2053 Woodbridge Avenue - Edison, NJ 08817

Friday, November 01, 2024

E717 VercammenLaw News

 

Happy Halloween October 31

1 Recent cases Police could not follow suspected drunk driver into garage

2 Disorderly person defendants not excluded from Recovery/Drug court

3  Woodbridge Library November 21, 2024 

4. Office space for rent Edison

5 Will preparation online by a real NJ Attorney without having to travel to a Law Office 

1 Recent cases: Police could not follow suspected drunk driver into garage 

 State v Mellody 479 N.J. Super. 90 (App Div 2024)

The court reverses defendant's driving while intoxicated (DWI) conviction because it was based on evidence obtained by a police officer following his unlawful entry into defendant's garage. The court remands for the Law Division judge to determine whether defendant's careless driving conviction can be sustained based on information learned before the officer unlawfully crossed the threshold of defendant's home.

The court addresses the circumstances in which a police officer may enter a suspect's residence in connection with a drunk or careless driving investigation. The court holds that while police have the authority to perform various "community caretaking" functions—such as determining whether a suspected drunk driver needs medical attention—they may not make a warrantless entry into a suspect's home to execute an investigative detention without consent or exigent circumstances.   The court holds this rule applies to defendant's garage. 

The court also holds this was not a fleeting or de minimus entry. The officer entered the garage to execute an investigative detention, that is, to seize defendant. The court stresses that even the brief entry of the home to effectuate the seizure of a resident is a significant constitutional intrusion. The court ultimately concludes the State failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence the officer lawfully entered the garage to render emergency aid under the exigent circumstances exception. 

2 Disorderly person defendants not excluded from Recovery/Drug court

State v Matrongolo 479 N.J. Super. 8 (App. Div 2024)

In this appeal, the court held individuals convicted of a disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense are not categorically excluded from Recovery Court under Track Two based on the classification of their conviction. The court first found the matter justiciable despite the defendant's death and then rejected the rationale that Recovery Court is available only to those convicted of a "crime," which disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses are not under our Criminal Code.

3  Woodbridge Library November 21, 2024 

Wills, Estate Planning & Probate Seminar

November 21, 2024 

at 6:30. In person

This is where anyone can register for free:

https://woodbridge-nj.libcal.com/event/12588133

https://www.facebook.com/events/4112937185740


4. Office space for rent Edison

PROFESSIONAL OFFICE SPACE IS AVAILABLE IN EDISON LAW OFFICE

2053 Woodbridge Ave.

Edison, NJ 08817


 Excellent space for an Attorney, Financial Planners, Accountant, Insurance Agents, and other Business Professionals as a 2nd location or location to meet clients in Edison. 


  The offices are located on the 1st floor of the building.

2 rooms office   

office room # 6 approx 12.4 x 9.4       

and front room appr 8 x 9 -office room # 5

plus use of reception room  16.6 x 7.2

   Previously used by Robert Blackman, late former Judge and Prosecutor of Edison

         

$600 per month   

Call 732-572-0500

    Owner of building is local attorney, Kenneth Vercammen who handles Municipal Court, Estate Planning & Probate, and Criminal Law. 


  5 Will preparation online by a real NJ Attorney without having to travel to a Law Office 

To assist potential clients and seniors attorneys now offer document preparation remotely and consults.  


1. For Wills, Power of Attorney, Living Wills, Trusts, please request interview form by calling 732-572-0500 or email Vercammenlaw@njlaws.com. We will email the interview form. For Seniors, we can email to family members who can help type up for you.


2. Type response/ Fill in details. Email completed Will Questionnaire back


3. Attorney will call to discuss after typed interview form received.


4. After persons pay by credit card online or check we will draft documents and email to you.

5. Attorney will call to answer further questions

6. Sign documents in front of notary and two witnesses [ spouse ok as witness]. Signing instructions provided. 


Most libraries, banks, UPS stores continue to be open and have notaries. Vercammen Law also will witness and notarize our Wills on Wednesday when we have witnesses.


    Be remote but still get your important documents done. We strongly recommend all adults have a Power of Attorney prepared in the event they are temporarily incapacitated or hospitalized. We do require interview forms be completed in full and emailed back so we can provide accurate advice. The doctor’s office similarly has patients fill out details prior to the consult. We also recommend signing a Living Will with COMBINED ADVANCE DIRECTIVE FOR HEALTH CARE. 

       The Living Will contains a Power of Attorney for Health Care & Medical Decisions. In signing your Living Will, you will designate an individual you trust to act as your legally recognized health care representative to make health care decisions for you in the event you are unable to make decisions for yourself.





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Wednesday, October 16, 2024

Edison Seniors Living Wills Presentation December 2, 2024 11am-11:30

 Edison Senior Center

Edison Seniors Living Wills Presentation 
December 2, 2024 11am-11:30
Edison Senior Center 
2963 Woodbridge Ave, 
Edison, NJ 08837
Join the Edison Seniors to attend.
Wills & Estate Administration-Protect Your Family and Make Planning Easy 
Speaker: Kenneth Vercammen, Esq. Edison, NJ (Author-Wills and Estate Administration by the ABA)
Living Will & Advance Directive for Medical Care
COMPLIMENTARY MATERIAL: Brochure on Wills, “Answers to Questions about Probate” and Administration of an Estate, Power of Attorney, Living Wills, Real Estate Sales for Seniors, and Trust. 
Info contact 
<JWeimer@edisonnj.gov>
Senior Center Supervisor
Township of Edison
2963 Woodbridge Ave, Edison NJ 08837
732-248-7346

