HARVEY F. FRIEDMAN ATTORNEY AT LAW
HARVEY F. FRIEDMAN                     ATTORNEY AT LAW

Welcome to Harvey F. Friedman, Attorney at Law

HARVEY F. FRIEDMAN, in addition to being admitted to practice in New York and the US District Courts for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York,  is admitted to practice before the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC.  He was sworn in before Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan.

What Makes Us Different

Years of experience and knowledge for effective and innovative solutions. 

About our Legal Practice

Who We Are

We offer professional and personal legal assistance to our clients. 

The Firm

What We Offer

Learn about the fields of law which we practice. 

Areas of Practice

NEWS OF INTEREST

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Dear Clients, Friends, and Family: 

 

With the New Year 2025, I hope you and your families are well. 

 

My Great Neck office location is open by appointment only as I will continue to be working primarily remotely to continue to serve my clients and the community. My contact info is listed below. Please feel free to reach out to me by telephone or email. 

 

If you would like to schedule a consultation, please contact me during business hours. Consultations will be conducted primarily by telephone or through video apps like Zoom, Skype or Facetime. 

 

Having your important documents in place, such as a Will, Durable Power of Attorney, Health Care Proxy, etc. is extremely important. Please feel free to call me with just questions or to set up an appointment.  (If you get my voicemail, please leave a message and I will return your call).

 

If you have questions or need information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Stay safe and healthy.

 

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NEW LAWS-With every new year there are generally new laws taking effect in New York State.  2025 is no exception to that rule.  Below is a recap of laws that took effect beginning in 2025.

 

First-in-the-nation paid prenatal leave

This nation-leading policy, proposed in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2024 State of the State and signed into law in April, gives workers the ability to take paid leave for any pregnancy-related medical appointments and will go into effect on January 1, 2025.

Effective January 1, 2025, any privately employed pregnant New Yorker will now be able to receive an additional 20 hours of paid sick leave for prenatal care. The New York State Department of Labor estimates that about 130,000 pregnant women per year will be eligible for this benefit, with about 65,800 of those being hourly workers.

The paid prenatal leave benefits are in addition to New York State Paid Family Leave, existing employer-provided leave and existing sick leave benefits. The law applies to all private employers in New York State, with no minimum employee threshold, and is applicable to both full-time and part-time employees.

 

The price of insulin will be cheaper with the Insurance Law

The Insurance Law requires health insurance policies and contracts to cover equipment and supplies for the treatment of diabetes, including prescription insulin.

Beginning January 1, 2025, upon the issuance, renewal, modification, alteration, or amendment of a health insurance policy or contract, cost-sharing for prescription insulin is prohibited pursuant to Part EE of Chapter 58 of the Laws of 2024 (“Chapter 58”).

                     Which health insurance policies and contracts are subject to this law? 

New York In urance Law §§ 3216(i)(15-a), 3221(k)(7), and 4303(u) require insurance policies and contracts delivered or issued for delivery in New York, which provide medical coverage that includes coverage for physician services or provide major medical or similar comprehensive-type coverage, to include coverage for equipment and supplies for treatment of diabetes. 

 

Minimum wage goes up

New Yorkers earning minimum wage will earn an additional $0.50 per hour starting on January 1, 2025.

New York’s minimum wage will increase to $16.50-per-hour in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island, and $15.50-per-hour for the rest of the state.

 

Protect students and teachers from extreme heat

Hochul signed legislation to require that all school districts develop plans to mitigate extreme heat in classrooms and support services spaces and to establish a maximum allowable temperature to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. By setting clear guidelines for extreme heat conditions, the bill will help schools ensure their spaces are conducive to student learning, reduce unnecessary disruptions, and provide for the health and safety of all those in their buildings.

Legislation S3397-A/A9011-A establishes 88 degrees as the maximum temperature in classrooms and support services spaces. It requires a plan for the removal of students and staff from these spaces where it is practical for the school district to do so. It also creates a definition of extreme heat condition days as well as a standard to measure room temperature. In addition to the above, school districts will be required to take action to relieve heat related discomfort when classroom temperatures reach 82 degrees. Such actions can include turning off overhead lights, pulling down shades or blinds, turning on fans, opening classroom doors and windows, turning off electronics, and providing water breaks.

