Senior Financial Safety Tool
The Center for Elder Law & Justice has partnered with Lake Shore Savings Bank to utilize the Senior Financial Safety Tool (SFST). The SFST is a web-based application that screens older adults for common warning signs of financial exploitation. Our goal is to develop a detection and referral system so that we can work collaboratively…
Read MoreCELJ December Newsletter
Hospital and Nursing Homes Staffing Levels – Your Input Needed!
submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. The Department of Health is conducting a study about staffing levels in hospitals and nursing homes and needs to hear from the community! As highlighted in our comments to the Department of Health safe minimum staffing levels are essential in ensuring each patient and resident receives safe, effective, and quality…
Read MoreCELJ Staffing Study Written Comments, submitted by Lindsay Heckler, Esq.
News for Kinship Families
Great news for non-parent custodians! I’m often asked, what’s the difference between guardians and custodians? Generally, Family Court issues Orders of Custody, and Surrogate’s Court issues Letters of Guardianship. There are several legal nuances, but one significant difference has been that non-parent guardians have the statutory authority to make medical decisions for children, just like…
Read MoreCenter for Elder Law & Justice Comment for the Record November 14, 2019 Hearing on Caring for Aging Americans Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives
Why Give?
As this holiday season approaches, I wanted to take some time to share some things I am thankful for. In addition to my husband, pup, friends, and family, I am thankful for my job. I knew I wanted to be a lawyer from an unreasonably young age, and I really never wavered. I also knew…
Read MoreSignificant Update to the Family Court Act
by Sarah Hedden, Esq. On October 29, 2019, an update to Section 1028-a of the Family Court Act was signed into law, paving the way for more relatives and “fictive kin” to be considered as placement resources when children are removed from their parents. It has expanded from relatives within three degrees of consanguinity to…
Read MoreCenter for Elder Law & Justice Resident Rights Advocacy Initiative
The Center for Elder Law & Justice (CELJ) is pleased to announce a new initiative made possible through the Odd Fellow & Rebekah Benefit Fund. The goal of this initiative will be to improve the ability of nursing home residents in Western New York to advocate for themselves to receive the best possible care. This…
Read MorePublic Comment on Removal of Categorical Eligibility for SNAP Beneficiaries
Prepared by Erin Riker, Esq. The Center for Elder Law and Justice strongly opposes the proposed federal regulation ending categorical eligibility for recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Benefits (SNAP, colloquially known as food stamps). If categorical eligibility programs are ended, millions of needy Americans, including substantial numbers of senior citizens, will lose the benefits that…
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