Resources
Estate Planning Weekly COVID-19 Update – 04.28.20
This weekly COVID-19 update is brought to you by our Chambliss Estate Planning team. We are sharing articles, legal developments, external resources, and tips for coping during these uncertain times. Each weekly issue will cover various trends of vital interest in the world of estate planning, elder law, and special needs planning. To be added to our email list, please subscribe.
Dear Clients and Friends:
While most of us are working remotely at present, we are also collaborating to implement creative and resourceful solutions to meet the needs of our clients in this uniquely challenging time.
We are doing planning consultations, document signings, care coordination, drafting of documents, and all related work—in sum, all the types of work we usually do. We have generally moved most meetings to either Zoom video conference or audio conference calls. In person document signings at our office are generally being done abiding carefully by social distancing protocols. Moreover, the governors of Tennessee and Georgia have recently signed executive orders which enable “virtual document signings” for a limited period of time.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can assist you with your elder law, special needs planning, or estate planning needs.
— Dana, Greg, and your Chambliss team
Featured Article
Advance Directives for Health Care – Make Your Wishes Known
By: Amy Boulware
People have a right to make their own health care decisions. Advance Directives for Health Care (ADHC) can help people communicate their treatment choices if there comes a time when they can’t tell what they want. This document is used to instruct medical personnel when to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining procedures as well as to record a patient’s wish to receive all available medical treatments.
An ADHC is a legal document that tells your doctor how you want to be treated if you are terminally ill or permanently unconscious. An ADHC combines the features of a Living Will and the Health Care Power of Attorney into one form..
Our estate planning team often helps clients with this form and frequently answers questions about different sections that can sound confusing. In the video Advance Directive for Health Care – Amy’s Story, my dad, Irv Ginsburg, and I share our personal experience with the ADHC for my mother when she was battling cancer for the third time. The video also takes a deep dive into the ADHC specifically for TN, which is also commonly referred to as an Advance Care Plan and is available at tn.gov.
In addition to the information shared in the video, we also wanted to provide answers to our clients’ most frequently asked questions regarding the ADHC.
Advance Directive for Health Care – FAQs
- Isn’t the ADHC only necessary for “older” people?
- Where can I get the ADHC form?
- What does it take to complete an ADHC?
- Who is the “agent,” and how do you choose one?
- Can the ADHC be witnessed and notarized remotely given social distancing guidelines?
- Who needs copies of the ADHC?
- When does the ADHC become effective? How often should you review this document?
- I think I still need more information about this important document. Where can I learn more about the ADHC and how it applies to me and my loved ones?
COVID-19 Resources
Advance Directive for Health Care – Amy’s Story
This video shares the personal story of the difficult decisions Amy Boulware and her father, Irv Ginsburg, had to make regarding Amy’s mother’s treatment after battling cancer for the third time. Amy, Elder Care and Special Needs Planning Manager at Chambliss, also covers important considerations for the Tennessee Advance Directive for Health Care form and details sections that our Estate Planning clients often have questions about.
Medicare and Medicaid Will Cover Coronavirus Testing
With coronavirus dominating news coverage and creating alarm, it is important to know that Medicare and Medicaid will cover tests for the virus.
Also Check Out…
How Your Stimulus Check Affects Medicaid Eligibility
The coronavirus relief bill includes a direct payment to most Americans, but this has Medicaid recipients wondering how the payment will affect them. Because the payment is not income, it should not count against a Medicaid recipient’s eligibility. Read more.
Why Work With an Aging Life Care Professional® During a Crisis?
This article from the Aging Life Care Association shares how this type of professional, like Amy Boulware on our team, can help answer questions in order to provide the best care for your home-bound elder loved one.
Chattanooga Therapeutic Recreation Services
As we continue to navigate the world of social distancing and virtual programming, check out this latest update for current and upcoming virtual program offerings from the Chattanooga TR Team!
– Reminder –
Coping With COVID-19
28 Free Virtual Field Trips and Activities for Families in Quarantine
This We Are the Mighty comprehensive list includes links and videos for great virtual tours, animal cams, and STEM activities, as well as doodling workshops and celebrity readings! The list covers:
- Science and Exploration
- Live Zoo Footage
- Historical Sites and Museums
- Storytime and Doodling
How the Estate Planning Team Copes with COVID-19
Hannah, Jannine, and Dana hold a client signing in the Chambliss parking lot.
Our Chambliss team continues to monitor legal developments in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic. Please contact Jim Catanzaro, Justin Furrow, or your relationship attorney if you have questions or need additional information.
