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    Vol. 33, Issue 4 (March - April 2012)

    Vol. 33 Issue 4   March 2012

    Elder

    Obtaining Visitation With or Custody Of Grandchildren

    Jeff Atkinson

    Between 1966 and 1986, all 50 states enacted grandparent visitation statutes. In most states, all that was required for a grandparent to obtain court-ordered visitation was a showing of some disruption in the family—such as separation, divorce, or death of a parent—coupled with a showing that visitation would be in the child’s best interests. The decision in Troxel changed that.

    Elder

    Announcement of New Administration for Community Living

    On April 16, 2012, Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced a new organization within the Department of Health and Human Services—the Administration for Community Living (ACL).

    Elder

    Protecting Assets for a Child With a Disability

    Bradley J. Frigon

    Estate planning and lifetime planning for parents of a child with a disability present special challenges. The goals of the parents are to utilize their assets in such a way as to enrich their child’s life while, at the same time, preserving the child’s public benefits.

    Spotlight

    Elder

    Older Americans Act Reauthorization and the Legal Assistance Misconception

    Charles P. Sabatino

    Senate bill 2037 contains three changes to the Act supported by the American Bar Association, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the National Senior Citizens Law Center, and several legal services providers. First, the bill would authorize the state to designate a state agency to contract for legal assistance services statewide. Second, it places responsibility on the state to develop an “integrated legal assistance delivery system,” a defined term in the bill. And third, it strengthens the credentials and role of the state legal assistance developer as the point person in developing the delivery system. These changes respond to key shortcomings that have stood out for the last four decades.

    ABOUT BIFOCAL

    BIFOCAL, the Commission on Law and Aging's bi-monthly journal, provides timely, valuable legal resources pertaining to older persons, generated through the joint efforts of public and private bar groups and the aging network.

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