Tampa, FL (Law Firm Newswire) June 19, 2013 – A change to Florida’s rules for traffic signals allowed cities and counties to shorten yellow lights, reaping millions of dollars in fines. In a recent report, Noah Pransky of Tampa television station WTSP covered the 2011 rule change by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), which reduced allowable minimum intervals for yellow lights below the federal government’s recommended minimums. State and local traffic engineers then worked together to shorten yellow lights at intersections with red light cameras, the report said. “Transportation authorities need to find ways to reduce accidents and enforce [...]

Virginia Beach, VA (Law Firm Newswire) June 19, 2013 – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced it will expedite decisions on claims more than one year old. In a news release, the VA said that effective immediately, the agency’s claims raters would begin making provisional decisions on the oldest backlogged benefits claims. After a provisional rating has been given to a claim, the veteran will have one year to submit additional evidence before a final decision is issued. “Too many veterans endure very long waits to receive desperately-needed disability benefits,” commented elder law attorney Andrew Hook. “Hopefully this initiative [...]

Palo Alto, CA (Law Firm Newswire) June 19, 2013 – California is planning to try a managed health care system to unify Medicare and Medi-Cal. While dual coverage sounds like a good thing, lower income seniors in California who are eligible for both Medicare and the state’s version of Medicaid, known as Medi-Cal, are facing a serious lack of coordinated care. Medicare, the federal program for seniors, is not designed to work in tandem with Medi-Cal, the federal-state program for low income individuals, the way the state is currently using the system. The ensuing mistakes, delays and administrative issues are [...]