What is a Living Will?
Living Wills and Advance Directive NJ
Compiled By KENNETH A. VERCAMMEN
A Living Will is your written expression of how you want to be treated in certain medical conditions. Depending on state law, this document may permit you to express whether or not you wish to be given life-sustaining treatments in the event you are terminally ill or injured, to decide in advance whether you wish to be provided food and water via intravenous devices ("tube feeding"), and to give other medical directions that impact the end of life. "Life-sustaining treatment" means the use of available medical machinery and techniques, such as heart-lung machines, ventilators, and other medical equipment and techniques that will sustain and possibly extend your life, but which will not by themselves cure your condition. In addition to terminal illness or injury situations, most states permit you to express your preferences as to treatment using life-sustaining equipment and/or tube feeding for medical conditions that leave you permanently unconscious and without detectable brain activity.
A Living Will applies in situations where the decision to use such treatments may prolong your life for a limited period of time and not obtaining such treatment would result in your death. It does not mean that medical professionals would deny you pain medications and other treatments that would relieve pain or otherwise make you more comfortable. Living Wills do not determine your medical treatment in situations that do not affect your continued life, such as routine medical treatment and non-life-threatening medical conditions. In all states the determination as to whether or not you are in such a medical condition is determined by medical professionals, usually your attending physician and at least one other medical doctor who has examined you and/or reviewed your medical situation. Most states permit you to include other medical directions that you wish your physicians to be aware of regarding the types of treatment you do or do not wish to receive.
http://www.njlaws.com/living_wills.html
KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC
ATTORNEY AT LAW
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817
(Phone) 732-572-0500
All States have declared that competent adults have the fundamental right in collaboration with their health care providers, to control decisions about their own health care. States recognize in their law and public policy, the personal right of the individual patient to make voluntary, informed choices to accept, to reject or to choose among alternative courses of medical and surgical treatment.
WHY LIVING WILLS
Modern advances in science and medicine have made possible the prolongation of the lives of many seriously ill individuals, without always offering realistic prospects for improvement or cure. For some individuals the possibility of extended life is experienced as meaningful and of benefit. For others, artificial prolongation of life may seem to provide nothing medically necessary or beneficial, serving only to extend suffering and prolong the dying process. States recognize the inherent dignity and value of human life and within this context recognize the fundamental right of individuals to make health care decisions to have life-prolonging medical or surgical means or procedures provided, withheld, or withdrawn.
States recognize the right of competent adults to plan ahead for health care decisions through the execution of advance directives, such as Living Wills and durable powers of attorney, and to have their wishes respected, subject to certain limitations.
PURPOSE OF LIVING WILLS
In order to assure respect for patients previously expressed wishes when the capacity to participate actively in decision making has been lost or impaired; to facilitate and encourage a sound decision making process in which patients, health care representatives, families, physicians, and other health care professionals are active participants; to properly consider patients interests both in self-determination and in well-being; and to provide necessary and appropriate safeguards concerning the termination of life-sustaining treatment for incompetent patients as the law and public policy of this State, the Legislatures have enacted Living Will/ Advance Directives for Health Care Acts.
REQUIREMENTS OF STATUTE
The advance directive for health care (Living Will) requires a writing executed in accordance with the requirements of the state law. It must be either signed and dated in front of an attorney at law or other person authorized to administer oaths, or in the presence of two subscribing adult witnesses. If the two adult witnesses are used, they both must attest that the declarant is of sound mind and not under undue influence. A designated health care representative shall not act as a witness to the execution of the advance directive. Since this is a legal document, it must be executed properly to be valid under the statute.
HEALTH CARE REPRESENTATIVE
The declarant must designate one or more alternative health care representatives. "Health care representative" means the person designated by you under the Living Will for the purpose of making health care decisions on your behalf.
WHEN DOES THE ADVANCE DIRECTIVE BECOME 
OPERATIVE
An advance directive becomes operative when (1) it is transmitted to the attending physician or to the health care institution, and (2) it is determined pursuant to the Act that the patient lacks capacity to make a particular health care decision.
Treatment decisions pursuant to an advance directive shall not be made and implemented until there has been a reasonable opportunity to establish and where appropriate confirm, a reliable diagnosis for the patient which shall include the attending physicians opinion concerning the nature, cause, extent, and probable duration of the patients incapacity, and shall be made a part of the patients medical records. For additional information or to have a "Living Will" prepared, see your attorney. In addition, be certain your Last Will and testament is up to date.
Abstracted from NJ Commission on Legal & Ethical Problems in the Delivery of Health Care
732-572-0500 Legislative Study Commission Brochure
1. Introduction
2. Questions and Answers
3. Terms You Should
4. Understand
1. Introduction:
As Americans, we take it for granted that we are entitled to make decisions about our own health care. Most of the time we make these decisions after talking with our own physician about the advantages and disadvantages of various treatment options. The right of a competent individual to accept or refuse medical treatment is a fundamental right now fully protected by law.
But what happens if serious illness, injury or permanent loss of mental capacity makes us incapable of talking to a doctor and deciding what medical treatments we do or do not want? These situations pose difficult questions to all of us as patients, family members, friends and health care professionals. Who makes these decisions if we can’t make them for ourselves? If we can’t make our preferences known how can we make sure that our wishes will be respected? If disagreements arise among those caring for us about different treatment alternatives how will they be resolved? Is there a way to alleviate the burdens shouldered by family members and loved ones when critical medical decisions must be made?
Living Will:
By using documents known as advance directives for health care, you can answer some of these questions and give yourself the security of knowing that you can continue to have a say in your own treatment. A properly prepared Living Will permits you to plan ahead so you can both make your wishes known and select someone who will see to it that your wishes are followed.
After all, if you are seriously ill or injured and can’t make decisions for yourself someone will have to decide about your medical care. Doesn’t it make sense to
•Have a person you trust make decisions for you,
•Provide instructions about the treatment you do and do not want, or
•Both appoint a person to make decisions and provide them with instructions.
A Few Definitions
Throughout this booklet there are four phrases. Each of these phrases has a special meaning when it comes to allowing you to make decisions about your future health care.
• Advance directive-If you want your wishes to guide those responsible for your care you have to plan for what you want in advance. Generally, such planning is more likely to be effective if it’s done in writing. So, by an "advance directive" we mean any written directions you prepare in advance to say what kind of medical care you want in the event you become unable to make decisions for yourself.
