PAID ADVERTISEMENT QA YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE EXPERTS! ATTORNEY CERTIFIED ELDER LAW ATTORNEY My doctor told me l have MS.I am having difficulty working, Can I get Social Security disability? Q: A: How much can I give away without incurring any Medical Assistance (Medicaid) penalties? Maybe. Just because you have a disease does not mean you get benefits from the Social Security Administration. You have to meet their requiements and be unable to work It is my opinion that the requirements are quite stringent and difficult to meet One has to look at the restrictions caused by your disease. Do the doctors and medical records of suficient quality prove the difficubes and restrictions that you could be having? There are a lot of things to consider before you would get a favorable approval. If you can work and make money, it is my recommendation that you do so If you cannot, an attomey familiar with the Sooal Security requirements could help you for certain deady diseases that would cause death or are extremely serious and become debiltating fairly quickly, such as ALS for which approval can come quickly. A: Certain specific transfers are exempt. The Medical Assistance (Medicaid) rules also exempt certain small gifts which meet specific requirements. Gifts which total $500 or less per month are disregarded. This is a total of $500 and not $500 per person. If the gifts exceed $500 per month by even one cent, the entire gift is penalized. L. Christian DeDiana 724-219-3906 Certified by National Elder Law Foundation www.dedianaelderlaw.com Jon M. Lewis, Esq. Mears, Smith, Houser&Boyle, P.C. 127 N. Main St. Greensburg, PA 15601 724-836-4730 MEDICARE INSURANCE SENIOR CARE I spent 15 years taking care of my elderly mothe Since she passed away, I have been feeling lonely and unfulfilled. I want to continue as a caregiver, but I fear working in a perssonal care home won't be personal enough for me. I recently got a call from Medicare asking for my social security number so that they could send my new card. This isn't kosher is it? A: You may want to look into working as an in-home caregiver for Senior Helpers. Our caregivers are encouraged to develop one-on-one relationships with dlients. There are significant opportunities for quality caregivers who welcome the challenge of making a difference in the life of a senior We provide free training to ensure you have the necessary skills and information to be successful. Please contact Senior Helpers to apply today. A: No it is not! Medicare will never call you for that and also will never ask you for money to process your new card. Call 800- 633-4427 to report the attempted scam. Michael Noppe Insurance Services LLC 1255 South Main Street Greensburg, PA 15601 800-800-1999 ext. 65 Carol A. Trent, M.S. Senior Helpers 724-834-5720 FUNERAL DIRECTOR RETIREMENT & IRA TAX PLANNING My wife is the beneficiary of my Roth IRA. Will she have to pay state and federal income tax on the Roth IRA upon my death? We are both over 65. How does the distribution work for this? Is it appropriate to send flowers to a memorial service? Unless the obituary states "In lieu of flowers..., it is acceptable A: to send flowers. If there is no public visitation, however, you may A: Your wife will NOT have to pay federal or state income tax. She would have the ability to defer distributions during her lifetime Then her beneficiaries would need to start required minimum distributions. She would want to speak with someone well educated with this upon your passing. consider sending something that the family can take home, such as a plant or wind chimes. Sam White CPA member ED SLOTTS Master Jeffrey M. Barnhart Barnhart Funeral Home, Inc. 724-834-1421 Professional Cremation Service, LLC 724-610-0771 Elite IRA Advisor Group 101 North Main, Greensburg, PA 724-634-2255 Please Email Your Questions to asktheexperts@tribweb.com To be an Expert on This Page Please Call 724-853-5052 aa PAID ADVERTISEMENT QA YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE EXPERTS! ATTORNEY CERTIFIED ELDER LAW ATTORNEY My doctor told me l have MS.I am having difficulty working, Can I get Social Security disability? Q: A: How much can I give away without incurring any Medical Assistance (Medicaid) penalties? Maybe. Just because you have a disease does not mean you get benefits from the Social Security Administration. You have to meet their requiements and be unable to work It is my opinion that the requirements are quite stringent and difficult to meet One has to look at the restrictions caused by your disease. Do the doctors and medical records of suficient quality prove the difficubes and restrictions that you could be having? There are a lot of things to consider before you would get a favorable approval. If you can work and make money, it is my recommendation that you do so If you cannot, an attomey familiar with the Sooal Security requirements could help you for certain deady diseases that would cause death or are extremely serious and become debiltating fairly quickly, such as ALS for which approval can come quickly. A: Certain specific transfers are exempt. The Medical Assistance (Medicaid) rules also exempt certain small gifts which meet specific requirements. Gifts which total $500 or less per month are disregarded. This is a total of $500 and not $500 per person. If the gifts exceed $500 per month by even one cent, the entire gift is penalized. L. Christian DeDiana 724-219-3906 Certified by National Elder Law Foundation www.dedianaelderlaw.com Jon M. Lewis, Esq. Mears, Smith, Houser&Boyle, P.C. 127 N. Main St. Greensburg, PA 15601 724-836-4730 MEDICARE INSURANCE SENIOR CARE I spent 15 years taking care of my elderly mothe Since she passed away, I have been feeling lonely and unfulfilled. I want to continue as a caregiver, but I fear working in a perssonal care home won't be personal enough for me. I recently got a call from Medicare asking for my social security number so that they could send my new card. This isn't kosher is it? A: You may want to look into working as an in-home caregiver for Senior Helpers. Our caregivers are encouraged to develop one-on-one relationships with dlients. There are significant opportunities for quality caregivers who welcome the challenge of making a difference in the life of a senior We provide free training to ensure you have the necessary skills and information to be successful. Please contact Senior Helpers to apply today. A: No it is not! Medicare will never call you for that and also will never ask you for money to process your new card. Call 800- 633-4427 to report the attempted scam. Michael Noppe Insurance Services LLC 1255 South Main Street Greensburg, PA 15601 800-800-1999 ext. 65 Carol A. Trent, M.S. Senior Helpers 724-834-5720 FUNERAL DIRECTOR RETIREMENT & IRA TAX PLANNING My wife is the beneficiary of my Roth IRA. Will she have to pay state and federal income tax on the Roth IRA upon my death? We are both over 65. How does the distribution work for this? Is it appropriate to send flowers to a memorial service? Unless the obituary states "In lieu of flowers..., it is acceptable A: to send flowers. If there is no public visitation, however, you may A: Your wife will NOT have to pay federal or state income tax. She would have the ability to defer distributions during her lifetime Then her beneficiaries would need to start required minimum distributions. She would want to speak with someone well educated with this upon your passing. consider sending something that the family can take home, such as a plant or wind chimes. Sam White CPA member ED SLOTTS Master Jeffrey M. Barnhart Barnhart Funeral Home, Inc. 724-834-1421 Professional Cremation Service, LLC 724-610-0771 Elite IRA Advisor Group 101 North Main, Greensburg, PA 724-634-2255 Please Email Your Questions to asktheexperts@tribweb.com To be an Expert on This Page Please Call 724-853-5052 aa