Attorney Neal Winston, has been elected President Elect of the Special Needs Alliance. By Aaron Crear Attorney Neal Winston, Partner at Moschella and Winston LLP of Somerville, has been elected President Elect of the Special Needs Alliance. The SNA is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities and the elderly. It is comprised of the country's leading attorneys in the fields of disability and public benefits law. Membership in the organization is limited by invitation to selected experts in these respected fields of practice. The SNA was originally founded in 2002 with 10 members. Today the group has over 100 members whose mission is to provide information and education to individuals with disabilities and their families, train and support other organizations aimed at helping the disabled and to file and promote legislation in the areas of law pertaining to the disabled, elderly and public benefits.

Winston originally began working with the
disabled in the 1970's while working for a non-profit that aimed its
mission at helping disabled people receive proper public benefits.
"Working there helped me decide to go to law school", said Winston. "I
really enjoyed the work and helping people so I decided to focus my
practice on it". Winston was chosen to become a member of the SNA as a
result of his vast experience as an industry leader in the area of
disabled and public benefits law during which time he has been a
featured lecturer and trainer as well as a leading author on the
subject. Winston is a past President of the Massachusetts Chapter of
the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He was selected to become
President Elect after several years of working in a leadership role
within the organization.

Mr. Winston will take over his role as
President Elect during a very pivotal time in relation to public
benefits. The fall of the US economy as well as the ongoing battle in
Congress for healthcare reform have both impacted many public benefit
programs that are funded by the government. It also appears that the
national healthcare bill will not specifically address many of the
issues related to the disabled. "Fiscal problems have lead to cuts for
many need based programs. We are trying to ensure accessibility to
programs and services for the disabled that will allow them to live
with the most dignity in their lives", said Winston. One major obstacle
for receiving disability benefits is the long waiting period. Under
current legislation an adult that becomes disabled must undergo a 29
month waiting period before they can begin receiving Medicare. This
long window can not only result in significant financial hardship but
also an enormous decline in quality of life.

Anyone with questions regarding public benefits or disability law can contact the Special Needs Alliance at 877-572-8472, www.specialneedsalliance.org or Moschella & Winston at 716-776-3300, www.moschellawinston.com.