WHO’s WHO in Women in Professional Services

By Jennifer B. Cona, Esq.

Jennifer B. Cona is a partner and director of Cona Elder Law PLLC (Cona Elder Law) in Melville. Cona practices Elder Law, Trusts and Estates advocating for seniors and their families on healthcare, Medicaid planning and Estate planning. She is recognized as one of the leading Elder Law and Estate planning attorneys on LI.

Cona represents the elderly and those with disabilities and special needs. Her work includes the preservation of assets, preparation and submission of Medicaid applications, probate, administration of estates, guardianships, the drafting of caregiver agreements, trusts, wills and advanced directives including living wills and health care proxies.

Cona also represents hospitals and nursing homes, providing counsel on institutional benefits, home health care benefit programs, government benefit eligibility requirements and Social Security disability cases.

Elder Law is becoming multi-generational, Cona said. “The reason for this is two-fold,” she said. “First, people are living so much longer.” At one point the elder generation was mainly those in their 70s and 80s - today, they range from 60 to 100, she noted.

"Secondly, the field is getting younger, she said.” Baby boomers in their 60s are so much more in tune with elder care. They are planning for their parents and say, 'I can't let that happen to me.' They also know that Medicare tax laws always change and they need to plan and plan early.”

Appointed by the Supreme and Surrogate Courts as a court evaluator, guardian, guardian ad Litem and counsel for incapacitated persons, Cona is an advocate for those with limited access to the legal system and has lobbied on Capitol Hill on behalf of the NOW Legal Defense Fund.

Earlier this year, Cona successfully argued against healthcare budget cuts affecting the elderly, winning a Fair Hearing in Nassau County and keeping 24 hour live-in home care benefits in place for a 94 year old woman suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Cona founded and sponsors a series of seminars entitled The Senior Strategies Conference. She has also written many articles on healthcare and estate planning and has appeared as a legal expert on CNN, WNBC News and News 12.

Cona is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, the Elder Law and Trusts and Estates Sections of the NYS Bar Association, the Suffolk County Bar Association Elder Section, the Nassau County Bar Association Committee on Surrogate's Court, Estates and Trusts, the Estate Planning Council of Nassau County and the Senior Umbrella Network of Nassau.

She was appointed to the legal advisory board of the LI Alzheimer's Foundation and serves on the board of directors of the Visiting Nurse Association of LI. Cona is also founder and chair of the NY Advanced Elder Law Focus Group.

Cona was also a judicial clerk for the Office of Administrative Law in NJ where she prepared Medicaid regulatory decisions for 17 judges. She earned a juris doctorate with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law; and a bachelor's degree, cum laude with high honors, from William Smith College. She is admitted to the NYS Bar.

Established in 1968, Cona Elder Law is a full service law firm offering a range of elder law and estate planning, as well as health care facility representation and litigation. The firm recognizes each client's individual circumstances and customizes a plan that works for an individual client and their family. The firm also helps health care facilities improve and protect their bottom line.

Cona Elder Law offers its expertise not only in elder law but also in litigation in all NY court jurisdictions. The firm provides cost-effective solutions to facility issues, including Medicaid matters, guardianships, discharge issues and collection problems.