QUESTION: I am going to need in-home health care and wonder how to go about selecting an appropriate agency. Is there anything in particular I should focus on and does Medicare have any special requirements in order for the care to be covered? ANSWER: Medicare Part B covers medically necessary part-time or intermittent skilled nursing [...]

QUESTION: A family member has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and while not needed at this particular time I am beginning to think about hospice services. When looking into this type of care what should I consider when selecting a hospice provider? ANSWER: I commend you on preparing for future needs. It is something [...]

Question: Medicare denied payment for services I recently had and indicated I could appeal their decision. How do I start this process? ANSWER: Denial of payment for services can occur for many reasons. Before starting the appeal process it would be wise to talk with provider’s office to see if the problem is due to [...]

QUESTION: I have a long-term care (LTC) policy that I purchased about 10 years ago and have just received a notice that my premium is going to increase by a substantial amount. I am provided with several options for reducing the premium amount but not sure what is best and how it will reduce the [...]

QUESTION: It seems that calls from marketers are growing and the scammers are getting more cleaver and believable. Do you have any hints on what we can do to protect ourselves? ANSWER: As the marketers and other fraudsters become more believable we must look at ourselves – what are our responses and behaviors when responding [...]

QUESTION: I recently heard about two programs that are offered at the Goebel Center – “History Comes Alive” and “Music Comes Alive.” Can you provide details? ANSWER: Yes, I can. “First I would like to say these two wonderful events are very popular and an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The timing of [...]

QUESTION: I am trying to get my affairs in order and am somewhat confused by some of the terms associated with wills and trusts. Could you provide definitions for those terms? ANSWER: An excellent question. I’ll try to define some of the most common terms that you will likely encounter. Some may be very familiar [...]

QUESTION: I am a caregiver for my parents and have been reviewing their financial situation. I have several questions about Veteran’s Benefits that my dad may be entitled to. Do you know who I can contact? ANSWER: You should contact Ventura County Veterans Services. This agency has a staff of professional veterans claim officers who [...]

QUESTION: Some time ago you wrote a column about how to help or give assistance to a person who has a vision problem. I found it very informative and wonder if you have any suggestions when encountering those with other types of disabilities. Many times I find I want to offer assistance but do not [...]

QUESTION: A friend has been attending “OLLI” classes at CAL STATE Channel Islands and said I might be interested in the next session. Have you received information on the upcoming session? ANSWER: Yes – the fall session information has arrived and I have the following information. The program you are asking about is the Ventura [...]