Picture

   
    
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
(781) 843-5034
contact@herbstlawgroup.com
  Herbst Law Group, LLC
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • Who We Are >
      • Peter C. Herbst Jr.
      • Briana N. Nashawaty
  • Services
    • Estate Planning
    • Estate and Trust Administration
    • Elder Law
    • Business Succession Planning
  • News
  • Contact
  • Review
  • Payment
  • updateguide

How the $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill Aids Seniors

4/11/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
​President Biden has signed the latest COVID-19 relief bill, which in addition to authorizing stimulus checks, funding vaccine distribution, and extending unemployment benefits, also provides assistance to seniors in a number of ways. 
The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) delivers a broad swath of relief, covering families, employers, health care, education, and housing. The following are the provisions that most directly affect older Americans:
  • Relief checks. The ARPA provides $1,400 direct payments to individuals earning up to $75,000 in annual income and couples with incomes up to $150,000. The payments phase out for higher earners, and there are no payments for individuals earning more than $80,000 a year or couples making more than $160,000. Eligible dependents, including adult dependents, also receive $1,400. People collecting Social Security, railroad retirement, or VA benefits will automatically receive the payment even if they don’t file a tax return. The checks will not affect eligibility for Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income as long as any amount that pushes recipients above the programs’ asset limits is spent within 12 months.  
  • Medicaid home care. The Act provides more than $12 billion in funding to expand Medicaid home and community-based waivers for one year. This funding will allow states to provide additional home-based long-term care, which could keep people from being forced into a nursing home. The money will also allow states to increase caregivers’ pay. 
  • Nursing homes. Nursing homes have been hit hard during the pandemic. The Act supports the deployment of strike teams to help nursing homes that have COVID-19 outbreaks. It also provides funds to improve infection control in nursing homes. 
  • Pensions. Many multi-employer pension plans are on the verge of collapse due to underfunding. The Act creates a system to allow plans that are insolvent to apply for grants in order to keep paying full benefits. 
  • Medical deductions. If you have a large number of medical expenses, you may be able to deduct some of them from your taxes, including long-term care and hospital expenses. The Act permanently lowers the threshold for deducting medical expenses. Taxpayers can deduct unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 7.5 percent of their income. The threshold was lowered to 7.5 percent under the 2017 tax law, but was set to revert to 10 percent for some taxpayers in 2021.  
  • Older Americans Act. The ARPA provides funding to programs authorized under the Older Americans Act, including vaccine outreach, caregiver support, and the long-term care ombudsman program. It also directs funding for the Elder Justice Act and to improve transportation for older Americans and people with disabilities. 

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    meet the attorneys

    Peter C. Herbst Jr
    Picture
    Areas of focus: estate planning, estate & trust administration and elder law. 
    Briana N. Nashawaty
    Picture
    Areas of focus: estate planning, estate & trust administration, and 
    elder law.

    Archives

    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    April 2017
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    Elder Law
    Estate Administration
    Estate Planning
    Informal Probate
    MassHealth Planning
    Real Estate

    RSS Feed

in the news

Stay informed

Sign-up to receive emails from Herbst Law Group, LLC and stay informed about important news and events:

SIGN UP NOW »
For Email Marketing you can trust.

'like us' on facebook

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER

Tweets by @HerbstLawGroup
​HOMEOUR FIRMPARTNERSSERVICESNEWSCONTACT​DISCLAIMER

Herbst Law Group, LLC
1000 Washington Street, Braintree, MA 02184
T: (781) 843-5034    |   F: (781) 848-3051
contact@herbstlawgroup.com
NAELA
Website design by Birdhouse Marketing & Design