You might ask, what is Autism Justice? Well, research demonstrates that pregnant women who take or took products containing acetaminophen, like Tylenol and others, have significantly increased risk of having a baby who develops Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Autism Justice is a coalition of scientists, consumer advocates and lawyers helping women and their families hold […]
Blog
A friend of mine, Shirley Whitenack, was recently quoted in an article discussing the ABLE Act and how it can be used to save money while becoming eligible for Medicaid. In Georgia, we call ABLE Act accounts “Stable” Accounts. To be eligible for a Stable account, an individual must be someone who developed their disability before […]
FROM THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS In recognition of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3, 2020), we present estimates from the 2015–2016 National Study of Long–Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). (Note that starting in January 2020, NSLTCP was renamed the National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS).) In 2016, 56.5% of residents […]
A report out this month from the Government Accountability Office dives into how schools managed special education and services for English learners during the switch to distance learning in the spring of the 2019-2020 academic year, finding that by and large, they struggled. https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2020/11/30/schools-have-struggled-to-fulfill-ieps-amid-pandemic-government-report-finds/29099/
Please feel free to contact us with questions, but the following links are a good starting point. Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities: https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/dd-community-based-services North Georgia Field Office: https://dbhdd.georgia.gov/regional-field-offices/region-1-field-office The crisis hotline number is: 1-800-715-4225
Hopefully, the answer is that it means nothing. However, religion has been used to justify intolerance since the dawn of time. An article describing historic discrimination of disabled persons concludes that virtually all major religions have, at one time or another, found a reason to relegate disabled persons to second class status. In Judaism, the source […]
In Fry v. Napoleon Community Schools (February 23, 2017), the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Ehlena Fry, a child with cerebral palsy, should have her day in court to argue that “Wonder,” her service dog, may accompany her to school. Wonder is a trained service dog, recommended by Ehlena’s pediatrician. Wonder, a goldendoodle, helps Ehlena to […]
The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act (Section 5007 of the 21st Century Cures Act) was signed by President Obama on February 13, 2016. The Act changes a provision relating to self-settled special needs trusts that formerly prevented the disabled individual from establish his or her own special needs trust. Prior to February 13, 2016, the […]
We are pleased to announce that the Elder Law Practice of David L. McGuffey will host a Special Needs Roundtable in Dalton, Georgia on July 29, 2016. Confirmed speakers and panelists include Key Note Speaker Hal Wright (Certified Financial Planner and Author of “The Complete Guide to Creating a Special Needs Life Plan,” available on […]
Two recent cases make it clear that, even when you are working with special needs trusts, there are reasons for caution. In the first case, Indiana resident Timothy Todd filed a lawsuit claiming the trustee managing his special needs trust was charging thousands for unnecessary and inappropriate fees. His suit, which seeks class status, claims the […]
