PBA Elder Law Newsletter (Spring, 2009) Available

In May, 2009, the Elder Law Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association issued its semi-annual Newsletter, Vol. 8, No. 1 (PDF, 31 pages), containing fifteen articles or notices, to its members.

For a limited time, that issue is available publicly on the PBA's website here, in PDF format for viewing or download.

The contents of the Spring, 2009 PBA Elder Law Section Newsletter are set forth on its first page:

• Pennsylvania Proposes Expansion of Medical Assistance Estate Recovery (p. 1) by Katherine C. Pearson, Section Chair

• Section Leadership List (p. 2)

• 12th Annual Elder Law Institute Takes Place in Hbg. in July (p. 2), by Sally Schoffstall
  

• Pa. Legislature May Adopt “Suitability Standard for Sale of Annuities” (p. 3), by Dana M. Breslin
  

• PBA Recommendation and Report: Proposed Expansion of Medical Assistance Estate Recovery Program (p. 4), submitted by Katherine C. Pearson as Chair, Elder Law Section
  

• Elder Law Numbers Quick Reference (p. 6), by Robert C. Gerhard, III
  

• Medicare 101 for Attorneys (p. 7), by Kathleen M. Martin
  

• Binding Arbitration Agreements: A Hidden Minefield in Powers of Attorney (p. 9), by Martin S. Kardon
  

• Elder Law Section Web Site is New and Improved (p. 10), by Robert DeLong, Jr.
  

• Help with Your PBA Elder Law Section Listserv (p. 12), by Traci Raho
  

• The Curious Case of the Persistent Step-Up (p. 13), by John Payne
  

• Advance Care Planning After Act 169 (p. 18), by Jeffrey A. Marshall
  

• Elder Law Case Updates (p. 21), by Robert C. Gerhard, III

• Legislative Report (p. 24), by Steven Loux
  

• Contact the Editors (p. 31), by Robert C. Gerhard, III (Editor), and Ellen Wase & Julian Gray (Co-Editors)

This issue of the Section's Newsletter will be available only for a limited time.

Get it now. It is a blockbuster issue.

More "Truth About Probate and Living Trusts"

The Allegheny County Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office will conduct a second, free “Truth About Probate and Living Trusts” Clinic for the public, this time in the North Hills area of Allegheny County, PA (not the North Hills in Montgomery County, PA) on Monday, June 29, 2009.

I received word about the scheduled repeat of the public presentation in an email message from Scott P. Magnuson, Esq. (who is a contact person for the event, along with Christine Kornosky, Esq., Chair of the sponsoring ACBA Probate & Trust Section), as follows:

I understand that you were aware of our last clinic for the general public of Allegheny County regarding probate and living trusts.

The response to the clinic was so overwhelming that we are having our second clinic on the 29th in a different part of Allegheny County.

I thought I would pass this press release on to you in case you had any interest in seeing it.

Thank you for you efforts in your blog. I'm sure it is appreciated by many.

Indeed, I had noticed and promoted the first run of the ACBA's Clinic on this topic held March 31, 2009. See: PA EE&F Law Blog, Lawyers & a Judge Educate about Living Trust Scams (03/23/09).

Western Pennsylvania publications reported about that Clinic too. See: "Protect yourself from dubious wills, living trust schemes" (03/19/09) by Larry Walsh, posted by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and "Free clinic to focus on living trusts, probate" (03/25/09) posted by The Almanac.

Years ago, the ACBA published an informative booklet on the same topic as the Clinic, entitled "The Truth About Probate & Living Trusts in Pennsylvania," which is still available for download in electronic form (2002, PDF, 4 pages) or for order in paper form.

We have produced this booklet to alleviate the confusion about living trusts and probate, and to protect consumers from purchasing a product that might not be right for them.

The booklet answers questions about probate, such as: What is probate? What are the costs of probate? Does probate take a long time? The booklet also answers questions about a living trust, such as: Why am I now hearing so much about living trusts? Do I need a living trust?

If a consumer or organization would like to obtain multiple copies of the booklet, the first copy is free and the additional booklets are $1 each to cover copying expenses.

