THE WAELA WIRE: Information and Updates from the WAELA Board of Directors

June 2021

THE WAELA WIRE

Information and Updates from the WAELA Board of Directors

2021 MEMBER OF THE YEAR AWARD – PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS!

Each year WAELA honors a member who is exemplary in his or her representation and advocacy for seniors and persons with special needs and is active and collaborative in WAELA.

THE DEADLINE FOR SUBMITTING NOMINATIONS HAS BEEN EXTENDED. Please submit your nomination using the link included in the email accompanying the June WIRE NO LATER THAN MONDAY JULY 12, 2021. On July 16^th, you will receive an email with the names of the nominees and the instructions to vote; voting will be open for one week and close on Friday, July 23rd. The award will be presented at the 2021 WAELA Fall CLE.

Nominate a Member Today

WAELA ‘HOT TOPICS’ SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES: SCHEDULE CHANGE:

Due to unforeseen circumstances we found it necessary to cancel the webinar scheduled for July 15, 2021. Based on the very positive response to the 2020 “Hot Topics’ Summer Webinar Series we plan to resume a 3-webinar schedule in the summer of 2022.

We hope that you had the opportunity to join the webinar on June 17, 2021. John Creahan, Founder of Cairn Law, provided an informative and comprehensive overview of The SECURE Act. The recording of the webinar and corresponding materials will be available to WAELA members in the Member Only section of the WAELA website beginning July 17, 2021, and available for purchase to Non-Members on the same date for $75.00.

WE THANK JOHN for sharing his time and expertise with us.

In the final webinar of the series, on September 16, 2021, Josh Brothers of Brothers & Henderson, P.S. will talk with us about advising families and their adult children with disabilities in, ““Transitioning to Adulthood: Advising Families with a Child with Disabilities as Their World Changes.” Once again this will be a 1.5 hour presentation, presented via Zoom from 11:00 to 12:30. Josh will provide substantive information, practical tips, and practice pointers in this area of law.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR THE SEPTEMBER WEBINAR WILL BE COMING SOON.

WAELA PUBLIC POLICY COMMITTEE:

Update by Bryana Cross Bean, Committee Chair

Due to the fact that the Uniform Guardianship, Conservatorship, and other Protective Arrangements Act (UGCOPPA), will go into effect in January 2022, the Public Policy Committee, through the work of the Guardianship Subcommittee, will be focusing much of its energy on actively monitoring and analyzing the development of the Act’s implementation.

Many of our members have reported that improvements need to be made to the Act, for the benefit and protection of our clients and others who will be affected. WAELA, with the input of members statewide, will work to have a voice in deciding what these changes should be and to get them implemented. The Subcommittee decided to set a goal of crafting a trailer bill to the UGA with our recommended changes and present it in the 2023 legislative session. This will give us enough time to see the UGA in action and craft something that has a good chance of getting passed. One step in our plan is to collect stories and other feedback from WAELA members. We will continue to provide you with details and updates over the next few months.

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING: We are continuing to seek committee members who practice guardianship law in different areas of the state. The Committee will be meeting on the first Thursday of each month from 12:00 pm to 1:00; the next meeting is Thursday, July 1, 2021. We also welcome collaboration with other stakeholder groups who have input on this issue; please let us know if you know of such a group.

In the meantime, please email Bryana Cross Bean with any feedback or analysis about the UGA. Thanks!