NAELA Foundation Takes Medicaid Estate Recovery to Capitol Hill

By Mary Lynn J. Rynkiewicz

The NAELA Foundation hosted a Medicaid Estate Recovery Congressional Briefing at the Capitol Visitor Center on January 7, 2026, to shine a spotlight on how this policy harms older Americans and individuals with disabilities.

Before a packed room of Congressional staff and coalition partners, Sandy LoGrande of Massachusetts and Jackie Keller of Oregon shared their experiences fighting Medicaid Estate Recovery claims against their parents’ estates, while their attorneys, John Ford and Julie Meyer Rowett, provided legal background about their cases. Eric Carlson of Justice in Aging provided additional information about the origins of Medicaid Estate Recovery and its impact across the country.

You can learn more about the personal stories of Sandy LoGrande, Jackie Keller, and other individuals impacted by Medicaid Estate Recovery — as well as research, resources, and potential policy reforms — at NAELA.org/MedicaidEstateRecovery.

For more information about the briefing and the NAELA Foundation’s work on Medicaid Estate Recovery, contact NAELA Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs Mary Lynn Rynkiewicz at [email protected].

NAELA President Eric Einhart stops in front of the Capitol during a busy day.

Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) greets fellow Illinois resident and NAELA Treasurer Heather Voorn.

A packed room listens to presentations at the Medicaid Estate Recovery Congressional Briefing.

Sandy LoGrande of Massachusetts tells the story of how Medicaid Estate Recovery would have left her $2.2 million in debt.

LoGrande’s attorney John Ford; Attorney Julie Meyer Rowett, who represented Jackie Keller in Oregon; Justice in Aging’s Eric Carlson.

Katie Brescia, Grace Stevens, and Ainsley Gallagher of American University, who won the graduate school competition exploring how Medicaid Estate Recovery affects low-income and historically marginalized households, were recognized at the event.

Einhart and NAELA Foundation Chair Bridget O’Brien Swartz present Representative Schakowsky with an award from NAELA for her “tireless efforts to advance legislation addressing Medicaid Estate Recovery to safeguard families from undue hardship.”

About the Author
Mary Lynn J. Rynkiewicz is NAELA’s Director of Advocacy & Public Affairs.