1. Proxy directives - One way to have a say in your future medical care is to designate a person (a proxy) you trust and give that person the legal authority to decide for you if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. Your chosen proxy (known as a health care representative) serves as your substitute, "standing in" for you in discussions with your physician and others responsible for your care. So, by a proxy directive we mean written directions that name a "proxy" to act for you. Another term some people use for a proxy directive is a "durable power of attorney for health care.”
2. Instruction directives - Another way to have a say in your future medical care is to provide those responsible for your care with a statement of your medical treatment preferences. By "instruction directive" we mean written directions that spell out in advance what medical treatments you wish to accept or refuse and the circumstances in which you want your wishes implemented. These instructions then serve as a guide to those responsible for your care. Another term some people use for an instruction directive is a "Living Will.”
3. Combined directives - A third way combines features of both the proxy and the instruction directive. You may prefer to give both written instructions, and to designate a health care representative or proxy to see that your instructions are carried out.
2. Questions and Answers
1. Why should I consider writing an advance directive/ Living Will?
Serious injury, illness or mental incapacity may make it impossible for you to make health care decisions for yourself. In these situations, those responsible for your care will have to make decisions for you. Advance directives are legal documents which provide information about your treatment preferences to those caring for you, helping to ensure that your wishes are respected even when you can’t make decisions yourself A clearly written and legally prepared directive helps prevent disagreements among those close to you and alleviates some of the burdens of decision making which are often experienced by family members, friends and health care providers.
2. When does my advance directive take effect?
Your directive takes effect when you no longer have the ability to make decisions about your health care. This judgment is normally made by your attending physician, and any additional physicians who may be required by law to examine you. If there is any doubt about your ability to make such decisions, your doctor will consult with another doctor with training and experience in this area Together they will decide if you are unable to make your own health care decisions.
3. What happens if I regain the ability to make my own decisions?
If you regain your ability to make decisions, then you resume making your own decisions directly. Your directive is in effect only as long as you are unable to make your own decisions.
4. Are there particular treatments I should specifically mention in my directive?
It is a good idea to indicate your specific preferences concerning two specific kinds of life sustaining measures:
1. Artificially provided fluids and nutrition; and
2. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Stating your preferences clearly concerning these two treatments will be of considerable help in avoiding uncertainty, disagreements or confusion about your wishes. The enclosed forms provide a space for you to state specific directions concerning your wishes with respect to these two forms of treatment.
Fluids and Nutrition. I request that artificially provided fluids and nutrition, such as by feeding tube or intravenous infusion (initial one)
1. ______ shall be withheld or withdrawn as "Life Sustaining Treatment."
2. ______ shall be provided to the extent medically appropriate even if other "Life Sustaining Treatment" is withheld or withdrawn.
Directive as to Medical Treatment. I request that "Life Sustaining Treatment" be withheld or withdrawn from me in each of the following circumstances: (Initial all that apply)
1. ______ If the "life sustaining treatment" is experimental and not a proven therapy, or is likely to be ineffective or futile in prolonging my life, or is likely to merely prolong an imminent dying process;
2. ______ If I am permanently unconscious (total and irreversible loss of consciousness and capacity for interaction with the environment);
3. ______ If I am in a terminal condition (terminal stage of an irreversibly fatal illness, disease, or condition); or
4. ______ If I have a serious irreversible illness or condition, and the likely risks and burdens associated with the medical intervention to be withheld or withdrawn outweigh the likely benefits to me from such intervention.
5. ______ None of the above. I direct that all medically appropriate measures be provided to sustain my life, regardless of my physical or mental condition.
5. What is the advantage of having a health care representative, isn’t it enough to have an instruction directive?
Your doctor and other health care professionals are legally obligated to consider your expressed wishes as stated in your instruction directive or "Living Will.” However, instances may occur in which medical circumstances arise or treatments are proposed that you may not have thought about when you wrote your directive. If this happens your health care representative has the authority to participate in discussions with your health care providers and to make treatment decisions for you in accordance with what he or she knows of your wishes. Your health care representative will also be able to make decisions as your medical condition changes, in accordance with your wishes and best interests.
6. If I decide to appoint a health care representative, who should I trust with this task?
The person you choose to be your health care representative has the legal right to accept or refuse medical treatment (including life-sustaining measures) on your behalf and to assure that your wishes concerning your medical treatment are carried out. You should choose a person who knows you well, and who is familiar with your feelings about different types of medical treatment and the conditions under which you would choose to accept or refuse either a specific treatment or all treatment.
A health care representative must understand that his or her responsibility is to implement your wishes even if your representative or others might disagree with them. So, it is important to select someone in whose judgment you have confidence. People that you might consider asking to be your health care representative include:
• a member of your family or a very close friend, your priest, rabbi, or minister, or 
• a trusted health care provider, but your attending physician cannot serve as both your physician and your health care representative.
7. Should I discuss my wishes with my health care representative and others?
Absolutely! Your health care representative is the person who speaks for you when you can’t speak for yourself. It is very important that he or she has a clear sense of your feelings, attitudes and health care preferences. You should also discuss your wishes with your physician, family members and others who will be involved in caring for you.
8. Does my health care representative have the authority to make all health care decisions for me?
It is up to you to say what your health care representative can and cannot decide. You may wish to give him or her broad authority to make all treatment decisions including decisions to forego life-sustaining measures. On the other hand, you may wish to restrict the authority to specific treatments or circumstances. Your representative has to respect these limitations.
9. Is my doctor obligated to talk to my health care representative?
Yes. Your health care representative has the legal authority to make medical decisions on your behalf, in consultation with your doctor. Your doctor is legally obligated to consult with your chosen representative and to respect his or her decision as if it were your decision.
10. Is my health care representative the only person who can speak for me, or can other friends or family members participate in making treatment decisions?
It is generally a good idea for your health care representative to consult with family members or others in making decisions, and if you wish you can direct that he or she do so. It should be understood by everyone, however, that your health care representative is the only person with the legal authority to make decisions about your health care even if others disagree.
11. Can I request all measures be taken to sustain my life?
Yes. You should make this choice clear in your advance directive. Remember, a directive can be used to request medical treatments as well as to refuse unwanted ones.
12. Does my doctor have to carry out my wishes as stated in my instruction directive?
