Cona Elder Law Attorneys Recognized in Long Island Business News

Ones to Watch: Law 2019

Christine Cavanagh
Associate
Cona Elder Law

An associate attorney at the Elder Law and Estate Planning firm of Cona Elder Law, Christine Cavanagh concentrates her practice in the areas of asset protection, Medicaid planning, estate planning and Veterans benefits. She handles all aspects of the Medicaid application process for nursing home care, home health care and community benefits, from promissory note planning and asset transfers to care coordination. Working with families in connection with estate planning, she handles the preparation of wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health care proxies and living wills. An integral part of both the Government Benefits Department and the Estate Planning Department, Ms. Cavanagh is a valued team member at Cona Elder Law.

Ms. Cavanagh has been awarded the ABA-BNA Award for Excellence in the Study of Health Law and the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. She is a New York State certified court evaluator, counsel for alleged incapacitated persons and guardian.  Ms. Cavanagh is a member of the Elder Law and Special Needs Section of the New York State Bar Association as well as the Trusts & Estates Law Section.

Who’s Who: Health Care Law 2019

Dana Walsh Sivak
Senior Associate
Cona Elder Law

Dana Walsh Sivak, Esq. is a senior associate attorney at Genser Cona Elder Law. Ms. Sivak concentrates her practice in health care reimbursement and recovery, devoting her time to litigation, Guardianships, complex Medicaid eligibility issues, PRUCOL matters, HMO/private insurance coverage issues, contract review, Article 78 proceedings and Medicaid Fair Hearings.  

Ms. Sivak dedicates much of her time to motions, appeals, persuasive arguments and oral and written advocacy. 

Ms. Sivak is a frequent author and lecturer, providing in-service seminars for health care facility staff and continuing education programs for health care administrators.  Ms. Sivak recently authored Pathways to Securing Institutional Medicaid Coverage for Non-US Citizens in Health Care Facilities (Suffolk Lawyer, June 2017) and co-authored The Potential Perils of Crowdfunding Donations (New York Law Journal, August 2017).  Her latest article Medical Marijuana and the Elderly:  Demographic Demand vs Practical Barriers to Access is anticipated to be published in the Nassau Lawyer in June.

Ms. Sivak is a state certified Court Evaluator, Counsel and Guardian for Incapacitated Persons.  She has extensive experience in the District Attorney’s office, working in both the New York County DA’s Office as well as the Queens County DA’s Office. Prior to joining Cona Elder Law, Ms. Sivak served as a law clerk in the Legal Affairs Department of Catholic Health Services of Long Island where she worked directly for the General Counsel.

Genser Cona Elder Law has been ranked the #1 Elder Law firm by Long Island Business News for the past 8 consecutive years. The firm offers unsurpassed expertise in Health Care Facility Reimbursement and Recovery, Elder Law, litigation and collections.  Health care facilities turn to Cona Elder Law for innovative strategies and cutting-edge solutions regarding Medicaid and government benefits eligibility, Guardianship proceedings, PRUCOL matters, collections, litigation, and other matters related to resident financial accounts and the facility’s bottom line. 

Cona Elder Law secures and ensures a payment source for long term health care, working together with both families and health care facilities to sustain quality care for older adults. 

Currently, Ms. Sivak is focused on expanding the firm’s medical marijuana compliance practice group.  She is interested in New York State’s efforts to expand medical marijuana access under the Compassionate Care Act, particularly to those in the elderly population who reside in skilled nursing facilities.  Ms. Sivak has been encouraged by both the increasing numbers of seniors who are becoming certified patients using medical marijuana in the past several years, as well as the expanding regulations enacted by the Department of Health aimed at allowing more and more eligible seniors to benefit from treatment.  She is focused on helping health care facilities develop fully-compliant medical marijuana programs to safely and legally assist their residents in accessing this cutting-edge medical treatment.

See the full article HERE.