Recently, the focus has shifted from calm education on such topics into sterner warnings. Due to growing financial elder abuse, consumers must be trained to spot and avoid unprofessional and unqualified peddlers who frighten with tales of probate woes or tax tragedies, and then pitch unnecessary, ineffective, and often expensive "living trusts" as a panacea.

This Clinic's panel will speak the truth about these matters.

Here's the ACBA's recent Press Release about the next presentation offering the “Truth About Probate and Living Trusts”:

Due to the overwhelming response to their free Truth About Probate and Living Trusts clinic held in March [2009] in the South Hills section of Pittsburgh, The Probate and Trust Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association along with the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office today announced that another free clinic will be held June 29 in the North Hills section of the city.

The clinic, which will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., will be held at the Four Points by Sheraton Pittsburgh North, located at 910 Sheraton Drive, Mars, PA 16046. The clinic will again be limited to 250 people, so reservations are required. Call 412-402-6651 to make a reservation.

The clinic will feature a panel discussion of members of the bar association’s probate and trust law section in addition to the Honorable Frank J. Lucchino, administrative judge in the Orphans’ Court Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, and John Abel, Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Bureau of Consumer Protection.

The clinic will address issues and questions about revocable living trusts and probate and will help to address misinformation that is being distributed about these subjects. The clinic will also advise attendees on how to guard against living trust scams targeting senior citizens.

According to Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett, “It is important for consumers to understand that planning an estate and choosing investments involves many different legal, financial and personal decisions. Consumers need to gather as much information as possible about these offers and look beyond fancy credentials or high-pressure sales pitches, understanding that some of these ‘consultants’ are nothing more than sales agents looking to earn a commission on living trusts or investments that may be of questionable value,” said Corbett.

“While we all understand the importance of getting this critical information out to the general public, we were pleasantly surprised by how quickly the reservations came in for our first clinic in the South Hills,” said Christine Kornosky, chairperson of the Probate and Trust Law Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association.

“Many callers asked for a similar clinic to be held in the North Hills and other parts of the city. We are pleased to again offer this important clinic in association with the Attorney General’s office. Our attorneys see firsthand every day how important it is to get the correct information about probate and living trusts into the hands of our county residents before they make misguided decisions that could negatively affect themselves and their families.”

This clinic is sponsored by: the Allegheny County Bar Association; Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC; and PNC Bank.

Additional probate clinics are being considered for other locations in Allegheny County. If you cannot attend the clinic, important information on probate and living trusts can be found on the Allegheny County’s Bar Association For the Public website at www.acba.org.

Additional Contacts who will be part of the panel discussion:

• Raymond Vogliano, Esquire, Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC
• Thomas Crowley, Esquire, PNC Wealth Management
• Tom Loftus, Director of Marketing and Media Relations, Allegheny County Bar Association
  

* * *

I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true.
I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.
I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right,
and part with him when he goes wrong.
-- Abraham Lincoln

Update: 06/17/09:

In response to this posting, I received an email message from Christine Kornosky, Esq., Chair of the sponsoring ACBA Probate & Trust Section. She reminded me about our prior discussion when we visualized just such an educational effort as now offered successfully by the ACBA:

Neil:

Thank you for your kind publicity of our events.

You may remember our discussion (about a year ago) about how to deal with the living trust peddlers who may also be attorneys and how to address truth in advertising issues without being negative.

As you can see, we took your advice to heart when we were deciding how to handle these issues. I just hope it does some good.

Best regards,
Chris Kornosky

Social Security & Medicare Slipping into the Future

CNN posted an interview headlined "Medicare is the real danger, not social security" on May 13, 2009, that highlighted the significant slippage in sustainability of the present Medicare and Social Security benefit systems.

Unfunded obligations of both Social Security and Medicare are "slipping into the future" faster than previously expected, which demand remedial action now, not later.

Bob Weiner says we should worry about Medicare before we worry about Social Security. The front page of the New York Times [on May 13, 2009] reads: Recession Drains Social Security and Medicare

The latest report card on the social safety net is not encouraging. The officials who oversee the program forecast Tuesday that the Social Security trust fund will be exhausted by 2037 — four years earlier than estimated last year. * * *

The New York Times article, reposted by Ocala.com, identified the problem created by the recession:

The labor secretary, Hilda L. Solis, noted that 5.7 million jobs had been lost since the recession began in December 2007. With fewer people working, the government collects less in payroll taxes, a major source of financing for Medicare and Social Security.

