Law Office of Donald D. Vanarelli Blog

The business section of the Star-Ledger newspaper has a recurring feature entitled “Shop Talk” which usually contains a short news story highlighting a local business or community event. In the November 6th edition of the newspaper, Shop Talk featured a short article on the newly-formed Central Jersey Collaborative Law Group and briefly described the collaborative divorce [...]

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I have a number of speaking engagements scheduled during the first few weeks of November 2008 that may be of interest to readers of this blog.

On November 8, 2008, I am scheduled to speak at the Alzheimer’s Association Conference, in Union County College located in Cranford, NJ. My presentation is entitled “Planning for Disability [...]

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A final rule that would allow more Medicaid beneficiaries to be in charge of their own personal assistance services, including personal care services, instead of having those services directed by an agency, was announced on September 29, 2008 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The rule guides states who wish to allow [...]

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The word is really starting to get out about the collaborative divorce process!
The October 17th edition of the Family Circle Magazine has a GREAT article on collaborative divorce entitled “The Friendly Divorce”. The article identifies four (4) benefits to couples who choose to divorce using the collaborative divorce process: Less Bitterness; Lower Expenses; Quicker Results; and, a Custom Solution. [...]

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I am happy to report that, as of September 19, 2008, I am an accredited attorney for “the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims for veterans benefits before the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).” The purpose of VA’s accreditation program is to ensure that claimants for VA benefits receive qualified assistance in preparing and presenting [...]

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Medicare’s monthly premium will be unchanged at $96.40 next year for most of the 44 million beneficiaries in the U.S. health program for the elderly and disabled. This is the first time in eight years the rate won’t rise.  Medicare fees will stay the same partly because the program’s reserves have increased, according to a [...]

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New Jersey’s Office of Administrative Law recently issued a significant ruling that may make it easier to qualify for Medicaid. In K.R. vs. Somerset County Board of Social Services, O.A.L Docket No. HMA 12343-07 (Aug. 25, 2008),  New Jersey’s Office of Administrative Law ruled that an account titled to a Medicaid applicant “or” another person [...]

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A part of my practice involves mediation and collaborative legal practice. Both mediation and collaborative practice are dispute resolution techniques used as a alternative to litigation to settle a dispute. I believe that settlement, which is a product of mutual agreement, is almost always better than litigation. Settlement involves the principal of self-determination. That [...]

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A bipartisan bill that would freeze the estate tax at the level that will prevail in 2009 under the current law has been introduced in the Senate.
The legislation, S.3284, was introduced July 17, 2008, by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and George Voinovich (R-OH). The bill would create a lifetime estate tax [...]

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Parents raising children with special needs face significant extra costs for therapies, rehabilitation and specialty medical care, among other costs. A new study found that families with similar demographics and nature of their children’s special needs have different out-of-pocket health expenditures depending on the state in which they live.
The study found that wealthier states tend [...]

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