38 THE QUEENS COURIER • HEALTH • JUNE 18, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
health
St. John’s Episcopal Hospital welcomes patients back for in-person medical care
BY QNS STAFF
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
Safety measures have been put in place
at St. John’s Episcopal Hospital, its emergency
Elder Law Minute TM
The Importance of Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples
BY RONALD A. FATOULLAH, ESQ.
Estate planning is important for married
and unmarried couples alike, but it is
even more crucial for unmarried couples
as, without it, these couples are unable to
make end-of-life decisions and inherit
from one another.
Estate planning can be split into two
sub-categories: distributing assets in the
case of one’s death, and appointing agents
to make decisions in the case of one’s
incapacity. Married couples have builtin
asset protection upon death because
there are laws in eff ect that govern the
distribution of property for legally married
couples. Th ese laws ensure that, even
without a will, a percentage of the married
partner’s property will pass to his/
her spouse, children, or parents.
However, unmarried partners who die
without a will also die without an estate
plan. Th ey may be denied their partner’s
inheritance or disallowed to take
part in end-of-life decision-making. It
is critical that unmarried couples follow
these estate planning steps to protect
themselves fi nancially and give them the
authority to make end-of-life decisions
for their partners:
Joint Ownership. Property will pass
to an unmarried partner if the property
is owned jointly, with rights of survivorship.
In this situation, when one joint
tenant dies, his interest immediately ceases
to exist. Th e other joint tenant owns
ELDER LAW
the entirety of the property. Owning
property as joint tenants with rights of
survivorship is a good way to avoid probate
and to ensure that a partner inherits
the predeceased partner’s full interest in
the property.
Benefi ciary Designations. Property
will pass directly to a partner who
is named as the benefi ciary on bank
accounts, retirement funds, and life insurance
accounts. Without this specifi c benefi
ciary designation, unmarried partners
will be unable to access these accounts
upon a partner’s death. Additionally,
without named benefi ciaries and a Last
Will and Testament, assets are distributed
to family members according to statutory
inheritance laws, leaving nothing to
the unmarried partner.
Durable Power of Attorney. A durable
power of attorney plans for one’s incapacity.
It appoints one or more agents to
act on the principal’s legal or fi nancial
behalf in the event of incapacity, whether
temporary or permanent. Without
a durable power of attorney in eff ect, a
huge burden can be placed on the well
partner in the event of the other partner’s
incapacity. A loved one might be forced
to go to court to seek the appointment
of a guardian to make legal and fi nancial
decisions for the incapacitated individual.
Health Care Proxy. Similar to a durable
power of attorney, a health care proxy
plans for one’s incapacity, but it addresses
health care matters, rather than fi nancial
issues. A health care proxy appoints an
agent to make health care decisions for an
individual when he is unable to do so for
himself, whether on a temporary or permanent
basis. Without a health care proxy,
an unmarried partner might be forced to
go to court to request a guardian appointment
for the incapacitated individual.
Last Will and Testament. A will states
who will inherit an individual’s property
when he dies. Some property passes
outside of probate through joint ownership,
benefi ciary designations, and trusts.
However, a will is still relevant for a variety
of reasons. A will allows a person to
name guardians for his minor children in
the event of his death. Also, a will allows
a person to choose a personal representative
(executor or executrix) to take care
of the administration of his estate when
he dies. Th e executor’s job responsibilities
are to distribute the testator’s possessions
according to his will, pay his fi nal bills, fi le
his last tax return, and close his accounts.
Revocable Trust. Unmarried couples
are particularly well-situated to benefi
t from a revocable trust. With a revocable
trust, a person can appoint himself
as trustee to manage his own fi nances,
and he can appoint a successor trustee
to take over in the event of his incapacity.
Th e trust serves as a will substitute,
and allows an individual to avoid
probate while naming benefi ciaries as he
would in a will.
For unmarried couples, dying without
an estate plan in place can result in
serious consequences for the surviving
unmarried partner. In order to ensure
that an unmarried life partner can inherit
assets from his partner, as well as being
able to make end-of-life decisions in the
event of his partner’s incapacity, it is necessary
to implement a solid estate plan.
It is important to consult an elder care
attorney to consider whether a family
member or loved one has an appropriate
estate plan in place that adequately protects
the surviving unmarried partner.
Ronald A. Fatoullah, Esq. is the founder
of Ronald Fatoullah & Associates, a law
fi rm that concentrates in elder law, estate
planning, Medicaid planning, guardianships,
estate administration, trusts, wills,
and real estate. Th e law fi rm can be
reached at 516-466-4422, or toll free at
1-877-ELDER-LAW or 1-877-ESTATES.
Mr. Fatoullah is also a partner advisor
with Advice Period, a wealth management
fi rm that provides a continuum of
fi nancial and investment advice for individuals
and businesses, and he can be
reached at 424-256-7273.
RONALD FATOULLAH
ESQ, CELA*
room, and its outpatient primary
and specialty care sites to ensure the wellbeing
of patients who want to see their
health care provider in person.
St. John’s outpatient primary and specialty
care sites located throughout the
peninsula and the hospital’s emergency
department are open, and community
members should not delay in getting the
in-person medical care they need.
Th e hospital and its community practices
have enacted several safety measures
including the following:
Providing each patient and medical
staff with appropriate personal protective
equipment Practicing social distancing
Prescreening sick patients over the
phone
Using separate entrances and exits for
those who are sick when appropriate
Swabbing sick patients in parking lots
when appropriate
Th oroughly disinfecting medical offi ces
and medical equipment
Separating patients with COVID-19
symptoms from other patients in the
Emergency Room
Providing COVID-19 testing to patients
prior to performing elective surgeries
“We are committed to providing our
patients with extraordinary care while
maintaining the highest level of safety and
sanitization at the hospital and our outpatient
medical sites,” said Karen Gleason,
chief quality offi cer.
Medical services, locations, and
appointment scheduling information are
as follows:
327 Beach 19th St., Far Rockaway
Services: Gynecologic Oncology;
Maternal Fetal Medicine; Ob-Gyn To
schedule an appointment call 718-869-
7382
327 Beach 19th St., Far Rockaway
Services: Audiology; Dermatology;
Endocrinology; Gastroenterology;
Gynecology; Hematology/Oncology;
Infectious Disease; Nephrology;
Neurology; Oncology; Orthopedics;
Podiatry; Pulmonary; Urology To
schedule an appointment call 718-869-
7690
327 Beach 19th St., Far Rockaway
Services: Hyperbaric Oxygen Th erapy;
Wound Care To schedule an appointment
call 718-869-8306
327 Beach 19th St., Far Rockaway
Services: Emergency Department No
appointment needed. Walk-in for emergency
care.
495 Beach 20th St., Far Rockaway
Services: Adult Medicine; General
Pediatrics; Obstetrics; Pediatric
Neonatal; Pediatric Pulmonary; Pediatric
Endocrinology; Pediatric Neurology;
Pediatric Nutrition To schedule an
appointment call 347-619-5950
431 Beach 129th S., Belle Harbor
Services: Adult Medicine, Dermatology
To schedule an appointment call 718-
318-3434
275 Rockaway Tpke., Lawrence
Services: Adult Medicine; Cardiology;
Colorectal Surgery; General Surgery;
Vascular Surgery. To schedule an appointment
call 516-400-9302
Courtesy of St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
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