A resumption of economic growth is not expected to close the financing gap. The trustees’ bleak projections already assume that the economy will begin to recover late this year.

The Treasury secretary, Timothy F. Geithner, said the only way to keep Medicare solvent was to “control runaway growth in both public and private health care expenditures.” And he said Mr. Obama intended to do that as part of his plan to guarantee access to health insurance for all Americans.

But if cost controls do not produce the expected savings, Congress is likely to find it so difficult to preserve benefits without increasing taxes. * * *

The Social Security Administration has made periodic Long-Range Solvency Proposals that would address the solvency of the "trust fund."

Trustees Reports issued over the last several years have indicated that Social Security's Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds would become insolvent sometime in the next 30 to 40 years under the intermediate set of economic and demographic assumptions provided in each report.

Various proposals have addressed this long-range solvency problem. These proposals are generally intended to restore, or largely restore, solvency for the long-range period (the next 75 years).* * *

U.S. News & World Report considered the long-range effects of the Social Security system's underfunding in its consumer-oriented article, "What Social Security's Underfunding Means for Your Retirement" (05/13/09) by Emily Brandon.

After considering the Social Security system's shortfalls, the article addressed Medicare's more pressing situation:

Medicare's funding ailments are expected to occur even sooner than Social Security's.

Projected annual assets for the hospital insurance portion of Medicare are expected to exceed expenditures by 2012. The hospital insurance trust fund is expected to be exhausted by 2017, two years earlier than projected in last year's report.

Medicare Part B, which covers doctors' bills and other outpatient expenses, and Part D prescription drug coverage are more adequately financed in the short term, but increases in healthcare costs over the long term will average 6.4 percent annually and require increases in enrollee premiums and general revenue funding. * * *

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analyzed the 2009 annual reports issued regarding both the Social Security system and the Medicare program:

• Trustees’ Report Finds Social Security Is Not in Crisis, But Action Is Needed
  , by Kathy Ruffing and Paul N. Van de Water -- "The trustees’ report shows some deterioration in the program’s long-run outlook, a finding that was widely expected. Nevertheless, the report does not depict a program in crisis. Policymakers should act sooner rather than later to put the program on a sound long-run footing, but today’s beneficiaries and workers approaching retirement need not fear that their Social Security benefits are at risk...."

• 2009 Trustees' Report Underscores Urgency of Health Reform, Medicare Changes, by Paul N. Van de Water -- "The 2009 annual report of Medicare’s trustees underscores the need for system-wide reform of health care financing that will slow the growth of health care costs in both Medicare and the private sector and extend health coverage to the uninsured."

A commentary published in Forbes, entitled "A Medicare Explosion -- How to diffuse a ticking time bomb" (05/19/09), by John C. Goodman, reacted to the projections contained in the Medicare report with some revolutionary proposals:

For some time, Social Security and Medicare combined have been paying out more than they are receiving in dedicated taxes and premiums. To cover that deficit, we have been drawing on the general revenues (mainly income taxes) of the federal government. Currently, we are taking more than 1-in-7 income tax dollars for this purpose. By 2020, it will be 1-in-4, and by 2030, 1-in-2.

Basically, elderly entitlements are on a path that will crowd out spending on every other federal program. Throw in Medicaid, and health care spending alone will crowd out every other thing the federal government is doing by mid-century!

Clearly we are on a path that is unsustainable. How can we get off of it?

First and foremost, we must move from a pay-as-you-go system to a funded system.

Instead of having each generation of retirees look to the next generation of workers to pay for its benefits, each generation must pay its own way. * * *

Mr. Goodman offers three fundamental reforms that could restructure Medicare into a workable system.

• On the funding side: "Suppose we ask workers and their employers to put aside 4% of their wages in savings accounts for post-retirement health care. These balances would grow tax free and would replace taxpayer obligations under traditional Medicare. The result: Instead of growing through time, the taxpayer burden for Medicare would eventually shrink to current levels."

