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Upcoming Events
18th PAELA Winter Conference
February 19 – 21, 2026
OMNI Bedford Springs Resort & Spa, Bedford PA
PAELA’s 2026 Annual Winter Conference is scheduled for February 19 – 21, 2026 at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa in Bedford, PA.
The Programming Committee will be meeting in the near future to identify high-level elder law topics and speakers that qualify for Continuing Legal Education credits. Updates will be provided to PAELA members as they become available.
PAELA looks forward to reaching out to many loyal companies that have sponsored previously or are new to the association. They provide opportunities to promote their products and services to the elder law attorneys and their clients.
PAELA looks forward to working together to establish learning opportunities for those involved in participating in the annual meetings.
PAELA members may review past winter conferences including handouts provided to all attendees by logging in through the PAELA member portal.
Upcoming Webinar Events
Managing Disbursement Challenges in Trust Administration: Fiduciary Responsibilities, and Legal Considerations
Presented by Ben Tiefenback, Esq from Commonwealth Community Trust
Date: October 28, 2025
This program provides invaluable insights into the complexities of managing disbursements within trust administration, with a focus on special needs trusts. Delving into the intricacies of fiduciary responsibilities and legal considerations, this resource equips trustees and administrators with strategic approaches to efficiently navigate disbursement challenges. From balancing beneficiaries’ needs and desires to complying with regulatory frameworks, this guidance ensures prudent decision-making to safeguard trust assets and uphold the trust’s objectives effectively. This discussion addresses fiduciary responsibilities in trust distribution, distribution policies for fiduciaries, communication and transparency, regulatory compliance, risk management, and tax considerations in trust disbursements.
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Past Events
17th Annual Winter Conference
PAELA’s 2025 annual winter conference at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort & Spa in Bedford, PA on February 20-22, 2025, has ended with a record number of PAELA members attending seeking continuing education on topics that benefit their clients, networking, and sharing information with each other. Fifteen (15) sponsoring companies also participated, who recognized the unique opportunity and need to share their services and products to PAELA attendees to benefit their own clients including the elderly, persons with special needs, veterans, etc. The 15 sponsoring companies include:
- ACHIEVA Family Trust
- AmeriServ Wealth & Capital Management
- AshBer
- Commonwealth Community Trust
- Complete Care Strategies
- Contour Mortgage Trust Lending
- The Family Heritage Trust Company
- F&M Trust
- IKOR of Eastern & Western PA
- InterActive Legal
- Krause Financial Services
- Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
- Secured Futures
- The Lackner Group Inc.
- The Option Group
PAELA’s 2025 Winter Conference education program presentations and handouts are available below.
To access, PAELA members must log-in.
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Past Webinar Events
PAELA has implemented CLE Credit webinars which reflect topics of current interest to PAELA members.
All webinars below are now closed and were highly successful! Thank you to our PAELA members who attended.
Access the presentations and videos of the courses below.
2025 Webinars
- Understanding the PEF Code’s New Rules for Nonjudicial Settlement Agreements (September 16, 2025)
- At the Crossroads: Resident Advocate and Facility Perspectives on Recent Nursing Home Regulation Developments (June 10, 2025)
2024 Webinars
- Understanding the Mental Health Commitment System: Involuntary, Voluntary, Adults, Minors, Guardians, and Capacity Webinar (Nov 6, 2024)
- Mental Health AHCDs and Power of Attorney PAELA Webinar (October 22, 2024)
- Navigating the Roundabout: Understanding Grantor Trust, Estate, and Medicaid Rules in Order to Find the Right Path (May 8, 2024)
2023 Webinars
- Determining Capacity to Execute a Power of Attorney (September 20, 2023)
- End of Life Decision Making: Revisiting Fiore and DLH and the evolving roles Courts, healthcare agents, representatives, and guardians play in dealing with end-of-life issues. (October 18, 2023)
- Unwinding a Public Health Emergency: DHS Perspective on Medical Eligibility after COVID (May 24, 2023)
2022 Webinars
- Guardianship Reform Issues in Pennsylvania, Least Restrictive Alternatives, and Court Appointment of Counsel (March 28, 2022)
- Medicaid and the Second Marriage – Parts 1 & 2 (June 1st & September 15th, 2022)
2021 Webinars
- Best Practices for Making Distributions from a Special Needs Trust for a Beneficiary Receiving SSI (September 20, 2021)
- Real Estate in a Special Needs Trust (October 21, 2021)
- Sheltering Income and Resources–Pooled Special Needs Trusts (November 18, 2021)
Login to your member portal to see the presentations and videos of the courses!
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