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Study Points to Disability Housing Crisis
May 24, 2013
Housing is out of reach for many with disabilities, with a new report finding that rent for a small apartment often exceeds the total government benefits offered to such individuals.
Full Story.

Medicare Proffers $1 Billion for Healthcare Innovation Projects
May 23, 2013
Federal health agency offers funding for new models of nonhospital care that cut federal health expenditures, improve health of specific patient populations.
Full Story.

Feds Eye Better Outcomes For Kids on Supplemental Security Income
May 22, 2013
Through improved supports and services, the Obama administration is looking to boost the long-term prospects of kids with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income.
Full Story.

Three New Health Reform Plans Ignore the Long-Term Care Needs of Seniors and People with Disabilities
May 21, 2013
In the past few weeks, no fewer than three highly respected groups have proposed major health care reforms. They all promise greater use of patient-centered integrated care, but none include supports and services for frail elders or younger people with disabilities.
Full Story.

Feds to Emphasize Student Performance in Special Education
May 20, 2013
Federal education officials are looking to reshape the way they evaluate each state’s compliance with special education law to put a heavier focus on student performance.
Full Story.

The 10 Best States for Retirement
May 17, 2013
A new analysis shows where the best states for retirement are in the U.S., and it includes none of the usual suspects.
Full Story.

More Kids Diagnosed With Mental Health Disabilities, Study Finds
May 16, 2013
Significantly more U.S. children have a neurodevelopmental or mental health disability than did a decade ago, according to new research.
Full Story.

House Passes Bill to Prioritize US Payments to Bondholders and Social Security Recipients
May 15, 2013
The GOP-controlled House voted to make sure U.S. bondholders and people on Social Security get paid if the government hits its borrowing limit.
Full Story.

Government Auditors Say VA Needs to Cut Delays, Costs When Constructing Veterans Hospitals
May 14, 2013
Government auditors told a House panel that efforts to build four veterans medical centers are taking on average about three years longer to complete than estimated and costing an additional $366 million per project.
Full Story.

Doctors, Others Criticize Medicare’s Proposal on Hospital Admissions Rules
May 13, 2013
Medicare officials have proposed changes in hospital admission rules that they say will curb the rising number of beneficiaries who are placed in observation care but are not admitted, making them ineligible for nursing home coverage.
Full Story.

Updates

NAELA Public Policy News
Check out the Veterans Issues page to view NAELA's recent testimony to the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs and the Public Policy Positions page to see the letter from CMA to CMS on Medicare Program; Part B Inpatient Billing in Hospitals. (May 24, 2013)

NAELA Commends Reps. Thompson and Pallone for Protecting the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities
NAELA supports Reps. Glenn Thompson (R-PA) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ) in their dedication to improving the lives of individuals with disabilities. On Thursday, May 23, Rep. Thompson introduced the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2013 (H.R. 2123). See press release. (May 23, 2013)

Elder Justice Coordinating Council Meets to Address Elder Abuse
NAELA and Elder Justice Coalition (EJC) recommendations adopted by the EJCC. See press release. (May 23, 2013)

NAELA Presents Outstanding Chapter Member Awards
Each year, the award is presented in recognition of the NAELA Chapter members who demonstrate outstanding initiative and leadership on behalf of their Chapters. See press release. (May 20, 2013)

NAELA Applauds Overdue Protections for Low-Income Individuals and Individuals with Disabilities
NAELA supports Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) in his dedication to improving the lives of low-income older Americans and individuals with disabilities. Rep. Grijalva recently introduced the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2013 (H.R. 1601), which includes long overdue efforts to modernize the SSI program. See press release. (May 3, 2013)

NAELA Announces Winner of National Writing Award
NAELA announces that Susan P. Shapiro, PhD, will receive the John J. Regan Writing Award for her article, “Advance Directives: The Elusive Goal of Having the Last Word,” published in the Fall 2012 NAELA Journal. See press release. (May 1, 2013)

NAELA Announces 2013 Fellow
NAELA is proud to announce the 2013 NAELA Fellow: H. Amos Goodall, Jr., CELA, of State College, Pa. See press release. (May 1, 2013)

NAELA Announces Winner of President’s Recognition Award
NAELA President Gregory S. French, CELA, CAP, has selected The Beechwood Home in Cincinnati, Ohio, as the recipient of the 2013 President’s Recognition Award for the superb long-term care and quality of life that Beechwood provides its residents. See press release. (April 30, 2013)
    
