Elder Law Center

One Essex Street

Saugus, Massachusetts 01906

Telephone 781.233.4444   Fax 781.231.2222

 Saugus Advertiser December 25, 2003

WEBSITES, NOT JUST FOR ELDERS

As time has gone by, I find myself reading books less and using the internet more. The days are gone that we would have looseleaf notebooks that would have yearly supplements requiring that we remove certain pages and insert the new ones.  The internet now does it for us automatically. The following is a list of the websites I frequent most often. If you have a favorite that is not listed, please pass it on to me to share with everyone else. My email address is soccercoach@verizon.net.

 http://www.suddenlysenior.com  I found suddenlysenior.com last week while reading the Sunday Globe. The Globe article discussed the article, A Swan Song for Medicare. It was about the new senior pharmacy discount program through Medicare and it’s affect upon the stability of Medicare. The website is filled with information on getting prescriptions at a discount or even free.  There’s a section with jokes that will give you a chuckle but mostly a lot of information that you will find very interesting. This site now has over 1,200 pages of humor, nostalgia, senior advocacy and useful information for those 50+.

  http://www.salemdeeds.com This is the Essex County Registry of Deeds and the Probate Court web site. Both are located in the same building at 36 Federal Street, Salem, Massachusetts. The Registry is on the first floor. The Main Record Room is straight ahead after entering the lobby. Information about the deeds to all Southern Essex County properties may be obtained here. On the website, if the deed was recorded after January 3 1984 you can get information such as the book and page. If it was recorded after January 2, 1992 you can also get a copy of it. There is no charge for this service.

 Also on this web site you can get a copy of a homestead declaration as well as the elderly homestead declaration form. The frequently asked questions section about homesteads is also interesting. There are links to other Massachusetts government offices, Salem historical sites and other county registry of deeds.

http://www.irs.gov           This is the official web site for the Internal Revenue Service. What caught my eye the first time there was the section named “Undeliverable Refunds Looking For Taxpayers”. Here you can find out if Uncle Sam owes you any money. I usually use this web site for getting copies of tax forms or doing tax research. There are sections for individuals, business, charities…. I recommend that you click on the section for individuals and take a look. There is a lot of information available there.

 http://www.kbb.com   Kelly Blue Book – Ever wonder what your car is worth? This is a handy web site to get values for cars and trucks. We use this web site all the time to value cars for our clients. There is other information available there such as reading car reviews written by both owners and professional test drivers.

 
http://www.medicare.gov/  This is the official web site for Medicare. Here you can find out about Medicare changes such as the Medicare Drug Discount Card.  Enrollment for the card starts in May 2004 and ends on December 31, 2005, at which time the Medicare Prescription benefit is supposed to start. You will also find the Medicare Personal Plan Finder that can help you compare Medicare + Choice and Supplemental insurance plans. This site has a ton of information as well as a very informative Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section.

 http://www.dor.state.ma.us   The Mass Department of Revenue has many of the same features as found on the IRS website. Again, you will want to select the individual taxpayer section and start surfing. You will find good information on the 2003 tax changes, search for unclaimed tax refunds and tips for seniors and retirees, among others.

 
http://www.manaela.org   The Massachusetts Chapter of The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is dedicated to developing awareness of issues surrounding legal services for the elderly. I have the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors of this organization. There are over 400 attorneys in Massachusetts who are members of the Massachusetts Chapter. They work directly with our elderly population in areas as diverse as planning for catastrophic care costs, disability planning, age discrimination in employment and housing, benefits planning, estate planning, and more.

 The public section of this website has three sections. Here you can go to the FAQ section, “Find an Attorney” or the Elder Law Library for the Public section. You will also find a link to our national organization that follows:

http://www.naela.com The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Inc. is a non-profit association that assists lawyers, bar organizations and others who work with older clients and their families. Established in 1987, the Academy provides a resource of information, education, networking and assistance to those who must deal with the many specialized issues involved with legal services to the elderly and disabled. The mission of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys is to establish NAELA members as the premier providers of legal advocacy, guidance, and services to enhance the lives of people as they age.

 http://www.masslongtermcare.org    This website contains information about home health care, assisted living and nursing homes. In it you will find listings of assisted living facilities as well as nursing homes as well as general information about how each of these facilities are paid for. I usually use this web site to locate nursing homes and assisted living facilities. To locate an assisted living facility or nursing home you go to the map of Massachusetts and select what part of the state you are interested in and a listing will come up by town listing all of the facilities. I recommend using this feature along with the following web site to find the best possible facility for a loved one.

http://www.state.ma.us/dph/qtool/qthome.htmThis is the website for the Massachusetts Division of Public Health that has general information about nursing homes as well as the nursing home survey tool. Each nursing home receives a score that you can compare against the state average to see if there are any problems at that particular nursing home. This helps to narrow down your choices, but visiting the facility is still the most important part of choosing a nursing home. The Division of Health Care Quality makes nursing home survey information available to consumers to help evaluate the quality of care provided by the state's Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing homes. The Division inspects nursing homes at least every 9-15 months to assess compliance with federal standards of care such as adequacy of staffing, quality of care and cleanliness of facilities. In addition, as necessary, the Division investigates complaints and serious incidents occurring within a nursing home.

 http://www.ssa.gov     The official website for the Social Security Administration. On this site you can apply for social security benefits online and calculate your benefits. You can also obtain the latest information about yearly cost of living increases and how much will be withheld for your Medicare premiums. 

 http://www.state.ma.us/dma/    The  official website for the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA). The DMA is the organization that oversees Medicaid for Massachusetts. The two major parts of this organization cover health insurance benefits for low income individuals under age 65 and paying for nursing home care for those needing long term care. The website contains frequently asked questions, forms and publications that contain all of the regulations concerning eligibility.

http://www.state.ma.us/legis/  On this website you can find a listing of our legislators in the House or Senate or a listing by town. You can also view the Massachusetts General Laws and text of current legislation. There is also an interesting explanation of the legislative process that explains how laws are made in the Commonwealth.

 http://www.townofsaugus.org   This is the website for the Town of Saugus. Here you can access the town departments, view town photos and review the calendar of events for the town. The Assessor’s office has some very useful information. Here you can download forms, find the assessed value for your house and learn about exemptions/abatements for real estate taxes.

          I wish all of you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year. See you next year!

 This article gives general information and not specific advice on individual matters. Persons wanting individualized advice on matters discussed should contact an advisor experienced in those matters. To the extent this article provides information on legal matters, it is based on law in effect in Massachusetts on the date of posting (laws in effect in other states are often quite different).

 Ronald H. Surabian is a CPA and attorney who works at the Elder Law Center in Saugus, Ma. He also holds a masters in accounting and a masters in tax law. He currently serves on the board of directors of the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

This web site may be considered "advertising" under Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:07. The information presented on these pages does not constitute legal advice. An attorney client relationship can only be established after personally meeting with each other. After consideration of all the facts in your case during a personal meeting, and payment and acceptance of a retainer, will an attorney client relationship begin. Likewise, electronic mail to Elder Law Center through this site cannot be guaranteed to be confidential and does not create an attorney-client relationship.