If your treatment preferences are clear your doctor is legally obligated to implement your wishes. unless doing this would violate his or her conscience or accepted medical practice. If your doctor is unwilling to honor your wishes he or she must assist in transferring you to the care of another doctor.
13. Can I make changes in my directive?
Yes. An advance directive can be updated or modified in whole or in part, at any time, by a legally competent individual. You should update your directive whenever you feel it no longer accurately reflects your wishes. It is a good idea to review your directive on a regular basis, perhaps every 5 years. Each time you review the directive, indicate the date on the form itself and have someone witness the changes you make. If you make a lot of changes, you may want to write a new directive. Remember to notify all those important to you of any changes you make.
14. Can I revoke my directive at any time?
Yes. You can revoke your directive at any time, regardless of your physical or mental condition. This can be done in writing, orally, or by any action, which indicates that you no longer want the directive to be in effect.
15. Who should have copies of my advance directive?
A copy should be given to the person that you have named as your health care representative, as well as to your family, your doctor, and others who are important to you. If you enter a hospital, nursing home, or hospice, a copy of your advance directive should be provided so that it can be made part of your medical records. The back cover of this brochure contains a wallet size card you can complete and carry with you to tell others that you have an advance directive.
16. Can I use my advance directive to make an organ donation upon my death?
Yes. You may state your wishes regarding organ donation. Also you may want to place an organ donor card in your wallet to alert medical personnel. Any card will do. If you decide to make a gift of your organs upon your death please complete the card and carry it with you at all times. For further information regarding organ donation you should contact either an organ procurement agency or your local hospital.
3. Terms You Should Understand
1. Artificially provided fluids and nutrition: 
The provision of food and water to seriously ill patients who are unable or unwilling to eat. Depending on the method used, such as insertion of a feeding tube or an intravenous line, and the condition of the patient, techniques may involve minor surgery, continuous supervision by medical (and sometimes surgical) personnel, risk of injury or infection, and side effects.
2. C a r d i o p u l m o n a r y Resuscitation (CPR): 
A treatment administered by health care professionals when a person’s heartbeat and breathing stops. CPR may restore functioning if administered properly and in a timely fashion and may include the use of mechanical devices and/or drugs.
3. Life-sustaining measures: 
Any medical procedure, device, artificially provided fluids and nutrition, drugs, surgery, or therapy that uses mechanical or other artificial means to sustain, restore or supplant a vital bodily function. thereby prolonging the life of a patient.
4. Decision making capacity: 
A patient’s ability to understand the benefits and risks of a proposed medical treatment and its alternatives and to reach an informed decision.
5. Health care representative or health care proxy: 
In the event an individual loses decision-making capacity, a health care representative or proxy is a person who has been legally designated to make decisions on his or her behalf. A health care representative is appointed through the execution of a proxy directive (a durable power of attorney for health care).
6. Terminal condition: 
The terminal stage of an irreversibly fatal illness, disease, or condition. While determination of a specific "life expectancy" is not required for a diagnosis of a "terminal condition a prognosis of a life expectancy of one year or less, with or without the provision of life-sustaining treatment, is generally considered terminal.
7. P e r m a n e n t unconsciousness: 
A medical condition defined as total and irreversible loss of consciousness. The term "permanently unconscious" includes the conditions persistent vegetative state and irreversible coma Patients in this condition cannot interact with their surroundings or others in any way and do not experience pleasure or pain.
8. Persistent vegetative state: 
A condition of permanent unconsciousness in which the patient loses all capacity for interaction with their environment or other people. It is usually caused by an injury to the brain. It is normally not regarded as a terminal condition and with the aid of medical care and artificial fluids and nutrition patients can survive for many years.
9. Incurable and irreversible chronic diseases: 
Disabling diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, organic brain syndrome or other diseases, which get progressively worse over time, eventually resulting in death. Depending on the disease, the patient may also experience partial or complete loss of physical and mental abilities. Because the rate at which these diseases advance may be slow, such diseases are not considered terminal in their early stages.
10. Whole brain death: 
Death due to total and irreversible loss of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem. The criteria of whole brain death must be used to accurately determine death in individuals who have suffered massive or total brain damage but whose heart and lungs are kept functioning by machines. Brain dead individuals are not vegetative or in a coma. but are, in fact, dead.
11. Attending physician: 
The doctor directly responsible for your medical treatment. He or she may or may not be your regular family physician. Depending on your health care needs the attending physician may consult with others in order to diagnose and treat your medical condition, but he or she remains directly responsible for your care.
Frequently Asked Questions
• General
• Completing an Advance Directive 
• Instruction Directives 
• Proxy Directives 
General
1. Can my healthcare representative make decisions for me if I am still able to make my own decisions? 
Answer: No, your healthcare representative can only make decisions for you if your physician has evaluated you and determined that you are unable to understand your diagnosis, treatment options or the possible benefits and harms of the treatment options.
2. Can having an advance directive affect my life insurance, health insurance or the benefits I receive from a governmental benefits program?
Answer: No. 
3. Can my life insurance company, health insurance company, physician, hospital, nursing home or any other healthcare facility require me to have an advance directive?
Answer: No. 
4. Does New Jersey recognize an advance directive that is valid in another state?
Answer: Yes. 
5. What is the definition of "life-sustaining treatment"?
Answer: Life sustaining treatment is any medical device or procedure that increases your life expectancy by restoring or taking over a vital bodily function. The medical device or procedure can be a drug, ventilator (breathing machine), surgery, therapy or artificially provided fluids and nutrition. 
6. What is the definition of “permanently unconscious"?
Answer: Permanently unconscious means you have permanently lost the ability to interact with your environment and are completely unaware of your surroundings. 
7. What is the definition of "terminal condition"?
Answer: Terminal condition means the final stage of a fatal illness, disease or condition. To be in a terminal condition you do not have to be diagnosed as having less than a certain amount of time to live (e.g., six months or less).
8. What happens if I regain the ability to make my own decisions?
Answer: In that case, your physician must obtain your consent for all treatment. Once you have the ability to make healthcare decisions your healthcare representative will no longer have the authority to make decisions for you. 
9. Who should have a copy of my advance directive?
Answer: You should give a copy to your primary healthcare representative, alternate healthcare representative(s), family members and physicians. If you are treated at a hospital or enter a nursing home you should also provide a copy when you are admitted. 
SOURCE http://www.state.nj.us/.../advancedirective/ad/forums-faqs/
Completing an Advance Directive 
1. Do I need a lawyer to complete an advance directive?
Answer: No, you can complete an advance directive on your own.
2. Does my advance directive have to be notarized?
Answer: No.
3. Do I need a witness when I sign my advance directive? 