• On the demand side: "[A]ll new Medicare beneficiaries should be able to manage up to one-third of their health care dollars, using a special type of Health Savings Account (HSA). With these accounts they would be able to keep each dollar of wasteful spending they avoid and bear the full cost of each dollar they waste."

• On the supply side: "[P]hysicians should be free to repackage and reprice their services, thus profiting from innovations that lower costs and raise the quality of care. Any health care provider should be able to propose and obtain a different reimbursement arrangement, provided that (1) the total cost to government does not increase, (2) patient quality of care does not decrease and (3) the provider proposes a method of measuring and assuring that (1) and (2) have been satisfied."

He concludes, however, with a warning: "The longer we wait, the more costly and painful reform will be."

Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin
Into the future

I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free
Oh, lord, through the revolution

Feed the babies
Who don't have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin' in the street
Oh, oh, there's a solution
* * *
--"Fly Like an Eagle" (1977 Version)
by The Steve Miller Band

New "Quality Council" to Advise on Independent Living Services

On May 12, 2009, the Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, through its Office of Long-Term Living, announced creation of a new advisory council to focus on "quality management of in-home and community services" provided in the Commonwealth.

The DoA's press release, entitled "Council Formed to Advise on Improving Services to Older Adults, People with Disabilities," briefly explained the need and the objectives:

The Pennsylvania Department of Aging and the Office of Long-Term Living today announced the formation of a 15-member Quality Council that will advise on new policies and procedures to ensure quality management of in-home and community services.

“Many older citizens and those with disabilities prefer to live independently and at home -- rather than in a nursing facility -- so we want to make sure that the services we provide are the best that can be offered,” said Secretary of Aging John Michael Hall.

“The new council brings together experts from across Pennsylvania to help us improve on our programs.”

The Office of Long-Term Living will receive the council’s recommendations, based on its surveys, research and reports, to help provide the highest quality of assistance to the thousands of consumers who receive services in their homes. These services include attendant care, transportation, home-delivered meals for older adults, home health and personal assistance services. * * *

The new council is a mix of state employees (six members appointed from the staff of DPW's Office of Long-Term Living) and Pennsylvania citizens (nine members).

The Press release did not identify the staff members, but did identify the public members, four of whom live in Philadelphia:

• Jack Armbruster, Erie
• Carl Bailey, Philadelphia
• Kimberly Byrd, Philadelphia
• Richard Kiel, Fayetteville
• Carol Marfisi, Philadelphia
• German Parodi, Philadelphia
• Kimberly Pirilla-Scalise, Belle Vernon
• Dorothy Robison, Lancaster
• Sue Ellen Stelevich, Kingston

Given the growing need both in rural communities and in western Pennsylvania, I wonder why there is no representative from a sparsely populated county, and no representative from Allegheny County, which have significant senior populations.

Regardless, the announcement of such a "Quality Council" monitor to provide input about independent living regulations on an advisory basis to State Government is a step forward.

As the Commonwealth's population ages (creating demand), as federal funding diminishes (reducing nursing home services), and as new technologies evolve (supporting or monitoring services provided at home or in personal care homes), "quality control" should remain a primary concern.

Blogging on the Bus

I'm riding on a bus as I write this blog entry, which illustrates, in just one trip, a few trends affecting elders (and all of us in America) -- changes in employment patterns, in technology, and in mass transit.

The bus I'm riding is a Setra, Model S-417 Luxury Coach, assembled in North Carolina by Daimler Buses North America. The operator is RDC Bus Lines, LLC, a small business headquartered in western Pennsylvania. The express luxury coach service is operated between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, PA, daily, via the Pennsylvania Turnpike, as the "Steel City Flyer."

The new service was announced in November, 2008, and was followed thereafter, by newspaper reports. See: "New Steel City Flyer service to Harrisburg begins this month" (11/07/08) by Kim Leonard, published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review; "Can a luxury bus fill the gap on a dropped US Airways route?" (11/12/08) by Ben Mutzabaugh published by USA Today's Blog "Today in the Sky";"New bus service to Harrisburg expands" (01/06/09) by Tom Barnes published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; and "Bus line adds Camp Hill stop" (04/09/09) by Erica Dolson published by the Harrisburg Patriot-News (on Penn-Live).

The Steel City Flyer offers service from Harrisburg to Pittsburgh for business and leisure travelers.

