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Medicare Beneficiaries Receive Extra Help with Rx Costs

Medicare beneficiaries who are overwhelmed by the cost of prescription drugs may be eligible for up to $4,000 per year in Federal assistance.    Elder Law & Advocacy can help these individuals to apply for the Social Security Administration‘s Extra Help program, also known as Low Income Subsidy (LIS).  The Extra Help program is aimed at lowering Part D prescription drug costs for low-income, older individuals. Benefits of Extra Help include reduced monthly premiums and deductibles, smaller copays, elimination of the Donut Hole, and the ability to switch drug plans at any time. Beneficiaries may qualify for full or partial subsidy depending on their income and asset levels. This program can be very beneficial to individuals who exceed the income and resource limits of Medi-Cal but still struggle to cover their drug costs. While this program is administered by the Social Security Administration, Elder Law & Advocacy’s Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program (HICAP) can  prepare and submit online applications for beneficiaries at no cost (call 1-800-434-0222). The application itself takes about ten...

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Escheated No More: Homeless Senior Reunited with $744 by Generous Officials

A recent ELA client, age 64 and homeless, caused a stir for San Diego County Officials and illuminated the rules of escheatment for the public.  The client contacted ELA in September 2011 after he discovered that San Diego County had escheated $744 left over from the sale of a storage facility to the General Fund.  ELA’s Managing Attorney, Lois Kelly, Esq. took the case knowing that she would be making an equitable argument on his behalf, and could not have foreseen such a surprising outcome. In 2004, the client experienced severe financial problems – he lost his job and placed his personal property with a value over $50,000 into storage.  Now homeless, he eventually could no longer afford the storage unit rent.   The facility sold his property at a fraction of its worth but was never able to make contact with him regarding the $744 owed to him after the sale.  Living on the streets and in shelters, he never saw the County’s newspaper announcements about the monies owed to him.  Per escheatment rules, the $744 was...

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