Answer: You can choose to get your advance directive notarized, in which case you don't need additional witnesses. Or you can choose to sign and date your advance directive in front of two adult witnesses who must also sign and date the document.
4. What does it mean for someone to sign my advance directive as a witness?
Answer: As a witness the person is stating that you voluntarily signed your advance directive.
5. Is there anyone who cannot sign my advance directive as a witness? 
Answer: Yes, the person who you appoint as your healthcare representative cannot be a witness.
6. Can I change my advance directive?
Answer: Yes, you can change your advance directive any time you want by completing a new one. You need to sign and date your new advance directive and have two witnesses sign and date it.
7. Can I cancel my advance directive?
Answer: Yes, you can cancel your advance directive any time you want. To cancel it you need to tell your physician, family, healthcare representative, nurse, social worker or a reliable witness that you want to cancel your advance directive. You can tell them verbally or send them a letter.
Instruction Directives 
1. Can I have an instruction directive without having a proxy directive?
Answer: Yes.
2. In what circumstance can I have life-sustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn?
Answer: Your instruction directive can state you want life-sustaining treatment withheld or withdrawn in any of the following situations: 1) you are permanently unconscious, 2) you are in a terminal condition, 3) the life-sustaining treatment would likely only prolong an imminent death, 4) the life-sustaining treatment would likely be ineffective or 5) you have a serious irreversible condition and the life-sustaining treatment would likely be more harmful than beneficial. 
3. Why is it important to have an instruction directive?
Answer: You may become unable to make your own healthcare decisions because of a serious injury, illness or disease. By having an instruction directive your family and physician will know the situations in which you would want or not want to have life-sustaining treatment. And by including a statement about your beliefs, values and general preferences for care and treatment, your physician and family will know what you would want in situations that are not specifically covered by your instruction directive. An instruction directive will also prevent conflicts among your family, physician or other healthcare providers that can occur when a patient's treatment preferences are unknown.
Proxy Directives 
1. Can my healthcare representative make decisions for me if I am still able to make my own decisions? 
Answer: No, your healthcare representative can only make decisions for you if your physician has evaluated you and determined that you are unable to understand your diagnosis, treatment options or the possible benefits and harms of the treatment options. 
2. Can I have a proxy directive without having an instruction directive?
Answer: Yes.
3. What authority does my healthcare representative have to make decisions for me?
Answer: Except for any restrictions you have placed on their authority, your healthcare representative has the right to make all healthcare decisions for you, including the right to refuse medical treatment. They also have the right to review your medical records and receive from your physician all information about your condition, prognosis and treatment options as is necessary for them to make an informed decision. 
4. Who can I appoint as my healthcare representative?
Answer: You can appoint your spouse/domestic partner, parent, adult child, family member, friend, religious/spiritual advisor or any other adult. 
5. Are there any restrictions on who I can appoint as my healthcare representative?
Answer: Yes, you cannot appoint the following individuals as your healthcare representative: 1) your attending physician or 2) the operator, administrator or employees of a healthcare institution in which you are a patient or resident, unless they are related to you. A physician who is an operator, administrator or employee of a healthcare institution in which you are a patient or resident can be your healthcare representative only if they are not your attending physician.
6. Can I appoint more than one person as my primary healthcare representative?
Answer: No.
7. Can I appoint someone as an alternate healthcare representative in case my primary healthcare representative is unavailable, unable or unwilling to serve as my healthcare representative?
Answer: Yes, you can appoint one or more individuals as an alternate healthcare representative listed in order of priority. In the event the primary healthcare representative becomes available they would take over for the alternate.
8. Can I put requirements on how my healthcare representative makes decisions?
Answer: Yes, you can require your healthcare representative to consult with the alternate healthcare representatives, specific family members, friends or anyone else you want. You can also state specific criteria upon which your healthcare representative has to base their decisions.
9. Can I limit the decision-making authority of my healthcare representative?
Answer: Yes, for example you can state that your healthcare representative cannot authorize life-sustaining treatment if it would conflict with the preferences you stated in your instruction directive.
10. Can my healthcare representative be required to pay for my medical treatment?
Answer: No, your healthcare representative cannot be required by a physician, other healthcare provider or any healthcare facility to pay for your treatment, including treatment they have authorized. 
11. Why is it important to have a proxy directive?
Answer: You may become unable to make your own healthcare decisions because of a serious injury, illness or disease. If you cannot make your own healthcare decisions someone will have to make them for you and without a proxy directive your physician will not know who you want that person to be. Having a proxy directive will help ensure your preferences are respected because only the person you have appointed will be able to make healthcare decisions on your behalf. Also, having a proxy directive will help prevent conflicts among your family members who may disagree on who should have the authority to make these decisions. Even if you have an instruction directive, it is important to have a proxy directive because there are many circumstances in which treatment decisions will have to be made that are not covered by your instruction directive. 
12. Is my physician required to get consent from my healthcare representative for treatment?
Answer: Yes, your physician is required to obtain informed consent for your treatment (except in emergencies), and must respect their decisions just as if the decisions were coming directly from you.
13. Who should I appoint as my healthcare representative?
Answer: You should choose someone who knows your values, beliefs and preferences well enough to know what treatment decisions you would want them to make for various medical conditions. The person should be someone with good judgment and who will be a strong advocate on your behalf. They should also be someone you believe will respect your wishes even if they disagree with them, especially when it comes to your preferences about the use of life-sustaining treatment.
Source: http://www.state.nj.us/.../advancedirective/ad/forums-faqs/
Kenneth A. Vercammen is an Edison, Middlesex County, NJ trial attorney who has published 125 articles in national and New Jersey publications on Probate and litigation topics. He is author of the American Bar Association’s book “Wills and Estate Administration”. He often lectures to trial lawyers of the American Bar Association, New Jersey State Bar Association and Middlesex County Bar Association. He is Chair of the American Bar Association Estate Planning & Probate Committee. He is also Editor of the ABA Elder Law Committee Newsletter
He is a highly regarded lecturer on litigation issues for the American Bar Association, ICLE, New Jersey State Bar Association and Middlesex County Bar Association. His articles have been published by New Jersey Law Journal, ABA Law Practice Management Magazine, and New Jersey Lawyer. He is the Editor in Chief of the New Jersey Municipal Court Law Review. Mr. Vercammen is a recipient of the NJSBA- YLD Service to the Bar Award.
In his private practice, he has devoted a substantial portion of his professional time to the preparation and trial of litigated matters. He has appeared in Courts throughout New Jersey several times each week on many personal injury matters, Municipal Court trials, and contested Probate hearings.
KENNETH VERCAMMEN & ASSOCIATES, PC
Attorney at Law
2053 Woodbridge Ave.
Edison, NJ 08817
732-572-0500

