Medicaid: Obstacles and Challenges

Melissa Negrin-Wiener is a partner at Genser Dubow Genser & Cona.  Ms. Negrin-Wiener manages the Government Benefits Department, concentrating her practice in the areas of Medicaid eligibility planning, asset protection planning, disability matters, guardianships, estate planning and Veteran benefits.  She also supervises the preparation of Medicaid Applications for nursing home care, home health care and community benefits.

Ms. Negrin-Wiener currently serves as co-chair of the Healthcare Committee of the Hauppauge Industrial Association of Long Island.  She is the immediate past President of the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association and was formerly the Vice-President of Programs and Membership and the past co-chair of the Elder Law Committee.  She is a State Certified Court Examiner, Court Evaluator and Counsel to Guardian and incapacitated persons and is accredited by the Department of Veterans Affairs.  Ms. Negrin-Wiener is an Advanced Elder Law Mediator trained by the New York Peace Institute and serves as a Mediator on the Nassau County Bar Association Alternative Dispute Resolution Panel.

Ms. Negrin-Wiener has been named by Long Island Business News as one of the “Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business”.  She has also received the prestigious “Leadership in the Law” award.  Ms. Negrin-Wiener received the “40 Under 40 Rising Stars on Long Island” award from Long Island Business News and the Outstanding Pro Bono Attorney award from Touro Law School.  She has been featured in Long Island Business News and profiled in the Suffolk Lawyer for her charitable works, including her work on behalf of Senior Dreams Come True, a non-profit run by GDGC which grants wishes for low-income seniors.  Ms. Negrin-Wiener has been a legal expert for Newsday’s Ask the Expert column and is a frequent lecturer at professional organizations, assisted living facilities and senior citizens groups.  She has authored numerous articles for The Suffolk Lawyer, the Nassau Lawyer, the New York Law Journal and the HIA Hauppauge Reporter.   She has been quoted in such publications as Long Island Business News, The Suffolk Lawyer and the Chicago Tribune and has appeared as a guest on WFAN, WBAB and WHRU radio.  Television credits include WABC-TV, FIOS TV and Queens Public Television.  

Ms. Negrin-Wiener assisted in the development of GDGC’s workplace wellness program entitled “Tools and Advice for Working Caregivers” (TAWC).  TAWC is an employee benefits program provided at no cost to the employer which assists employees who are caring for aging loved ones.  The program is designed to keep working caregivers at work, maximizing productivity and promoting job security while reducing absenteeism, downtime and turnover.

Ms. Negrin-Wiener serves as the chair of GDGC Charitable Events, a not-for-profit organization committed to enhancing the quality of life for the elderly, disabled and the underprivileged.  She dedicates much of her time to raising money for charitable causes including the Long Island Fight for Charity, the American Heart Association, the MS Walk and GDGC’s Midnight Run relief mission to hand deliver food and warm clothes to New York City’s homeless.  She is also active in a variety of community outreach programs.  The latest charitable program sponsored by GDGC Charitable Events and launched by Ms. Negrin-Wiener is Senior Dreams Come True.  The program benefits low income seniors on Long Island by granting wishes--from helping a senior meet basic needs to fulfilling a lifelong dream.

Ms. Negrin-Wiener is a member of the Suffolk County Bar Association’s Elder Law Committee, the New York State Bar Association, the Nassau County Bar Association, the Suffolk County Women’s Bar Association and the Advanced Elder Law Focus Group.  She is also a member of the Hauppauge Industrial Association (HIA) and serves as the Charities Coordinator for 100 Women Who Care about Long Island.  Ms. Negrin-Wiener graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Law.  She received her Juris Doctor from Hofstra University.