The Property Maintenance Code of New York State currently requires a minimum temperature of 65 degrees in all workspaces in buildings across the state.

This law will come into force on September 1, 2025.

 

Law to support workers facing job-related post-traumatic stress

This law will allow any worker to file for workers' compensation for specific types of mental injury premised on extraordinary work-related stress.

Through an agreement with the Legislature, Legislation S.6635/A.5745 will allow any worker to file for workers' compensation for specific types of mental injury premised on extraordinary work-related stress. This expands coverage to all workers in the State of New York; previously, only certain first responders were eligible for such benefits.

This law will come into effect on January 1, 2025.

 

Bans unnecessary fees for leased cars

Legislation S.4778/A.7167 prohibits the imposition of certain fees at the expiration of a term on a motor vehicle lease which constitutes administrative, clerical or handling charges.

State Senator James Sanders Jr. said: “The law prohibits charging a turn-in fee at the expiration of the term of a vehicle lease, the basis of which is solely for administrative, handling or clerical charges. Both of these new laws are commonsense protections for the consumer.”

This law will come into effect on January 1, 2025.

 

Canceling your gym membership will be easier

Legislation S.932D/A.4667B requires health clubs accept cancellation of a membership within 10 business days of receiving notice of the cancellation.

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IRS ANNOUNCES ANNUAL INFLATION ADJUSTMENTS FOR 2025-

The IRS announced annual inflation adjustments for 2025.  Of interest for estate planning purposes is that estates of those who die in 2025 in an amount of up to $13.99 million will be exempt from federal estate tax (Married couples can shield $27.98 million).  Also, the first $19,000 of gifts to any person are not included in the total amount of taxable gifts made during 2024. This is up from $18,000 in 2024. 

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RISING NURSING HOME COSTS-"LOOKBACK"-2025- UPDATE-

New York's 2025 estimates of nursing-home costs show that Nassau and Suffolk, at $14,914 a month are the most expensive counties in the state (New York City is $14,582 per month). Both the LI and NYC estimates are up from last year. The amount is important for those looking to qualify for nursing-home care paid for by Medicaid, but who face an ineligibility period under the "lookback" rule. The rule examines whether the Medicaid applicant, in the five years before applying for Medicaid, gave away monetary gifts or transferred property to make his or her assets small enough to qualify for coverage. (Transfers to a spouse are exempt.) The ineligibility period is calculated by dividing the value of the transferred assets into the monthly cost of nursing-home care. So if someone transferred assets worth $50,000 during the five-year lookback, he or she would be ineligible for Medicaid-paid nursing-home coverage for about four months, meaning the patient or the family of the patient would be responsible for paying the costs until Medicaid kicks in. For more information, click on the Contact Us link above, call or email for an appointment.

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MEDICAID HOME EQUITY LIMIT AT $1,097,000 FOR 2025-

For Medicaid eligibility purposes in 2025, the Home Equity Limit elected by New York State is now $1,097,000.  For those individuals seeking Medicaid, if your home equity interest does not exceed $1,097,000, you can still be eligible.  You can click on the Contact Us link above, call or email for an appointment.

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Disclaimer

This website is attorney advertising designed to provide general information about this firm and services available. The information contained within this website is neither intended as legal advice nor the formation of an attorney-client relationship. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact and Appointments

Harvey F. Friedman, Attorney at Law

 

Office

185 Great Neck Rd

Suite 4U

Great Neck, NY 11021

 

Mail

PO Box 907

Westhampton Beach, NY 11978

 

Phone

516 303-1665

 

E-mail

hfriedman@harvelaw.com

or use our contact form.

 

Follow us on Twitter @harvelaw

 

Business hours

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday to Friday. By appointment only in Great Neck, midtown Manhattan and eastern Suffolk County.

News

Transfer on Death Deeds

The New York State Real Property Law has been amended by the addition of new section 424. Section 424 introduces the use of a Transfer on Death Deed (TOD) and will take effect on 7/19/24.

 

The main benefit of the TOD deed is that property does not have to pass through the probate process to transfer to its beneficiaries.

 

 

Click on the Contact Us link, call or email for an appointment.

 

 

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