People with Special Needs Archives | Grady H. Williams, Jr. LL.M, Attorneys at Law

Category archives: People with Special Needs

Closing of Social Security Field Offices Disrupted SSI Benefits for Thousands, Lawsuit Charges
3 years ago
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) might describe it as an open-and-shut case. When the SSA closed its field offices at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it remained open for the purposes of denying benefits. But, plaintiffs say, the agency was ef... [read more]

President Biden Proposes Billions in Increased Funding for Home Health Care
3 years ago
President Biden has introduced a plan to spend $400 billion over eight years on home and community-based care for the elderly and people with disabilities. The money would go to expand access to care and support higher-paying caregiving jobs. As the elderly population grows, our long-term car... [read more]

The Importance Of Expressing Wishes Clearly To Your Health Care Surrogate
5 years ago
One question we are often asked by clients is how specific they should be regarding their wishes about medical care, including tests, medications, surgical procedures, and heroic measures during a serious illness or crisis situation, in their Estate Planning documents. Our answer is that you are wis... [read more]

Walmart Greets Greeters With Job Change That Could Ax Many With Disabilities
5 years ago
How much responsibility do employers have to reasonably accommodate people with disabilities when it changes the employees’ underlying job description? That question is central to the latest employment controversy surrounding America’s largest retailer, Walmart. For years, a ubiquitous fea... [read more]

An Up to $7,500 Tax Credit for the Elderly and Disabled
5 years ago
Low-income seniors and people with disabilities may be missing out on a tax credit that could reduce their tax liability by up to $7,500 this tax season. To qualify for the Senior Tax Credit for the Elderly and Disabled, individuals must either be above age 65 or retired early due to a qualif... [read more]

Report Says Many with Disabilities Aren’t Protected From New State Medicaid Work Requirements
6 years ago
A new report suggests that many people with disabilities will unfairly lose Medicaid coverage as a result of a new requirement in some states that Medicaid recipients work for their benefits. For millions of people with disabilities, Medicaid is a lifeline. Even short interruptions in coverag... [read more]

Survey Ranks Nearly 200 Cities on Friendliness to People with Special Needs
6 years ago
When people with disabilities and their families are considering a particular urban area, numerous factors come into play. Does the city provide accessible amenities, such as sidewalks, transportation, entertainment options, and parks? Is affordable housing available, and is this housing economical ... [read more]

2018 Midterms Raise Accessibility Concerns
6 years ago
As the midterm elections approach, disability rights advocates are concerned about whether all eligible voters with disabilities will, in fact, have the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. About 35 million eligible voters in the U.S. have a disability – close to one in six. Although ... [read more]

Responding to Discrimination Charges, Facebook Removes Controversial Advertising Categories
6 years ago
Facebook is changing its practices to make harder for advertisers to discriminate against people with disabilities. When businesses seek to advertise on Facebook’s platform, the social network provides tens of thousands of different categories for advertisers to target their desired audience, and... [read more]

Deadline for Electronic Check-in for Home Care Workers Pushed Back
6 years ago
Congress has passed and President Trump has signed a law delaying by one year the requirement that providers of home health care services clock in electronically with Medicaid prior to performing services. Disability rights advocates and a bipartisan group of senators had been calling for the... [read more]

Are State ABLE Programs Sustainable? Disability Advocates Raise Concerns
6 years ago
In the past two years, nearly every state in the country has passed legislation enabling people with disabilities and their families to open new savings accounts, modeled after popular 529 college savings plans, to save for disability related expenses. But early projections indicate that many of ... [read more]

SSA Liberalizes Rules on When Special Needs Trusts Can Reimburse Family Members for Travel
6 years ago
Travel is sometimes necessary when a family has a child with special needs. Family members may need to visit the person with special needs, or a medical emergency may require travel to care for the loved one, or the family may simply want to take the child with special needs on vacation. For... [read more]