Jennifer B. Cona, Esq., AEP®

Jennifer B. Cona is the founder and managing partner of Cona Elder Law.  Ms. Cona practices exclusively in the field of Elder Law, including representing older adults and their families in connection with Medicaid planning, preservation of assets, estate planning, estate litigation, probate and administration of estates, special needs planning, Veterans benefits and guardianships.  Ms. Cona also founded the Health Care Reimbursement and Recovery practice group.

Awards and Honors

• Best Lawyers
• Super Lawyers
• Martindale-Hubbell rated AV Preeminent
• Power 25 in Law
• Leadership in Law
• New York's Women Leaders in the Law 2023
• Long Island Business News: In the Lead 2024: Women-Owned Business
• Who’s Who in Women in Professional Service 2024
• Long Island Business News: Empowering Women 2024
• Long Island Press Power List 2023 
• Long Island Business Influencer: Most Dynamic Women Leaders 2023
• Long Island Business Influencers: Dynamic Women Leaders 2024
• 60 Most Influential Long Islanders 2022
• Most Influential Women Leaders 2022
• Long Island Business Hall of Fame
• Top 50 Women in Business Hall of Fame
• New York Law Journal’s Top Women in Law (Inaugural Class)
• Outstanding Women in Law (Inaugural Class)
• Who's Who in Healthcare Professionals & Healthcare Law 2023
  
• Who's Who in Healthcare Law 2021
• Who’s Who in Healthcare Law 2017
• Most Powerful Women on Long Island
• Smart CEO Brava Award
• Power Women in Business
• Top 10 Legal Eagle
• Top 50 Women in Business
• Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney
• 40 Under 40 Rising Stars
• Who’s Who in Women in Professional Service
• 10.0 Avvo Rating

Certifications

• Accredited Estate Planner®,  National Association of Estate Planners & Councils (NAEPC)
• Certified Election Inspector, Suffolk County Board of Elections
• State Certified Court Evaluator and Counsel to Guardians and Incapacitated Persons
• Accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs

Professional Organizations

• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA)
• Founder and Chair, Advanced Elder Law Focus Group
• End of Life Shepherd, National End-of-Life Doula Alliance
• New York State Bar Association, Elder Law and Trusts & Estates Sections
• Nassau County Bar Association, Elder Law Committee
• Suffolk County Bar Association, Elder Law Section
• Member, Entrepreneurs' Organization
• Board Member, Entrepreneurs’ Organization of Long Island
• Member, Public Affairs Council, LeadingAge New York

Charitable Activities &     Community Initiatives

• Long Island Alzheimer’s and Dementia Center (LIAD)
  • Current Secretary, Board of Trustees
  • Legal Advisory Board
  • Former Chair, Board of Trustees
• Co-Chair, American Heart Association: Go Red for Women Luncheon
• Board Member, United Way of Long Island
• Founder, Cona Elder Law Charitable Events
• Founder and Co-Chair, Senior Dreams Come True
• Past Board Member, Visiting Nurse Association of Long Island

Education

• Juris Doctor with Honors, University of Connecticut School of Law
• Bachelor of Arts cum laude and with High Honors, William Smith College

Media Credits

• The Donna Drake Show Welcomes Cona Elder Law
• 9Sail Podcast "Tip of the Law – Harnessing Core Values for Legal Success"
• The Lawyer's Edge Podcast, How to Grow from Solo Practice to Award-Winning Boutique 
• LIBN Healthcare Forum 2024
• LIBN Press Release: Conference on elder care set for May 8
• Breaking Bread at Long Island Cares
• Holiday Parties Make a Comeback as COVID Fear Recedes
• Power Women Podcast with Victoria Schneps, Interview with Jennifer Cona
• Schneps Media Webinar, The Elder Law Triangle
• LIBN|NOW, Elder Law Solutions when Money, Emotions and Family Discord Derail Planning
• 88.1FM WCWP, Town of North Hempstead's Project Independence and You

Published Articles

• The Great Wealth Transfer: Estate Planning For the Most Significant Wealth Transfer in History (Law.com)

• Op Ed: Special Needs Kids Need Special Care (Newsday)
• Death of a Gun Owner: Criminal Liability for an Heir? (New York Law Journal) 
• Managed Medicaid:  Burdensome Appeal Process Coming Soon (Nassau Lawyer)
• Elder Law Roundup:  What’s in Store for 2018 (Suffolk Lawyer) 
• Healthcare for Seniors:  Now is the Time to Act (Long Island Business News)
• Protecting Assets:  What Seniors and Their Loved Ones Need to Know (Anton Media)
• Elder Care Expands in New York:  Will it Be Enough? (Long Island Business News)
• Accessing a Loved One’s Medical Records:  The Intersection of HIPAA and the Family Health Care Decisions Act (The Suffolk Lawyer)
• End-of-Life Decisions for Incapacitated Adults: Caught Between a Conflict of Laws (New York Law Journal)
• Promissory Notes:  Know What You Don’t Know (Suffolk Lawyer)
• Re-Thinking Law Firm Culture:  Blending Attorney Values with Client Demands and  Demographic Realities (New York Law Journal)
• Protecting Residents: Should Nursing Homes Bring Guardianship Proceedings (Nassau Lawyer)  
• Medicaid and Promissory Notes:  The Challenge Continues (Suffolk Lawyer)
• Promissory Notes and Medicaid Planning:  A Last Bastion of Asset Transfers Following Changes in Federal Law (New York Law Journal)
• Advocating for Twenty-Four Hour Split-Shift Home Care:  Building Your Case at Fair Hearing (NYSBA Elder Law Attorney)  
• Medicaid Reform and the Deficit Reduction Act:  What Attorneys Need to Know (Nassau Lawyer)  
• When Planning for Medicaid Leads to Estate Litigation (New York Law Journal)
• Beware of the Deficit Reduction Act:  What Accountants Need to Know (CPA Wealth Provider)
• Spreading the Risk:  Managed Medicaid Home Care (Nassau Lawyer)  
• Promissory Notes and Medicaid Planning:  Not for the Weak at Heart (New York Law Journal)  
• Family Health Care Decisions Act:  A Surrogate Decision-Making Framework (Nassau Lawyer)  
• Shielding Assets for Medicaid:  The Note and Loan Strategy (Long-Term Living Magazine)  
• Putting an End to the Statistical Games in Medicaid Home Care Cases (Suffolk Lawyer)   
• Death Before Determination:  Securing Retroactive Medicaid Home Care Benefits (NYSBA Elder Law Attorney)
• Innovative Medicaid Planning Strategy – Note and Loan (Suffolk Lawyer)  
• Special Needs Trusts:  The Basics for Personal Injury Attorneys (Nassau Lawyer)
• Grandparent's Do Have Rights (Port Jeff Times Beacon Record)
• Should You Change Your Estate Plan Before the Election? (Kiplinger)