Protecting Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid Eligibility for Injury Victims:  Special Needs Trusts

Protecting Supplemental Security Income and Medicaid Eligibility for Injury Victims: Special Needs Trusts

August 2, 2018

Introduction The receipt of personal injury proceeds by someone who is disabled can cause ineligibility for means based tested government benefit programs.  Medicaid[1] and SSI[2] are two such programs.  However, there are planning devices that can be utilized to preserve eligibility for those who have become disabled due to injury. A special needs trust can […]

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TOP 50 MOST UNREASONABLE HOSPITAL LIENS

TOP 50 MOST UNREASONABLE HOSPITAL LIENS

June 22, 2018

Increasingly trial attorneys are discovering that settlement of a personal injury or wrongful death claim with the tortfeasor can be the beginning not the end of negotiations or even litigation. Once settlement funds are received, the often-protracted lien resolution process begins, especially hospital liens. Hospitals typically demand reimbursement of their full, undiscounted list prices for […]

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Big Data and Medicare – Recipe for Disaster

Big Data and Medicare – Recipe for Disaster

May 14, 2018

B. Josh Pettingill, MBA, MS, MSCC Introduction A vital step to navigating the MSP statute is understanding the dynamics between the Section 111 Reporting Requirement and the potential interplay for a Liability Medicare Set Aside (LMSA). The MSP statute precludes Medicare from paying for any item or service when payment has been made by a […]

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Medicare Advantage Private Cause of Action is Now Sweeping the Country

Medicare Advantage Private Cause of Action is Now Sweeping the Country

May 7, 2018

Medicare Advantage Private Cause of Action is Now Sweeping the Country Courts across the country continue to rule that Medicare Advantage Plans (MAP or MAO) are enforceable and shall be entitled to double damages if not repaid in third party liability situations.  The trial bar has been aware of this significant exposure since 2016 when […]

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Cutting Through the Alphabet Soup of Public Benefits

Cutting Through the Alphabet Soup of Public Benefits

April 11, 2018

What happens when someone suffers a serious or catastrophic personal physical injury causing permanent disability? Do they get the proper counseling regarding the form of the settlement so as to protect their current assets, preserve public benefits and safeguard the physical injury recovery? Will the recovery be sufficient to pay for all of the victim’s […]

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Defer Taxation of Your Legal Fees and Take Control of Timing of Income

Defer Taxation of Your Legal Fees and Take Control of Timing of Income

February 28, 2018

Many attorneys have questions when it comes to how to avoid the spikes in income and the accompanying taxation common with contingent legal fees. There are custom tailored solutions for attorneys who work on a contingent fee basis to avoid these issues. Attorney fee structures and deferred compensation arrangements allow lawyers to avoid taking income […]

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Ahlborn is Alive & Well

Ahlborn is Alive & Well

February 14, 2018

Since the landmark decision by the US Supreme Court in Arkansas Department of Health and Human Services v. Ahlborn in 2006, state Medicaid agencies have grappled with how to recover monies spent for injury related care through their third party liability statutes without violating the Ahlborn decision.  Many states continued to apply third party recover […]

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