2025 VAELA UnProgram

Wednesday, February 19 - Friday, February 21

The Virginian Hotel

712 Church Street

Lynchburg, Virginia

Please note the Cancellation Policy.

Agenda as of 11.18.24

Wednesday, February 19 (VAELA Members Only)

Beginner Seminar

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Guardianships & Conservatorships for Beginners – Sarah Aviles, Esq.

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm Break

3:15 pm – 4:15 pm: The Ins and Outs of Serving as a Guardian ad Litem for Incapacitated Adults – Hannah Littlefield, Esq.

Advanced Seminar

2:30 pm – 4:00 pm: What Does the Law say about Virginia Long Term Care Facilities & How Could Your Clients be Impacted? (Negligence, Wrongful Death, etc.) – Lauren Ellerman, Esq.

5:30 pm - 6:30 pm Welcome Reception Sponsored by Cumberland Trust

Thursday, February 20

7:45 am – 8:50 am Breakfast; Visit Sponsors & Exhibitors

9:00 am – 9:15 am Welcome & Introduction by Speaker Sponsors Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance and The Million Dollar Solution

9:15 am – 10:30 am “Top Ten Tax Tips for Elders” – Hyman G. Darling, CELA, CAP, FELLOW

10:30 am – 10:45 am Break; Visit Sponsors & Exhibitors

10:45 am – 12:00 pm “Pre and Postmortem Tax Planning” - Hyman G. Darling, CELA, CAP, FELLOW

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm Lunch Sponsored by ElderTree Care Management and West Financial Services

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm Visit Sponsors & Exhibitors

1:15 pm – 2:45 pm Adult Services in Virginia - Carey Raleigh, Commonwealth of Virginia Adult Services/APS Program Manager; Wendy Swallow, VA Beach DSS Adult Services Administrator; Teebe Negasi, LCSW, Fairfax DSS Adult & Aging Assistant Division Director; Rosemarie Adame, Spotsylvania DSS; Angela Hackney, Albemarle DSS; and Jennifer Oakes, Roanoke City DSS Family Services Supervisor

2:45 pm – 3:00 pm Presentation by Cocktail Reception Sponsor Atlantic Coast Mortgage

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm UnProgram Breakout Discussions (Breakouts will be moderated by VAELA members. Moderators will not present on the topic, rather they will help facilitate discussion among the group. Breakouts do not qualify for CLE credit.)

  • Guardianship/Conservatorship

  • Estate Planning & Administration

  • Special Needs Planning

  • Medicaid Planning

  • Practice Management

5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Cocktail Reception Sponsored by Atlantic Coast Mortgage

Friday, February 21

7:30 am – 8:50 am Breakfast; Visit Sponsors & Exhibitors

9:00 am – 10:00 am Breakout Session I

• VA Benefits: Tips for Avoiding Delay, Deny, Death – Jeremy Pryor, Esq. & Patricia Servaes, VA Accredited Agent

• HOW TO NOT GET HACKED: A cyber-attack remediation guru and an insurance expert’s perspective on how to protect your organization’s productivity – Joy Griffin, Esq. & Bryant Harrison

• Advance Directives That Work: An ER Doctor’s Guide for Attorneys - Brittany Lamb, MD

• ‘Til Death Do We Part (Again): Addressing post-divorce estate planning issues in Pre- and Post-Marital Agreements, Property Settlement Agreements, and Divorce Decrees - Thomas Repczynski, Esq.

• A Discussion on Perennial Medicaid Problems (no CLE credit) – Edward Zetlin, Esq.

10:00 am – 10:20 am Break; Visit Sponsors & Exhibitors

10:20 am – 11:20 am Breakout Session II

• Beginner Topic: Understanding the Paths and Pitfalls of Including Minors in an Estate Plan – Beth Driver, Esq.

• HOW TO NOT GET HACKED: A cyber-attack remediation guru and an insurance expert’s perspective on how to protect your organization’s productivity– Joy Griffin, Esq. & Bryant Harrison

• Trust Taxation for the Elder Law Attorney - Nathan Olansen, J.D., LL.M., CPA, AEP®

• Strategic Oversight: Navigating Disbursement Challenges in Special Needs Trust Administration – Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq., LL.M.

• VA Benefits: Tips for Avoiding Delay, Deny, Death – Natalie Page, Esq. & Patricia Servaes, VA Accredited Agent

11:30 am – 12:30 pm Breakout Session III

• Beginner Topic: Powers of Attorney in Virginia: The Basics – Jeremy Pryor, Esq.

• Advance Directives That Work: An ER Doctor’s Guide for Attorneys - Brittany Lamb, MD

• Will Contests and Undue Influence – Beth Norton, Esq.

• Trust Taxation for the Elder Law Attorney - Nathan Olansen, J.D., LL.M., CPA, AEP®

• ‘Til Death Do We Part (Again): Addressing post-divorce estate planning issues in Pre- and Post-Marital Agreements, Property Settlement Agreements, and Divorce Decrees - Thomas Repczynski, Esq.

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm – Lunch Sponsored by Members Trust Company

1:30 pm – 1:45 pm Visit Sponsors and Exhibitors

1:45 pm – 2:45 pm Breakout Session IV

• Beginner Topic: Introduction To Medicaid Crisis Planning – Is Qualification Enough? If We Protect Assets, How Do We Do It? – Ari Sommer, Esq.

• Trust Administration: The Basics in Ten Steps – Robert Haley, Esq., CELA, CAP

• Strategic Oversight: Navigating Disbursement Challenges in Special Needs Trust Administration – Benjamin Tiefenback, Esq., LL.M.

• Embracing the Journey of Life and Death (no CLE credit) – Cricket Haley, INELDA Trained End of Life Doula; Certified Elder Care Coordinator

• A Discussion on Perennial Medicaid Problems (no CLE credit) - Edward Zetlin, Esq.

3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Breakout Session V

• Recent Changes in Guardianship Law – Sarah Aviles, Esq.

• Trust Administration: The Basics in Ten Steps – Robert Haley, Esq., CELA, CAP

• Will Contests and Undue Influence – Beth Norton, Esq.

• Embracing the Journey of Life and Death (no CLE credit) – Cricket Haley, INELDA Trained End of Life Doula; Certified Elder Care Coordinator

Continuing Education Credit: Application will be made for MCLE and GAL (adults) continuing education credits for all sessions unless otherwise noted.

Lodging: There are a limited number of rooms available at The Virginian Hotel at the group rate of $159/night plus parking/taxes/fees for Wednesday, February 19, and Thursday, February 20.  If you wish to stay Friday, February 21, you will need to contact The Virginian for availability/pricing.  Click here for online reservations, or you may call The Virginian Hotel Front Desk team at (434) 329-3200 x 0 and use Group Code ‘VAELA’ to access the group rate.  The group block rate is available until January 19 or until the block is full. Please note The Virginian’s cancellation policy when making reservations.

Register for the 2025 VAELA UnProgram

Please fill out the registration form below. You will be redirected to the payment page after submission of your form. Your registration is NOT complete until payment is received.

Breakout Room Selection: To ensure we assign topics to the appropriate room sizes and accommodate all attendees comfortably, we kindly ask that you select your preferred breakout sessions as part of your conference registration process. If you change your mind during the UnProgram, you are welcome to attend a different breakout session—provided space is available. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us create an enjoyable experience for all attendees.