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Headlines

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.

New Data Show Price Differences For Health Procedures
May 10, 2013
Hospitals will now be required to tell patients how much they charge for procedures, a move federal officials said should spark competition and lower costs.
Full Story.

Debate Persists Over Pay For Disability Caregivers
May 9, 2013
Close to 2 million in-home care workers and personal care aides in the United States don’t always get paid for overtime work or receive minimum wage, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. They are explicitly excluded from a key federal wage law that carved out exceptions for causal babysitters and companions for people who are sick or have disabilities.
Full Story.

Gene Studies Could Point to New Alzheimer's Treatments
May 8, 2013
Insight into genes that play a key role in disrupting immune system pathways in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease could offer a potential target for new drugs against the disease, two new studies show.
Full Story.

Feds to Move Away From DSM
May 7, 2013
Just weeks before a new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is scheduled for release, the head of the National Institute of Mental Health says it’s time to change how mental conditions are categorized.
Full Story.

In Decade’s Time, Childhood Disabilities Rise 16 Percent
May 6, 2013
Significantly more children have disabilities today as compared to a decade ago, largely due to increased diagnosis of neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions, researchers say.
Full Story.

Updates

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)