Author: Tanya Hobson-Williams

Appointed to the bench by the Board of Trustees in 2008, and elected in 2009, Tanya Hobson-Williams was the first African-American Female Justice in the Incorporated Village of Hempstead. Tanya Hobson–Williams obtained her B.A. in Government and Politics from St. John's University and her law degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Tanya Hobson-Williams has an active elder law practice assisting senior citizens in obtaining Medicaid for Home Care and Nursing Home Care. She routinely lectures at senior citizen centers, assisted living facilities, law schools and counsels families on a variety of topics of concerns to families caring for the elderly.

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New Bill Proposal Aims to Give More Rights to Tenants

A major problem for many buildings in New York City is leaking water which causes plaster to collapse and mold to grow. Many residents who face this issue are renters and not home owners. As such, these individuals have to wait for their landlords to address the problem while the problem, itself, persists or worsens.

Two years ago, New York City adopted a law that required landlords repair the “underlying conditions” that cause mold to flourish and ceilings to collapse. The problem is that in New York City, which houses nearly 3.5 million apartments, there is only enough resources to target 50 buildings a year for “underlying conditions orders.”

Indeed records show that since the law was passed in 2013, the city has targeted only 69 buildings, including thirty six in Brooklyn, twenty in the Bronx, eight in Manhattan, four in Queens, and one in Staten Island. Continue reading “New Bill Proposal Aims to Give More Rights to Tenants”

Attorney General’s Office Unveils Nursing Home Abuse Cover-Up

According to the New York State Attorney General’s Office, Dawn Weaver, a Licensed Practical Nurse, pleaded guilty to endangering a nursing home resident and falsifying business records.

These charges pertain to an incident on February 23, 2014, when a 93-year-old Wayne County Nursing Home resident fell while being transferred to the bathroom by a nurse aide. The supervising aide, Weaver, failed to follow nursing home protocol when she neglected to have the resident examined by a registered nurse before she was moved. Furthermore, Weaver failed to use a mechanical lift to remove the resident off of the ground, and subsequently failed to report the incident in the facility’s medical records.

Weaver then signed a facility report stating that the aforementioned event did not occur. More disturbingly, Weaver added that had the event occurred, she would have addressed it. However, when questioned by the Attorney General’s Office, Weaver admitted that the resident fell and that she and the aide manually picked up the resident without telling anyone about the fall. Continue reading “Attorney General’s Office Unveils Nursing Home Abuse Cover-Up”

Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program

New York City rental prices seem to continue to rise without any foreseeable decline. As a result, reasonably priced housing has become a coveted treasure city-wide.

However, through the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program (SCRIE) renters who are 62 or older with yearly incomes below $50,000 may be eligible for exemption from all or some increases in rents, carrying charges, capital assessment or voluntary capital contributions.

Recent changes to the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) has expanded eligibility by increasing the maximum annual income to $50,000 from $29,000.

Lawmakers speculate that in the next ten years, New York City will see a 30% increase in the senior adult population. They further point out that New York City is home to the highest number of foreign-born senior citizens in the nation. As a result, more low-income seniors are seeking an affordable place to retire. Continue reading “Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program”

Expert Health Committee Recommends Major Changes to U.S. Health System

End of life care refers to the treatment of patients in the final hours or days of their lives, as well as the health care of all those with a terminal illness or a terminal condition that has become advanced, progressive and incurable.

A national panel recently appointed by the Institute of Medicine, the research branch of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report on September 17, 2014. The report stated that the United States’ system for handling end-of-life care is largely inept, thus necessitating a major makeover.

The report was authored by a 21-member nonpartisan committee comprised of doctors, nurses, insurers, religious leaders, lawyers and experts on aging. It called for major overhauls in the industry, and noted that many of its recommendations could be accomplished without the necessity of the often slow-moving legislative process.

The 507- page report called for a “major reorientation and restructuring of Medicare, Medicaid and other health care delivery programs,” as well as the elimination of financial incentives that are alleged to encourage expensive hospital procedures over low-tech services like home health care and pain management, particularly for sick and elderly patients. Continue reading “Expert Health Committee Recommends Major Changes to U.S. Health System”

Tanya Hobson-Williams, P.C. Defends Client’s Marriage to Husband who was declared an Incapacitated Person Resulting in Wife Inheriting $3 Million Dollar Estate

On September 24, 2014, the Supreme Court of the State of New York Appellate Division: Second Department reversed a lower court’s order annulling the marriage between a younger woman and an elderly man. The Appellate Division determined that a new hearing on the man’s ability to enter into a marriage contract was warranted. Capacity, in a legal sense, refers to the ability to make a rational decision based upon all relevant facts and considerations.

The case involved an elderly man who was appointed a guardian by the New York Supreme Court to provide for his personal needs and property management. During the course of his guardianship, the elderly gentleman entered into a marriage with a younger woman. After being informed of the marriage, the guardian asked the Court to have a psychologist determine whether the elderly man had the capacity to enter into a marriage. After a hearing and testimony, the New York State Supreme Court determined that the elderly gentleman lacked the capacity to enter into a marriage, and, as a result, annulled the marriage.