NAELA Foundation Awards Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships for Patient Advocacy
NAELA proudly announced its selection of Katherine Roe, of Sacramento, Calif.; S. Lynne Bayes-Weiner, of Overland Park, Kan.; and Elizabeth Bertrand, of Orlando, Fla., as the 2013 recipients of the Cohn Sisters’ Scholarships for Patient Advocacy. The scholarship was established through the NAELA Memorial Fund in memory of Vivian Cohn Smith and Lorrie Cohn, sisters of NAELA Fellow Helen Cohn Needham.  This annual scholarship is available to Elder Law attorneys who are unable to afford to attend a NAELA Annual Conference, and who would use the training to assist and advocate on behalf of people with disabilities. See press release. (April 30, 2013)

NAELA's Young/New Attorneys Section Awards Scholarship
Jacqueline Sartoris of Brunswick, ME, is the recipient of the 2013 NAELA Young/New Attorneys Section Scholarship. The scholarship was established in 2010 as a means to encourage newer NAELA members to attend a national conference. See press release. (April 30, 2013)

NAELA Celebrates National Elder Law Month
NAELA established May as National Elder Law Month as a way to educate seniors and their families about their legal options in dealing with elder abuse and neglect, nursing home issues, Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, trust and estate planning, and other important issues. See press release. (April 29, 2013)

NAELA Publishes Symposium Issue on the Future of Elder and Special Needs Law
In the Spring 2013 issue of NAELA Journal, some of the country’s leading authorities look at what has happened in key substantive areas of the law over the past quarter century, what today looks like, and above all, where Elder and Special Needs Law is heading in the future. See press release. (April 22, 2013)

NAELA Members Advocate for Older Americans, Veterans, and Individuals with Disabilities in Washington, D.C.
This week, members of Congress and their staff met with National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) members during a joint NAELA and Special Needs Alliance (SNA) Hill Day. NAELA members advocated for disability and aging legislation that would directly improve the lives of their clients. See press release. (April 19, 2013)

Congress' Drafting Error Denies Individuals with Disabilities a Fundamental Right
Law assumes a person with disabilities lacks the equality or mental capacity to enter into a contract.
Have you ever witnessed the distress of dignity being stripped from a person simply due to a physical disability that prevents the person from entering a store because her or his wheelchair cannot go up a step that leads into the building? Read this issue of NAELA Eye on Elder and Special Needs Issues. (April 16, 2013)

NAELA Supports National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16)
NAELA, along with other national, state, and community organizations, is leading a massive effort to highlight the importance of advance health care decision-making — an effort that has culminated in the formal designation of April 16 as National Healthcare Decisions Day (NHDD). See press release. (April 15, 2013)

NAELA Supports National Financial Literacy Month (April)
National Financial Literacy Month highlights the importance of financial literacy and teaching Americans how to establish and maintain healthy financial habits. See press release. (April 15, 2013)

NAELA Supports President’s Willingness to Tackle the Budget Deficit
President Obama released his federal budget for FY 2014 that includes a range of deficit cutting measures of which many will be difficult for aging and special needs advocates to support. See press release. (April 12, 2013)

Seniors Mobilize for April 10th Congressional Call-in Day
The National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare is mobilizing advocates across the nation in a Congressional Call-In day on Wednesday, April 10th, the day that President Obama releases his budget including cuts to Social Security. See press release. (April 10, 2013)

NAELA Supports National Autism Awareness Month
National Autism Awareness Month highlights the need to help improve the lives of children and adults who suffer from the disorder. Every April, autism organizations around the country celebrate through unique fundraising and awareness-raising events. See press release. (April 8, 2013)

NAELA Past President and ABA Commission on Law and Aging Director Honored for Public Policy Achievements
Charles P. Sabatino is the first recipient of an award named in his honor. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ (NAELA) Charles P. Sabatino Excellence in Public Policy Award recognizes the years of exemplary service Sabatino has devoted to NAELA and NAELA’s public policy initiatives. See press release. (March 22, 2013)

Attorney Receives National Community Service Award for Advocacy in Elder Law
NAELA is proud to announce the winner of the 2013 Powley Elder Law Award: Reginald H. Turnbull, of Jefferson City, Mo. This award is presented annually to a NAELA member who is recognized in his or her community as a leader in promoting a greater understanding of the rights and needs of the elderly and people with special needs, and of how Elder Law attorneys advocate for those rights. See press release. (March 18, 2013)

NAELA Celebrates 25th Anniversary
NAELA is proud to celebrate “25 years of sharing and caring” through the Elder and Special Needs Law profession. See press release. (March 11, 2013)

NAELA Celebrates 15th Annual National Consumer Protection Week
NAELA proudly joins government agencies, advocacy organizations, and private sector groups nationwide to celebrate National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), March 3-9, 2013. See press release. (March 4, 2013)

NAELA Eye on Elder and Special Needs Issues
Read the latest issue, "The New Commission on Long-Term Care." (March 1, 2013)