Wednesday, September 18, 2024

E713 VercammenLaw News

 

E713 VercammenLaw News

1 Fly our Flag on 9/11

2 Kenneth Vercammen is proud to be included in the 2024 "Super Lawyers" list

3. Probate information & suggestions

4 Wakefern Shoprite runners at Fallen Heroes 5k

5 Fallen heroes 5k some of the winners with Bar Anticipation co owner Pat

1.  Fly our Flag on 9/11

Get your Flag out! Please join us in this FLY THE FLAG campaign and PLEASE forward this to everyone in your address book asking them to also forward it. 

On September 11th, an American flag should be displayed outside every jacket, car, home, apartment, office, and store in the United States. Every individual should make it their duty to display an American flag on the anniversary of one our country's worst tragedies. We have extra flags in our office reception area. If you forward this post to at least 11 people and each of those people does the same, you get the idea.

Our patriotism pulled us through some tough times and it shouldn't take another attack to galvanize us in solidarity. Our American flag is the fabric of our country and together we can prevail over terrorism of all kinds.

Take a moment to think back to how you felt on 9/11 and let those sentiments guide you.

Fly an American flag of any size on 9/11. Honestly, Americans should fly the flag year-round, but if you don't, then at least make it a priority on this day.

         Also fly your flag on Veterans Day, Memorial Day and all holidays.

We fly the flag every day with a light at night on the flag.

2 Kenneth Vercammen is proud to be included in the 2024 "Super Lawyers" list

2 Kenneth Vercammen is proud to be included in the 2024 "Super Lawyers" list published by Thompson Reuters and New Jersey Monthly in the Criminal- DWI section. Inclusion in Super Lawyers is a top achievement earned by attorneys who’ve demonstrated exceptional work in their areas of practice. In addition to its rigorous selection process, Super Lawyers also relies on peer review to ensure selected attorneys are held in the highest regard by their colleagues.