One of the goals of this new stop [in Camp Hill] is to make travel more convenient for business people whose firms have a strong presence in both central Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh, Railroad Development Corp. president Bob Pietrandrea said.

The Steel City Flyer has also adjusted its westbound schedule to add an earlier morning departure time.

The driver today is Jim Wade, 64, of Bergholz, Ohio, who has operated or driven buses for 24 years, and who is now officially "retired." He just talked by cell phone with his supervisor, George, who is in his mid-sixties. Jim was talking about people he knew in the business who were "still goin'" in their eighties and nineties.

This is my first point: This is a business largely operated by persons near or over 60 years of age; and it runs smoothly.

This modern bus rides smoothly too while I type on my Asus Eee "netbook" connected continuously (even through the Turnpike's tunnels!) through the on-board wireless router to Verizon's high-speed 3G Wi-Fi service.

Gone are the days when a bus ride promised jolts, noise, stuffy air, and spills, but little time for productive work. Instead, on this luxury coach, I'm researching sources, adding links, and writing text in comfort and without stress, despite the curves and construction on the PA Turnpike.

My experience with this transportation service parallels that of another user (Susan D., of Pittsburgh), who posted her experiences on the Yelp! consumer review web site, rating it four of four stars. See: "Steel City Flyer" Review (02/09/09).

This is my second point: The fact that I am writing this posting enroute while riding at 55 mph (according to Jim when I asked) or higher most times, shows how transportation and technology have combined to allow greater business and personal efficiency, while conserving natural resources.

Clearly mass transportation is a trend that should be supported. Most recently, our federal government appears to favor high-speed train service.

The article "Pennsylvania part of plan for high-speed trains across the nation" (04/17/09) by Jon Schmitz, published by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, reported that "President Barack Obama's announcement yesterday of an ambitious plan for high-speed passenger trains connecting American cities puts Pennsylvania into a national competition for billions of dollars in federal aid."

Ten corridors, including one from Pittsburgh to Harrisburg and Philadelphia, were designated as eligible for some of the $13 billion authorized in the economic stimulus legislation or proposed by Mr. Obama for high-speed rail development. * * *

A statement by Gov. Ed Rendell and state Transportation Secretary Allen D. Biehler did not mention the maglev project. Instead it speculated about whether money could be obtained for studies of expanding rail service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg -- currently served by just one daily Amtrak trip. * * *

"Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes," Mr. Obama said.

"Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination." * * *

This is my third point: A Change is Gonna Come to long-haul, public transportation. New modes of conveyance will bring greater efficiency, convenience, comfort, and safety, which will empower all travelers, especially those who are older.

But that vision will be some time until full realization. A Steel City Flyer representative was quoted in the article:

"Realistically speaking, it's going to be years before you see anything resembling high-speed rail extended to Pittsburgh," said Mr. Posner, who recently started a luxury bus service to Harrisburg to fill the void in train and airline service to the state capital.

"As a railroad man, I look forward to the day when the Steel City Flyer [bus to Harrisburg] will have outlived its usefulness," he said. * * *

Reading this, I'm pleased that I took the Steel City Flyer today as the best way to travel between these two cities. However, I, too, look forward to the day in Pennsylvania when it "will have outlived its usefulness."

Now, please excuse me. I've got to jaw with our driver, Jim, a bit more before I "de-bus" in Pittsburgh's Center City.

Update: July, 2009:

As of July 16, 2009, the Steel City Flyer service terminated. See: Press Release, "Steel City Flyer to End Service on July 16, 2009" dated July 10, 2009, issued by Railroad Development Corporation (PDF, 1 page). For an intelligent blog commentary and responsive reader comments, see: So Long Steel City Flyer, posted July 10, 2009, on the East Busway Blog.

Update: October, 2009:

Amtrak expressed interest in expanding passenger train service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, dependent upon government subsidies. See: Article, "Amtrak recommends new train between Pittsburgh, Harrisburg" dated October 20, 2009, by Matthew Santoni, published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Amtrak is recommending that another train be added to the sparse service between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, if state and federal legislators decide the additional ridership is worth the expense.

