15th Annual Elder Law Forum

Aging and Disability: Practical Solutions for Real People

When: Thursday, May 6, 2010 | 8:00am - 12:30pm
Where: New YorkState Nurses Association, 11 Cornell Road, Latham, NY 12110
Continental Breakfast Sponsored by:  

Registration: btromans@pierrolaw.com or 518-459-2100

Thanks to all that attended the 2009 Forum! There was a record number of attendees and the response has been very positive. We hope you will join us for the 2010 15th Annual Forum to be held on May 6. Albany County Executive, Michael G. Breslin will deliver this year's key note address on the ongoing struggle to provide care and balance budgets. Other topics include: Updates on Medicaid and Medicare; VA Benefits ; Coordinating the Spectrum of Care ; Insurance Initiatives ; Impact of the NYS 2010 Budget Crisis ; and a look how National Health Care Reform will impact seniors and people with disabilities.

Comming Soon:

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2009 Key Note Speaker:

JoAnn Lamphere, DrPH
Director, State Government Relations, Health & Long-Term Care
AARP Government Relations and Advocacy

JoAnn Lamphere, DrPH, leads a team for legislation and strategic policy development in 50+ state jurisdictions on issues of health care reform and quality, long-term care, and prescription drugs. She provides vision, strategy, and political guidance throughout AARP to support national and state legislative policies and priorities.

Dr. Lamphere rejoined AARP in 2006 after serving six years as a senior consultant with The Lewin Group, a health care consulting firm in Virginia, where her areas of expertise included public sector financing, state health reform, long-term care policy, and tax credits for health coverage. As a researcher, state health policy analyst, and medical center administrator, Dr. Lamphere has been integrally involved in public sector health policymaking and program development in several national, state, and not-for-profit organizational settings for over two decades. Her professional experience includes positions with: Alpha Center, Washington, DC; Department of Health Policy and Management, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; New England Medical Center, Boston; and New York State Department of Health.

Dr. Lamphere earned her doctorate in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University and is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Maryland. She is a noted author and frequent lecturer, and her research has been published in Health Services Research, Health Affairs, Inquiry, and Health Care Financing Review.

2009 Other Speakers Include:

Robert Herz - Mr. Herz is the Legistlative Director under Senator Golden and has worked in the State Legislature since 1975.  In his work with the Legislature, he has authored and negotiated over 1,000 bills, touching on all aspects of the law, including work on healthcare legislation under Senator Tarky Lombardi, chair of the Senate Health Committee until 1989.  He is principal draftsman of the Compact for Long-Term Care.

Gail Holubinka - Ms. Holubinka is the Vice President of Legislative Affairs at MedAmerica.  Ms. Holubinka’s knowledge of long-term care financing is the result of over 25 years of experience that includes both the public and private sectors.  She is currently the Vice President of Legislative Affairs for MedAmerica Insurance Company, but was also the original developer and Director of the New York State Partnership for Long Term Care. Ms Holubinka has had the unique experience of creating viable long-term care funding systems for Medicaid, private insurers, and what’s between, the NYS Partnership.  In 2007, Ms. Holubinka was named one of the 10 most influential people in the nation in long-term care insurance by Senior Advisor magazine.

Irene Zelterman - Ms. Zelterman, Founder and Executive Director of Hearthside Elder Care, is an expert in palliative care and end-of-life issues. As a New York State Certified Social Worker and experienced Care Manager, Ms. Zelterman specializes in assisting older people and their families cope with the challenges of aging. She has received extensive training and her experience and training as a psychotherapist enables her to understand and work with older adults and other family members who are facing end-of-life issues. She is a co-facilitator of a support group for care givers and has presented at workshops and schools including Brooklyn Law School, New York University and City University of New York. Ms. Zelterman is on the Editorial Board of Aging Well Magazine and on the Advisory Board of Access Nursing Services.

Jane-Marie Schaeffer - Ms. Schaeffer is an attorney and practices in the areas of Estate Planning, Elder Law, Tax Planning, Business Succession Planning, and Estate and Trust Administration. She is a graduate of St. John's University School of Law and received her BA from New York University.  Ms. Schaeffer is admitted to the New York State and Massachusetts State Bar Associations. Prior to joining Pierro Law Group, LLC, Ms. Schaeffer practiced in New York City where she specialized in Estate and Tax Planning for high net worth clients and international clients, and Estate and Trust Administration. After relocating to the Capital District, she worked with Urbach, Kahn & Werlin Advisors, Inc., specializing in the areas of Tax Planning, Estate Planning, charitable giving and counseling non-profit organizations. She is a member of the Elder Law Section, Trusts and Estates Law Section and Tax Section of the New York State Bar Association, the Albany County Bar Association, the Capital District Women's Bar Association and the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Kimberly Strauchon Verner - Ms. Verner is an attorney who focuses her practice areas on wills, trusts, Elder Law, Medicaid and Long-Term Care Planning, Special Needs Planning for persons with disabilities and their families, guardianships, estate planning, and estate administration. Currently, Ms. Verner is serving her third term as President of the Board of Directors of the Capital District Center for Independence and was a member of the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Task Force on Supplemental Needs Trusts and housing issues. She is also a member of the Elder Law Section and Lawyer Assistance Programs of the New York State Bar Association, and previously served on the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Section as the section’s liaison to the Elder Law Section.  Ms. Verner frequently educates professionals and the public on the topics of Guardianship and Disability Law, Estate Planning, Elder Law, Medicaid and Medicare.  She has been an invited speaker at many events including the New York State Bar Association Continuing Education seminars, Albany County Long Term Care Symposium and Albany Law School’s Senior and Disability Law Days.   She has also spoken before audiences at the Alliance of Women and Technology, The Capital Region Executive Women’s Golf Association, the Capital District Center for Independence and for SEFCU.

Louis W. Pierro - Mr. Pierro is the managing member of the Pierro Law Group. As an elder law practitioner, Mr. Pierro has counseled thousands of clients through the intricate maze of access to and financing of long term care.  He has served as Chair of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law Section, a member of the Governor’s Task Force on long term care reform in 1996, and currently Chairs the Elder Law Section's Long-Term Care Reform Task Force, which has worked with the Legislature on the Compact for Long-Term Care.