Vercammen profile

https://profiles.superlawyers.com/new-jersey/edison/lawyer/kenneth-a-vercammen/73f0b3a6-71c1-4ae1-a5d0-803ddb2739a9.html

         The Super Lawyers Selection Process & selection methodology.

https://www.superlawyers.com/about/selection_process.html

     Super Lawyers required disclaimer: No aspect of this advertisement has been approved by the Supreme Court of New Jersey.

Ken Vercammen also is a Certified Municipal Court Law Attorney by the NJ Supreme Court. Kenneth Vercammen was the NJ State Bar Municipal Court Attorney of the Year and past president of the Middlesex County Municipal Prosecutors Association. 

When hiring an attorney to go to court, ask them if they have had any trials in the past year. If the attorney says no, then they probably are no longer a trial lawyer. We would probably not want to have surgery with a doctor that has not done any surgery in a year.

We typically want a Doctor that is Certified meaning they passed higher tests.


3. Probate information & suggestions

Probate is the process which permits an executor to transfer assets as directed by a decedent in their Last Will & Testament (the decedent who made the Last Will & Testament is called a “testator”) to the beneficiaries (recipients) according to the testator’s Last Will & Testament.

What are Probate Assets and What are Not

Not all assets must go through probate to be transferred to a beneficiary. Some assets pass automatically (by operation of law) to other persons (beneficiaries) without the need for probate. Whether a particular asset to be transferred must go through probate or not depends on how ownership (title) to the asset is held.

If Title to an Asset is Held in the Testator’s Name Alone

Real estate and personal property, such as bank accounts, stocks, bonds, motor vehicles, etc. held in the testator’s name alone, and monies owed to the testator, are “probate property” which are transferred in accordance with the testator’s Last Will & Testament. These assets cannot generally be transferred without going through the probate process. However, some brokerage firms provide beneficiary designation forms which may transfer these accounts without probate.

If Title to an Asset is Held by the Testator Jointly with a Right of Survivorship

Assets held by the testator and another person jointly, with a right of survivorship, are said to be held as “Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship” (JTWROS); and pass by operation of law at the testator’s death to the surviving joint tenant. Bank accounts, securities and real estate are often held in joint tenancy. Assets that are titled this way are not subject to probate. The name on the bank or securities account application and the deed for real estate may read: “John Smith and Jane Doe, as Joint Tenants with Right of Survivorship.” Be careful changing title to existing assets because there can be tax and other consequences.

If an Asset Provides for a Beneficiary Designation

“Beneficiary designation property” is generally non-probate property which passes in accordance with beneficiary designations assigned by the testator. Life insurance proceeds, 401(k) plans, IRA’s, employee death benefits (e.g., pension, profit-sharing, etc.) and accounts titled “Payable on Death” (POD) and/or “In Trust For” (ITF) are typical beneficiary designation property. Generally, the insurance company, pension plan administrator, or employer will have the beneficiary’s name in their records, or a copy of a form signed by the owner of the property indicating the beneficiaries. Language in the policy or plan may also be important.

When to Probate the Last Will & Testament

A Last Will & Testament cannot be probated until ten (10) days following the death of the testator. However, you may begin the process with the Surrogate’s Court within this ten (10) day period. If you do so, the Surrogate’s Court simply will not admit the Last Will & Testament to probate until after the ten (10) days have lapsed.

If you are appointed under the Last Will & Testament to manage, that is, to be the executor of the estate you must first probate the Last Will & Testament at the Bergen County Surrogate’s Court. To do this you must bring the following with you to the Surrogate’s Court: (1) the original Last Will & Testament (bearing original signatures, not   tampered with), the original of which remains with the Surrogate’s Court; (2) a certified copy of the death certificate (obtained from the Board of Health in the municipality where the testator died) which also remains with Surrogate’s Court; (3) all the full names and most current addresses of the immediate degrees of kindred (i.e., surviving spouse, surviving family and next of kin) including those who are not beneficiaries in the Last Will & Testament; and (4) cash or a check (drawn upon a New Jersey bank bearing a New Jersey address), certified check, or money order for probate statutory fees that are generally $100 to $200. You should not fill in the check until your meeting at the Surrogate’s Court.

In addition, if a Last Will & Testament is not “self-proving,” meaning it does not include a sworn statement containing statutory wording, then a person who signed the Last Will & Testament as a witness or a “bystander witness” (one who witnessed the testator and the two witnesses sign the Last Will & Testament, but they themselves did not sign the Last Will & Testament) must also come to the Surrogate’s Court to authenticate the witnesses’ signatures. Conversely, a self-proving Last Will & Testament is one where the testator and two witnesses sign the Last Will & Testament in front of a notary public, or New Jersey attorney, and includes a sworn statement containing statutory language required by New Jersey law. That statement is called a “self-proving affidavit.” If a Last Will & Testament is self-proving (must have the sworn statement containing the statutory language), there is no need for a witness to its execution to come to the Surrogate’s Court because the notary public, or New Jersey attorney, before whom the testator and witnesses signed the Last Will & Testament, effectively attests to the authenticity of the testator’s and witnesses’ signatures. A Last Will & Testament executed on forms made after 1979 are most often self-proving. If in doubt, ask the probate clerk at the Surrogate’s Court or an attorney.

