AUGUST 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 43
UNVACCINATED KIDS TRAVELING
AMID COVID-19
As more states and countries start
to open up, many of us are frankly
itching to visit family or experience a
vacation again. But while many of us
parents and older kids are vaccinated,
our younger children are not vaccinated,
which is a concern for many
families wanting to travel.
We chatted with Dr. Steven Gelman,
Director of Outpatient Pediatrics at
New York-Presbyterian Brooklyn
Methodist Hospital, about traveling
with unvaccinated kids this summer.
First, is it safe for kids to travel if they
have not been vaccinated? Yes, it is
safe for kids to travel if they have not
been vaccinated. That said, I would advise
that families head to destinations
where the positivity rates are lower,
which does knock off some locations.
But if kids are too young at this point
to be vaccinated, I do encourage their
travel companions, such as their
parents or relatives, to be vaccinated
before travel. If parents are not vaccinated,
then I discourage travel.
Any tips that can help keep our
kids safe this summer? Is this still
something that a parent should be
concerned about? One of the benefits
of summer travel is that many activities
are outdoors, decreasing the spread. I
would recommend dining outdoors with
unvaccinated children and not yet eating
indoors. As much as possible, I would
keep your family in a bubble and try to
keep the kids close. In some ways, travel
now is more challenging than it was a
few months ago in that most adults wore
their masks then, and you could avoid
those that didn’t. Now so many vaccinated
adults have removed their masks, so it
is harder to know who is vaccinated and
who isn’t. This comes back to the idea of
traveling to cities and states where the
Covid positivity numbers are low and
conducive to outdoor activities as much
as possible. We have been seeing and
expect to continue to see an increase in
other viral pathogens, like common cold
germs, increasing in the younger group
as the Covid numbers drop. As in flu season,
these kids have to be monitored for
any respiratory problems and dehydration.
Most clear it like they always did.
Any idea when young children will be
able to get vaccinated? Currently, children
under 12 years old are not eligible
for the vaccine, but we hear and are
hopeful it will be available to younger
children in the fall. While I am excited
and hopeful for it to be expanded
soon, unless it happens imminently, it
wouldn’t help for summer travel.
This article first appeared in New York
Family.
PARENTING TIPS
Here are some tips for traveling with children who are not vaccinated
against Covid-19. (Getty Images)
POWER OF YOUR ATTORNEY
IRREVOCABLE OR REVOCABLE:
WHICH TRUST IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
BY JENNIFER CONA, ESQ.,
CONA ELDER LAW
All trusts are not created equally;
there are many different types
used for a variety of purposes.
Two common types of trusts
in estate and asset protection
planning are revocable and
irrevocable trusts.
A revocable trust is a trust where
you, the trust creator, reserve the
right to revoke or change the
trust at any time. If properly
structured and funded, a
revocable trust can be helpful in
avoiding probate and allowing
for easier management of assets
during incapacity. Beware,
however, that a revocable trust
offers no asset protection. For
Medicaid purposes, all of the
assets in a revocable trust are
considered available and may
have to be spent down on the
costs of care.
The better option for most
older adults is an irrevocable
trust. This type of trust cannot
be revoked or changed by
you alone, but can be with the
consent of the trust beneficiaries.
The benefit of making a trust
irrevocable is that it can be
structured as a Medicaid asset
protection trust.
An irrevocable trust set up for
asset protection purposes can
hold almost any type of asset,
including your home, bank
accounts, and investments.
You cannot have access to the
principal of the trust, but you
can retain the right to receive
the income (dividends and
interest). After five years have
passed, the assets held in the
trust are protected with respect
to Medicaid. You would not have
to spend down those assets on
the cost of care, and instead
they are protected and will be
inherited by your beneficiaries.
By properly planning ahead,
your assets can be maintained
for quality-of-life items and
ultimately left
to your heirs.
But creating the
trust is only the
first step. The trust also has to
be funded, meaning assets must
be transferred or re-titled into
the name of the trust.
For many families in the metro
NY area, their most valuable
asset is their home. As such, we
often transfer title to the home to
the irrevocable asset protection
trust in order to protect its value.
You can still sell your home,
purchase a new property, keep
your real estate tax exemptions,
and no one can sell your house
without your consent. Other
assets can be placed in a trust
for asset protection purposes
as well, such as investment
accounts, bank accounts, mutual
funds, and life insurance.
With the escalating cost of
healthcare, it is more important
than ever for older adults to
protect the assets they worked
their whole lives to save from
a sudden healthcare crisis.
An irrevocable trust is an
important tool in that asset
protection plan. Contact the
experienced attorneys at Cona
Elder Law to discuss your asset
protection plan.
Jennifer B. Cona, Esq. is the
Founder and Managing Partner of
Cona Elder Law, an award-winning
law firm concentrating in the areas
of elder law, estate planning, estate
administration and litigation, and
health care law. The firm has been
ranked the #1 Elder Law Firm
by Long Island Business News
for eight consecutive years. For
additional information, visit www.
conaelderlaw.com.
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