When the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was signed by the President on February 8, 2006, leaders of senior citizen groups on the political right and left complained that the new law could devastate middle-class families. When an older person needs Medicaid nursing home coverage, he or she could lose life savings and home ownership due to unworkable provisions in the new law. If a generous senior later applies for nursing home eligibility, there will be a severe, and in fact un-payable, penalty for gifts to family, church and charities.

One American quickly stepped up to the plate and did something. Jim W. "Zig" Zeigler of Mobile, Alabama filed suit to block the new law five days after it was signed. His suit of February 13, 2006 alleged that the DRA has not become law according to the U.S. Constitution. One version of the bill passed the U.S. Senate and a different version passed the U.S. House. The President signed the Senate version, which has never passed the House.

The Constitution clearly requires that the same bill pass both houses and be signed by the President in order to become a "law of the United States." That never happened, but the bill is being treated as law anyway.

During the months after Zeigler filed suit, five similar lawsuits followed. All the other suits were quickly dismissed in federal district courts. Included in an all-star cast of plaintiffs challenging the DRA were Ralph Nader's Public Citizen, eleven congressmen, a New York student loan company, a California citizen's group, seventeen Tennessee hospitals, and Zeigler.

As of June 2007, only one federal district court suit remained challenging the restrictive new Medicaid law, that filed by Zeigler. Update: Zeigler's case was dismissed by U.S. District Court June 28, 2007.

The DRA litigation is just the latest in citizen activism by "senior citizen advocate Zeigler."

Zeigler ran for and was elected to the Public Service Commission at age 25 on a platform of controlling spiraling utility costs.

He blocked two nuclear reactors in central Alabama that would have been built at expense of Alabama consumers while producing power for out-of-state utilities.

He forced re-financing at lower interest rates of hundreds of millions in high-interest utility bonds.

He blocked illegal extra paychecks for over 400 public officials.

He blocked politicians from getting themselves into the state employees' retirement system.

He stopped the use of disguised "cover license plates" by government officials misusing government vehicles for private use.

He filed two ethics complaints that initiated an investigation of former Alabama Governor Don Siegelman, who was recently convicted on multiple felony counts and incarcerated in federal prison for seven years.

Zeigler founded the League of Senior Voters, a political action committee pushing a plan to give elders the option of home healthcare rather than nursing home. It is online at www.LeagueOfSeniorVoters.com It is funded by a unique and growing network of paid part-time fund-raisers working on commission (mostly seniors themselves).

In his daily practice, Zeigler represents two types of families. The first type family has someone already in a nursing home or likely to be admitted soon. Zeigler quickly asset-protects their savings and home, preventing those from being lost due to nursing home spend-down and Medicaid liens. The second type of family has someone over 50 but in fairly good health and likely to not need long-term care for five years. Zeigler works with them to develop a plan to later pay long-term care costs, if ever needed, while protecting assets.

Zeigler does asset protection for families throughout the U.S. on his Internet site, www.ZeiglerAssetProtection.com He also serves families throughout Alabama at offices in south, central and north Alabama. (Contrary to Yankee opinion, there is such a thing as "north Alabama.")

Have you heard the term "multi-disciplinary professional?" That is a new bar association term for a lawyer who holds and uses additional professional licenses. Zeigler is one. He is licensed for insurance. This allows him to coordinate the use of long-term care insurance, annuities and the new "hybrid" combination financial products when those services need to be included in options for his clients. He is licensed for reverse mortgages, which can be a source for funding plans to cover long-term care costs. He is a Certified Veterans Representative, working for Veterans to secure Aid & Attendance monthly benefits to pay for long-term care.

ZEIGLER WORKSHOPS AVAILABLE IN YOUR AREA

Zeigler conducts workshops on planning for long-term care. He holds workshops twice monthly in Baldwin and Mobile counties of Alabama and by special booking anywhere in the United States. To co-sponsor a Zeigler workshop in your area, e-mail ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com

Frequent co-sponsors of Zeigler workshops are: attorneys; bar associations and attorney sections; long-term care insurance agents and associations; annuity agents; pre-paid legal insurance agents and companies; senior citizen groups; church senior adult groups; AARP chapters; conferences and conventions; nursing homes, assisted living facilities and retirement communities; civic clubs; alumni associations; and organizations wanting to use the workshop for their own fund raising.

The book you are now reading is Zeigler's second. His 1997 work, The Mediation Kit: Tools to Solve Disputes was nationally published by John Wiley & Sons. It is known as "the Bible of litigation prevention." (Available at amazon.com)

Zeigler's program has been featured in dozens of national publications. He is an active member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, www.naela.org, and ElderLawAnswers, www.elderlawanswers.com . Zeigler can best be reached at his national on-line office, where he serves families throughout the nation at www.ZeiglerAssetProtection.com

Zeigler earned a B.S. in Public Administration at the University of Alabama, where he was elected President of the Student Government Association. He was the first UA student who did not belong to a fraternity to defeat the infamous "Machine" political party which controls student politics.

He earned a Juris Doctorate at Jones Law School, at that time a night school operated by the University of Alabama and now operated by Faulkner University.

He later trained and was licensed as a real estate broker, insurance agent, reverse mortgage agent and Certified Veterans Representative.

Bookmark ZeiglerAssetProtection.com and check for these book now being produced:

How to Stay OUT of a Nursing Home: Better Healthcare Options for Your Last Years

Don't Outlive Your Money: Financial Steps Now in Case of a Loooooooooong Life

Don't Let the Government take Grandma's Home and Life Savings 2010 Edition

Reverse Mortgage: New Strategy for the 4th Quarter of Your Life

Contact Zeigler at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com

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