How Does the Process Work

When you arrive at the Surrogate’s Court, a probate clerk will review the original Last Will & Testament to ensure that it has been properly drawn, signed and witnessed. It is important that you do not make handwritten changes to your Last Will & Testament after it has been signed by you and your witnesses.

If there are no problems with the Last Will & Testament or with the items you have brought (the original Last Will & Testament and the certified copy of the death certificate will stay with the Surrogate’s Court), you will sign qualification papers to become the executor, pay the statutory fee, and be deemed “qualified.” Shortly thereafter a Judgment of Probate will then be issued, followed by Letters Testamentary that complete your appointment as executor.

The probate clerk will ask you how many certified copies of the Letters Testamentary (also known as a “Surrogate Certificate”) you will need. Letters Testamentary is the formal document appointing the executor. You will generally need one certified copy, bearing a raised seal, for each asset to be transferred from the testator to a beneficiary. Therefore, depending on the estate, you will need several Surrogate Certificates, especially if the assets are being held by several banks, brokerage firms, pension plans and insurance companies. Surrogate Certificates will also be needed to sell or transfer any real estate. The cost is $5.00 each.

Many executors find it easier to get extra Surrogate’s Certificates to avoid the need to purchase more at a later date. Surrogate’s Certificates are generally valid for one (1) year from the date of issuance. However, some financial institutions may require that the Surrogate’s Certificates be issued within a certain period of time. Most brokerage firms require your Surrogate’s Certificates be dated within 30 to 60 days of issuance. You will receive in the mail the Letters Testamentary (and the quantity of Surrogate’s Certificates requested while you were meeting with the probate clerk), a copy of the decedent’s Last Will & Testament, together with a general information brochure concerning the New Jersey Inheritance and Estate Tax, and a copy of the court rule regarding the “Notice of Probate of Will,” from the Surrogate’s Court about seven (7) business days later.

Once the judgment for probate and the Letters Testamentary have been issued, the Last Will & Testament is deemed “probated.” As described in the copy of the court ruling governing “Notice of Probate of Will” that is sent to the executor with the Letters Testamentary, the law requires that the executor notify all beneficiaries and next of kin (including those next of kin who are not beneficiaries in the Last Will & Testament) that the Last Will & Testament has been probated, the place and date of probate, that a copy of the Last Will & Testament is available upon request, and that they be informed of the name of the executor. This must be done within 60 days from the date the Last Will & Testament was probated. This should generally be done by certified mail, return receipt request. Copies of each letter and the certified mail receipts proving that each person has received notice must be saved. The executor must then file a “Proof of mailing of the Notice of Probate of Will” with the Surrogate’s Court together with a fee of $5.00 for each page of the proof of mailing of the “Notice of Probate of Will.”

What Comes Next

Following probate, the executor begins the process of settling the decedent’s financial affairs and estate. It is the executor’s duty to collect the assets, (e.g., apply to insurance companies for proceeds if the estate is the beneficiary) manage them during administration, such as temporarily investing cash, keep records (copies of all bills, check register, statements, etc.), pay debts and expenses, compute and pay estate, income, inheritance and any other taxes, then distribute the estate’s assets to the person or persons entitled, under the terms of the Last Will & Testament. If necessary, the executor performs these duties with the help and advice of professionals such as an attorney and sometimes an accountant, investment counselor, and/or real estate consultant. Also, the executor generally coordinates and assists beneficiaries of non-probate assets with the collection (e.g., IRA’s, life insurance, etc.) of these assets as well as other successors in interest of those assets, especially when the non-probate assets affect the death taxes that the executor is responsible for computing, reporting and paying. Simply because an asset is not part of the probate estate does not mean that it is not taxable. In effect, the executor steps into the shoes of the testator in collecting, managing and distributing the testator’s assets during the period of administration.

Executor Commissions

The executor is entitled to a fee for services performed. Under New Jersey law, the executor of an estate is generally entitled to the following commissions (remember, executor commissions are only allowable on “probate assets” and on real estate which comes into the hands of the executor):

a. 6.0% on all estate income;

b. 5.0% of the estate up to $200,000;

c. 3.5% on excess above $200,000 up to $1,000,000;

d. 2.0% on excess over $1,000,000 or such other percentage as the Superior Court may determine

There are different rules for commissions when there is more than one executor, or when the executor has rendered unusual or extraordinary services. In some cases, family members may choose not to accept (i.e., waive) fees. However, a decision to waive fees should be made only after careful consideration of the distribution of the estate’s assets, and tax consequences of not taking the deduction for payment of the commission.

Release & Refunding Bond

Once debts and taxes of the estate are paid and the executor is ready to make final distribution, the executor must have each beneficiary sign a “Release & Refunding Bond.” By executing a Refunding Bond, the beneficiary is agreeing that, in the event the assets distributed to him or her are needed at a later time to pay any debt of the estate, the beneficiary will return (i.e., refund) part or all of the assets received as needed to pay estate debts. This provides the executor with security in the unlikely event claims are subsequently made against the estate.

The “Release” is proof that the executor has made distribution and that the beneficiary has received his or her bequest. The Surrogate’s Court provides a free sample form of a combined Release and Refunding Bond. The executed Release and Refunding Bond (as executed in front of a notary public) should then be filed with the Surrogate’s Court with the statutory fee for the filing. It is essential that the executor obtain and file with the Surrogate’s Court, either an executed Release or combined Release & Refunding Bond from each beneficiary of the testator’s estate.

Source http://www.bergencountysurrogate.com/probate.html

4 Wakefern Shoprite runners at Fallen Heroes 5k


5 Fallen heroes 5k some of the winners with Bar Anticipation co-owner Patrick Mastrorilli





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