an Agent......Page 222
Legal Capacity and Formalities......Page 227
Dealing With Banks......Page 228
Trusts......Page 229
Joint Accounts......Page 231
Designating a Representative Payee......Page 233
Services and Entitlements......Page 234
Supplemental Needs Trust......Page 235
How a Trust Works......Page 237
Education and Housing......Page 239
Legal Protections......Page 240
Finding Help......Page 241
15: Guardians and Protective Services......Page 242
The Law of Guardianship......Page 243
The Nature of Incapacity......Page 244
The Role of the Guardian......Page 245
Choosing the Guardian......Page 247
The Hearing Process......Page 248
Monitoring Guardianship......Page 250
Alternatives to Guardianship......Page 251
Elder Abuse and the Law......Page 252
Identifying Elder Abuse......Page 253
Investigation and Services......Page 255
Abuse in Nursing Homes......Page 256
Understanding the Basics......Page 257
Your Will and Estate Taxes......Page 260
Bequests to Spouses, Children, and Other Family Members......Page 261
Disposing of Your Personal Effects......Page 264
Disinheriting Your Heirs......Page 265
Jointly Owned Property......Page 266
Witnesses and Other Formalities......Page 267
Dying Without a Will......Page 270
Renouncing an Inheritance......Page 271
The Use of Trusts......Page 273
Part 5: You and Your Taxes......Page 276
17: Planning and Tax Implications......Page 277
Gift and Estate Taxes......Page 278
Using the Lifetime Exclusion and Marital Deduction......Page 281
Selected Trust Strategies......Page 282
Income Taxes......Page 284
State Taxes......Page 288
Part 6: Working and Retirement......Page 290
18: Protections in the Workplace......Page 291
Your Rights Under the ADEA......Page 292
Americans with Disabilities Act......Page 296
Your ADA Rights......Page 297
Enforcing Your Rights......Page 301
Back Pay and Other Relief......Page 304
Mediating Employment Disputes......Page 305
State Discrimination Laws......Page 307
Family and Medical Leave Act......Page 308
State Family Leave Laws......Page 311
19: Pensions, Benefits, and IRAs......Page 312
ERISA--The Law of Pension Plans......Page 313
Your Right to Participate......Page 314
Vesting Rules......Page 316
Receiving Pension Benefits......Page 317
Survivor Pensions......Page 318
Getting Information on Your Pension......Page 319
Appealing a Claim Decision......Page 320
Pension Plan Terminations......Page 321
Benefits and Welfare Plans......Page 323
Changing Employee Benefits......Page 324
Retiree Benefits......Page 325
IRA and Retirement Plan Distributions......Page 326
20: Social Security and Disability......Page 332
Social Security Eligibility and Benefits......Page 333
Retirement and Early Retirement......Page 335
Applying for Social Security Benefits......Page 336
Working Past Retirement Age......Page 337
Spousal Benefits......Page 338
Survivor Benefits......Page 339
Social Security Overpayments......Page 340
Disability Eligibility and Benefits......Page 341
Determining Disability......Page 342
Supplemental Security Income......Page 345
SSI Eligibility......Page 346
New Transfer Rules for SSI......Page 347
SSI Benefits......Page 349
Ticket to Work Program......Page 350
Appealing a Social Security Decision......Page 351
Your Social Security Number......Page 353
Part 7: Meeting Your Housing Needs......Page 356
Tenants' Rights......Page 357
Rental Assistance......Page 358
Shared Housing......Page 361
Help for Homeowners......Page 362
Sale Leaseback......Page 363
Selling Your Home......Page 364
Moving to Another State......Page 365
Fair Housing Laws......Page 366
Some Help from the ADA......Page 369
22: Adult Living Communities......Page 372
Types of Communities......Page 374
Contractual Agreements......Page 375
Financial Soundness......Page 376
Entrance Fees and Payments......Page 377
Housing and Related Services......Page 378
Social and Support Services......Page 379
Assisted Living and Nursing Services......Page 380
Residents' Rights......Page 381
Regulating Adult Living Communities......Page 382
Part 8: Getting Help......Page 384
Asserting Your Position......Page 385
Appealing Decisions......Page 386
Legal Problems of the Elderly......Page 387
Hiring a Lawyer......Page 388
Aging Organizations and Agencies......Page 390
Appendix I: Where to Get Information or Help......Page 392
1. State Agencies on Aging......Page 403
2. State Long-Term Care Ombudsmen......Page 409
3. State Elder Abuse Hot Lines......Page 415
4. State Insurance Departments......Page 417
5. State Health Departments......Page 421
Index......Page 425
