216 Higgins Road Park Ridge, IL, 60068 (847) 221-0154
The SMART Act SB 2840 will reverse many of the DRA changes Elder Law attorneys fought for on behalf of our clients.  The changes include the following:
  • Legal fees are no longer exempt for 3-month backdating.
  • Abolishes spousal refusal entirely.
  • A homestead in Trust is no longer an exempt asset.
  • Except for the Community Spouse Resource Allowance ($109,560) and Minimum Monthly Needs Maintenance Allowance ($2,739, HFS is no longer limited in how much it can seek when pursuing a support order against a community spouse.
  • Reverts to the old limits on prepaid funeral contracts.
  • Reduces the home equity exemption to the minimum allowed under federal law (base figure of $500,000, adjusted annually for inflation, rather than the $750,000 adopted in the DRA rulemaking).
  • No exception for prepaid funerals for 3-month backdating.
More to come.
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