Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, January 21, 2022 COVID-19 | FROM PAGE 2 ing positivity rate of 2.02 percent of approximately 10,000 residents tested; that represents 18.2 individuals testing positive per 100,000 residents per 100,000 in this community. Both the percentage of positivity and the rate per 100,000 residents are lower than those in most surrounding communities. • In Everett the positivity percentage was 2.20% and the rate per 100,000 residents at 17.2. • In Revere there were 289 new cases reported, a positivity rate of 3.61 percent and 26.3 positives/100,000. • In Saugus the numbers were the highest in the region, with the positivity percentage at 3.65% and 30.3 positives/100,000 residents. • In Chelsea the positivity rate was at 2.09% and 15.5/100,000. COVID-19 cases, absenteeism rates in Malden schools lower than in other nearby communities Positive cases of COVID-19 MEDICAID ANNUITIES and would be given credit for any health insurance premiums that would continue to be paid in order to keep any existing health insurance policies in place. The $460,600 is arrived at by A ssume a married couple has a home with a fair market value of $750,000 and a joint bank account of $600,000. Also assume the husband’s monthly social security benefit is $2,000 and the wife’s monthly social security benefit is $1,000. Also assume it is the husband that enters into a nursing home. Pursuant to Massachusetts regulation 130CMR520.019(D) (1), the husband can transfer his interest in the home to his wife without the imposition of the five-year look back period. The wife who is still at home can keep $137,400 of the bank account monies. The husband can only keep $2,000 in order to qualify for MassHealth nursing home benefits. For eleventh hour Medicaid planning in this example, the wife can purchase a Medicaid annuity in the amount of $460,600, in order to convert what would otherwise be countable resources required to be spent down on nursing home level care, to an income stream that she would receive on a monthly basis. The monthly annuity payment to the wife would be hers to keep in order to continue to be able to pay her monthly living expenses. The husband’s social security benefit would be required to be paid to the nursing home. He would be able to keep $72.80 as a personal needs allowance taking the $600,000 bank account monies less the $2,000 the husband can keep less the $137,400 the wife can keep. The $460,600 in excess assets is what will be used to purchase the Medicaid annuity. The goal would be to purchase the shortest-term annuity for the wife. The term of the annuity cannot be greater than the wife’s life expectancy. If the wife was 75 years old with a life expectancy of 12 years, you would still look to purchase an annuity with a term of no longer than five years. The sooner the wife collects on the annuity, the greater ability she would have to plan in order to protect those annuity payments if she so desires. MassHealth is now requiring to be named as the remainder beneficiary of the Medicaid annuity to recover nursing home benefits paid on behalf of the nursing home spouse. Therefore, if the wife were to collect all or a majority of the annuity payments over that five- year term, and if the wife were to die having never gone into a nursing home, those monies accumulated would have been protected for the children. Once the home is in the wife’s name, she has the option of then transferring to an irrevocable trust in order to avoid probate, start the fiveyear look back period running, and to leave the home to her children in order to preserve the asset for the next generation. Joseph D. Cataldo is an Estate Planning/Elder Law Attorney, Certified Public Accountant, Certified Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a Master’s Degree in Taxation. reported in the Malden Public Schools (MPS) are lower than in other nearby communities. Absenteeism rates are also lower in the MPS for students and staff than in other cities and towns. On the MPS website, www. maldenps.org, the COVID-19 dashboard shows up-to-date numbers of positive cases reported in the local schools. According to figures released Wednesday, there were 221 total cases, 180 for students and 41 staff. The MPS dashboard is updated regularly and shows the school-by-school breakdown. The student cases represent about 2.8% of the total student population of just over 6,300 now attending MPS, and the staff cases show about 8.7% of the total staff numbers of just over 450 in the local schools. Both percentages are below the percentages of nearby communities, which are running from four to five percent of students testing positive and from 1518 percent of cases reported among staff. Some communities are even higher: close to 10 percent of students and 20 percent-plus of staff. MPS student and staff absentee rates have also steadily dropped since the first few days after the return from the Winter Break. The number of absent staff has been far lower than that in surrounding communities amidst the COVID-10 case spike – still lower than 10% on a given day – unlike the numbers reported from surrounding communities, which have hovered at around 20 percent or above. In Boston, staff absenteeism during the initial spike in cases after the Winter Break was from 25-30% on a daily basis and remains over 20 percent. Hospitalizations increase statewide, but fewer are in ICU One COVID-19-related statistic that did not show a sig~ LEGAL NOTICE ~ MALDEN PLANNING BOARD and MALDEN CITY COUNCIL ORDINANCE COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING The Malden Planning Board and Malden City Council Ordinance Committee will remotely and jointly hold a virtual public hearing at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, February 9, 2022, in accordance with Title 12, Chapter 32, Section 050 of the Code of the City of Malden (MCC) on the following petitions for zoning amendments, to further amend the following sections of Title 12, MCC: I. Site Plan Review (Title 12, Chapter 12): To amend by adding regulations to establish a Site Plan Review process in all zoning districts for educational or religious use of a building or structure with a gross floor area exceeding 10,000 square feet, whether the building or structure is existing, extended or new/constructed, and for educational or religious use of an existing, extended or new surface parking area exceeding 10,000 square feet. (City Council Paper 405/2021 as amended) II. Table of Intensity Regulations (Title 12, Chapter 16): To amend by adding requirements for Minimum Usable Open Space for Public or Non-profit Schools (City Council Paper 405/2021 as amended). III. General Regulation, Obstructions (Title 12, Chapter 28, Section 060): To amend the current provision (City Council Paper 452/2021). The full texts of the proposed zoning amendments (City Council Papers #405/2021 and #452/2021) are available for public review on the City of Malden website at https://cityofmalden.legistar.com/Legislation.aspx and with the City Planner, Inspectional Services, 3rd Malden, MA. floor, and the City Clerk, 2nd By: Kenneth Antonucci, Clerk Malden Planning Board Floor, City Hall, 215 Pleasant Street, By: Peg Crowe, Chair Malden City Council Ordinance Committee In accordance with the City of Malden Local Executive Order issued on January 4, 2022 regarding COVID-19, this public hearing shall be conducted remotely via technological means (Zoom webinar), and no in-person attendance by members of the public is allowed. Members of the public who wish to attend virtually and participate remotely may do so using the following information: Zoom Webinar ID: 965 6359 1842 Passcode: 341907 To join the webinar online, click the link below: https://cityofmalden.zoom.us/j/96563591842pwd=Y1IyQ0dEa3dTakxHUW12MzNXMUtEUT09 To join the webinar by telephone, dial number based on your current location: US: +1 646 518 9805 or +1 929 436 2866 January 21 & January 28, 2022 nificant decline was the rate of virus-related hospitalizations. According to state figures, COVID-19 hospitalizations decreased by five patients this past week, with the state’s overall count at 3,187 patients. Officials say hospitalizations have been rising at a rapid pace. The last time the state’s hospitalization total was around 3,200 patients was in May of 2020. One major difference at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is due to the availability of the vaccine and better treatments. In the ICU count of May 2020, there were 814 patients hospitalized and 619 patients were intubated. DPH officials also broke down the “breakthrough” infections; within the total of 3,187 hospitalizations, 1,524 patients, or, 48%, were fully vaccinated. According to statistics, those unvaccinated are at a much higher risk for a more severe case and potential hospitalization.
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