On Appeal, attorney Tanya Hobson-Williams, representing the young woman, argued that her client was not given any notice that her marriage would be annulled and that she lacked the opportunity to be heard by the court before it ultimately decided to annul the marriage to her late husband. While the petition to appoint a Guardian for the elderly man requested a determination of the elderly gentleman’s capacity to handle his affairs, neither the Petitioner nor the Guardian ever requested that the marriage be annulled. Essentially, all that was formally requested of the court was to determine matters pertaining to the level of guardianship. Continue reading “Tanya Hobson-Williams, P.C. Defends Client’s Marriage to Husband who was declared an Incapacitated Person Resulting in Wife Inheriting $3 Million Dollar Estate”

Medicare’s Nursing Home Ratings Fail to Give Complete Depiction

A recent investigation into Medicare’s nursing home rating system by The New York Times revealed that the high rating of many top nursing homes, is based on incomplete information about the quality and conditions at the homes.

The report found that the 1-5 star medical rating system is largely based on self-reported data by the nursing homes that the government does not verify. The only data that is subject to review from outside agencies is the results from annual health inspections. As a result, other important measurements of nursing homes — such as staff levels and quality statistics, are mostly left to the nursing home to report to Medicare.

The investigation also revealed that the rating system fails to take into account other potentially negative information such as fines imposed by the state or enforcement sanctions from state agencies.

While federal officials maintain that the rating system can be improved, and that they are working to make it better, many individuals, including former nursing home employees, lawyers and patient advocacy groups, believe that these nursing homes have merely learned how to abuse the rating system. Continue reading “Medicare’s Nursing Home Ratings Fail to Give Complete Depiction”

Attorney General Focuses on Landlord-Tenant Harassment Claim

New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched an investigation into the allegedly illegal tactics used to force rent-stabilized tenants out of their homes implemented by multi-million dollar landlord, Steven Croman.

According to reports, the Attorney General is investigating potential violations of city and state laws, including numerous infractions related to tenant harassment.

This week Schneiderman issued a “cease and desist” order to one of Cromans employees, ex-NYPD officer Anthony Falconite. Tenants allege that Falconite, a private investigator, has engaged in a campaign of harassment and intimidation in an effort to force them out.

According to recounts by numerous tenants, Croman regularly files frivolous lawsuits, ignores repairs, and resorts to a number of unsavory tactics in an effort to remove current tenants so that he can rent units at much higher rates. Continue reading “Attorney General Focuses on Landlord-Tenant Harassment Claim”

Nursing Home Subject of State Investigation Amid Recent Death

The Office of the New York State Attorney General and the New York State Department of Health have recently commenced an investigation into the July 20^th death of a 71-year-old female resident of a Medford nursing home.

According to sources, the deceased, who was housed in ventilator unit, suffered from acute and chronic respiratory failure and had lived on the unit for six years.

The deceased’s family alleges that the victim passed away because she was not attached to her ventilator. Specifically, they claim that the elderly victim died after her ventilator mechanically malfunctioned causing her to be unable to breath. The family further alleges that the nursing home’s employees disregarded alarms alerting them that victim was not receiving sufficient oxygen.

This is the second death at the nursing home’s 40-bed ventilator unit, which is under investigation. In June of 2014, several Medford employees were charged with various crimes ranging from patient abuse and neglect to falsifying business records in connection to the death of a different resident in 2012. Continue reading “Nursing Home Subject of State Investigation Amid Recent Death”

Senior Housing FAQS: Distinguishing the Types of Senior Housing Communities

Deciding where and how to spend the latter days of your life can be a tough decision. Many wrongly assume that the lone alternative to their current living situation is a nursing home. This is simply not true. There are several residential alternatives for seniors considering a change of scenery.

Senior housing generally refers in to 3 categories of communities: Active-adult community, assisted-living communities, and continuing care retirement communities. So what’s the difference?

Continue reading “Senior Housing FAQS: Distinguishing the Types of Senior Housing Communities”

Federal Government Introduces New Efforts to Combat Elder Abuse

In an effort to combat elder abuse in the United States, the Obama Administration recently released a program outline titled “The Elder Justice Roadmap”.

The Elder Justice Roadmap will be used to develop strategic plans and provide guidance in tackling the highest priority challenges to elder abuse prevention and prosecution.

Aiming identify the most critical priorities in elder abuse issues, The Elder Justice Roadmap derives its content from the opinions of hundreds of experts and innovators from across the country.

Using this collective data, proponents of the initiative hope to develop strategies to raise public awareness about elder abuse, conduct research about the costs of elder abuse, develop better treatment options for victims, and inspire a more active involvement from the private sector. Continue reading “Federal Government Introduces New Efforts to Combat Elder Abuse”