In a study mandated by the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008, Amtrak officials looked at passenger service in Pennsylvania and decided that the potential riders and revenue were sufficient to consider increasing the Pennsylvanian route between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg from one train per day in each direction to two, adding a midday departure from Pittsburgh and a late-night arrival that could connect to trains heading west to Chicago.

"The ridership was there, and it would have a minimal impact on operations," said Steve Kulm, Amtrak spokesman. "If this is going to move forward, state and federal legislators will have to make the next step." * * *

PBA's Young Lawyers Sponsor "Wills for Heroes"

In 2009, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, through its Young Lawyers Division, now sponsors a Wills for Heroes program, which "provides no-cost wills, living wills, and health care and financial powers of attorney to first responders and their spouses/partners."

The PBA-YLD web page for its "Wills for Heroes" project explains the new project, in planning since last summer:

A program cosponsored by the Pennsylvania Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, “Wills for Heroes” provides free basic estate planning documents to first responders in Pennsylvania.

“Wills for Heroes” provides police, fire and emergency medical personnel — those on the frontlines for our personal safety — the tools they need to prepare adequately for the future.

Programs are staffed by lawyer volunteers and are conveniently offered to first responders at meeting halls and police and fire stations.

The PBA-YLD web page for its "Wills for Heroes" project provides links for additional information:

• Information for First Responders
• Questionnaire for First Responders
• Information for Lawyer Volunteers
• Online Registration Form for Lawyer Volunteers

The first item presently appearing on the home page of the PBA's web site is an announcement regarding the YLD's Wills for Heroes program, offering "Free Training Session for 'Wills for Heroes' Lawyer Volunteers on May 29."

Lawyers, register now to participate the "Wills for Heroes" training session to help the PBA Young Lawyers Division expand the program across the state.

Co-sponsored by the PBA YLD and Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll L.L.P., the program provides no-cost wills, living wills, and health care and financial powers of attorney to first responders and their spouses/partners.

Additional lawyer volunteers are needed to staff future programs. Get more information/sign up to volunteer.

The training session will be held May 29, 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m., live in Philadelphia and simulcast to seven locations across the state. Attendees earn one substantive CLE credit.

Go to the PBI Web site to register.

That training will be conducted through the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the legal education arm of the PBA, as described for the "Wills for Heroes" course, offered free to attorneys:

On September 11, 2001, 403 first responders paid the ultimate sacrifice. Many of those brave men and women did not have wills in place.

The same is true even closer to home: Pennsylvania has one of the highest amounts of volunteer first responders in the Country and, sadly, one of the highest death rates amongst volunteers.

First responders risk their lives each day to protect our community. While we cannot protect them, the Pennsylvania Bar Association has committed to protecting their families through the Wills for Heroes program.

Wills for Heroes is a free and easy service that provides Wills, Living Wills, Health Care and Financial Powers of Attorney to first responders and their spouses/partners.

Programs are being scheduled all over Pennsylvania. You do not need to practice trusts and estates law to participate. You simply need to have the desire to protect those who protect us. Training for Wills for Heroes programs will be offered by the PBA Young Lawyers Division and the Pennsylvania Bar Institute.

By attending this training, your name will be placed on a volunteer list that will be used to staff upcoming Wills for Heroes programs.

Recent events in Western Pennsylvania highlight the need for estate planning documents by police officers. See: "Three Pittsburgh officers killed in standoff in Stanton Heights" (04/04/09) by Chris Togneri and Michael Hasch published by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

A year ago, I wrote a blog entry about a few local pro bono projects separately initiated by lawyers through their county bar associations to benefit first responders. See: "Firefighters, First Responders, and Free Wills" (05/15/08).

That posting identified the "Wills for Heroes" project sponsored in 2007-2008 by the American Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division, which received a national award from the "Wills for Heroes" Foundation.

Did that blog posting spur interest among Pennsylvania lawyers in conducting such a program on a statewide basis in the Commonwealth? If so, then I am grateful for the response.

The efforts of the Young Lawyers Division of the Pennsylvania Bar Association to honor and assist first responders, by meeting their planning needs, are laudable.

Update: 08/03/10:

See my further post regarding the Wills for Heroes program and workshops held or scheduled in Pennsylvania: "Wills for Heroes" Workshops Multiply in PA & DE (08/03/10).