Joseph L. Matthews, Expert
Caring.com Expert
Joseph L. Matthews has been an attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971. From 1975 to 1977 he taught at the School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of numerous books, including Social Security, Medicare, and Government Pensions; Long-Term Care: How to Plan and Pay for It; How to Win Your Personal Injury Claim; and The Lawyer Who Blew up His Desk. The original coauthor of Joseph's book on Social Security and Medicare was his mother, Dorothy, who had worked at senior centers for 25 years. Joseph then assisted her with her own care during the later years of her life, arranging her legal and financial documents and helping her move to home care and assisted living as her needs changed.
Recently Published on Caring.com
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No one can be made to act as an attorney-in-fact (the person who is granted power under a power of attorney) if he or she does not want to. The fact that your mother named...
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The document you signed twice upon leaving the emergency room is called an Against Medical Advice (AMA) release form. Generally, it has nothing to do with Medicare coverag... -
Medicare Part A will cover your inpatient hospital bill if the care you received there was medically necessary and had to be provided to you as an inpatient. Medicare Part... -
Is Accepting Hospice Under Medicare "Choosing to Die"? — Oct 01, 2012Hospice is a type of care that focuses on relieving pain and other suffering for patients nearing the end of life. To qualify for Medicare-covered hospice care, a pati... -
Medicare Coverage for Annual Physicals — Oct 01, 2012Help Medicare enrollees stay on top of screenings they're entitled to Medicare covers a considerable amount of preventive medicine, and beginning in 2011 it will cover eve... -
Pay for Nursing Home — Sep 29, 2012The cost of nursing homes can range widely, from $3,000 per month up to $10,000 per month and more. How much a nursing home charges depends on geographic location, staffing... -
How to Pay for Adult Daycare — Sep 29, 2012A full day of adult daycare usually costs between $25 and $75, and some adult daycare centers allow hourly payment ($5 to $15 per hour) for less than a full day. The amount... -
How to Pay for Home Health Care — Sep 29, 2012Short-term home healthcare visits by a nurse, therapist, or certified home health aide -- which typically follow a hospitalization, injury, or severe illness and are intend... -
Affording Home Care — Sep 28, 2012Finding the time, people, and money to pay for in-home care for a loved one sometimes requires families to get creative. Here are a few ideas for finding help to supplement... -
Paying for Home Care — Sep 28, 2012The cost of in-home care usually ranges between $10 and $40 an hour, depending on the location (urban areas tend to be more expensive), the type of care needed (simple help... -
Medicare Part A — Sep 22, 2012Medicare has four parts, and each one serves a different purpose. Medicare Part A is hospital insurance. Just about everyone age 65 and over is eligible for Medicare Part ... -
Can I keep CHAMPVA if I choose not to take Medicare? — Sep 03, 2012CHAMPVA rules require that (if you turn 65 on or after June 5, 2001) you must enroll in both Medicare Parts A and B when you become eligible at age 65. If you do not, you ... -
Many people are entitled to both Social Security retirement or disability benefits based on their own work record and dependents or survivors benefits based on a spouse's w... -
What is difference between POA and Durable POA? — Sep 03, 2012The differences between the two categories of power of attorney have to do with when the power of attorney goes into effect and when it ends, and whether the person grantin... -
I'm terribly sorry to hear about your husband's diagnosis. I hope that his Social Security benefits and Medicare coverage can make these next months somewhat easier for yo... -
I'm a widow, if i become disabled, can I collect on late husbands pension and Social Security? — Aug 16, 2012Whether you can collect any benefits based on your husband's Social Security work record and on his private pension are separate questions. Let's take Social Security firs... -
How much is Medicare part D? — Aug 14, 2012Monthly premiums for stand-alone Medicare Part D prescription drug plans run from about $10 to $75 per month, depending on the coverage the plan offers and where you live. ... -
You do NOT have to wait until your late husband's 62nd birthday to claim Social Security survivor's benefits based on his work record. If he qualified for Social Security ... -
If your husband qualified for Social Security retirement benefits -- whether or not he ever claimed those benefits -- or he was receiving Social Security disability benefit... -
Are disabled vets under 65 eligible for Medicare? — Jul 01, 2012You can become eligible for full Medicare coverage based on a disability, but your VA disability rating does not automatically qualify you. Instead, you need to qualify fo... -
Can Medicare part B pay my lab bill retroactively? — Jul 01, 2012Medicare Part B will not cover any medical costs that were incurred before you were enrolled in it, so if you had these tests before you were enrolled in Part B, Medicare w... -
Will enrolling in Medicare three months after being eligible cover pre-existing conditions? — Jul 01, 2012There is good news for you about coverage for preexisting conditions by Medicare, but you have to act quickly. Neither Medicare Part A or Part B has any preexisting illnes... -
If you get medical benefits through the VA, you may not need coverage from Medicare Part B (covering doctors bills and other outpatient care). Medicare Part B costs more th... -
Although Medicaid is a program established by the federal government, each state makes its own rules for Medicaid eligibility and sets up its own program. So, there is no ... -
Will my dad lose money from his SSI, if I get a job? — Jun 21, 2012When the Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) program looks at someone's eligibility, and at how much monthly SSI benefits someone receives once they qualify, they take in...
