Significant 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…
Read MoreNY State Nursing Homes Staffing Study
On September 20th, 2019, NY State Department of Health is having the first of two meetings to examine how staffing enhancements, and other initiatives, can be used to improve patient safety and the quality of healthcare service delivery, in hospitals and nursing homes. Supervising Attorney Lindsay Heckler will be there to give brief testimony on…
Read MoreSeptember is “Kinship Care Month”
Since 2017, the New York State legislature has recognized September as Kinship Care Month. “Kinship Caregivers” refers to non-parents who are caring for children, including grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, adult siblings, and even non-relatives who have been important to the child such as a family friend. There are about 2.8 million children being…
Read MoreResident Rights During the Closing of a Nursing Home
Residents have rights when their nursing home is being closed. The below is meant provide an overview of resident rights during the closure process and sources of help during this stressful time. Access to the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program The Ombudsman Program is an advocate and resource for persons who reside in nursing homes.…
Read MoreAnnouncing Aging Safely: A Webinar Series on Technology and Partnership Strategies to Better Combat Elder Abuse and Financial Exploitation
With support from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Pro Bono Net and the Center for Elder Law & Justice have partnered on an initiative to create and expand two online tools to enable innovative partnership and outreach models to identify, respond to, and remedy elder abuse and financial exploitation:…
Read MoreKaren Nicolson nominated for Cause Award
The Center for Elder Law & Justice is proud to announce that CEO Karen Nicolson has been selected as a Finalist for the Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo’s Centennial Awards. Karen is nominated for the Cause Award, which honors a change maker dedicated to addressing a pressing issue in our region. The winner in each…
Read MoreCall for Community Action: Speak up for Nursing Home Residents
Prepared by Lindsay Heckler, Esq. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued proposed rules for the purpose of reducing nursing home provider burden. The proposed rules do nothing to improve the quality of care in nursing homes. The Center for Elder Law & Justice is against the proposed changes and will be…
Read MoreElder Abuse Awareness Month
“What is it that makes one person exploitable and another person not? It’s like a perfect storm, really, when we’re talking about these vulnerable people who have enough capacity that they’re not necessarily going to be on anybody’s radar”. This question was posed in a series called “Brains and Losses” to discuss the various theories…
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