Glenn Alan Bates, 58, was the head of the Veterans Canteen Service at the VA Medical Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, from 2007 to 2013. He managed the VCS Patriot Store, vending sales and cafeteria food services. Authorities said Bates embezzled $314,400 in cash and property belonging to the VA during his employment.

The Office of Inspector General investigated the case. According to U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, Bates spent the funds on sex, strip clubs and gambling. She described the betrayal of veterans as “particularly egregious.”

A statement from McQuade’s office said, “He [Bates] stole the cash receipts of sales of commemorative military hats to veterans and others by volunteers at the VAMC. And he stole the cash receipts of several vending machines there. Bates deprived the VA’s Veterans Canteen Service of needed revenue.

”Bates pleaded guilty to theft of public money in December 2015. He was ordered to two years of supervised release besides the prison sentence. The former canteen head must also pay the VA $314,400. Bates was employed at the VA canteen even though he had a criminal record that includes car theft and a felony arson conviction. He received a dishonorable discharge from the Navy in 1976.

If you die without a Will or some other form of estate planning, the state in which you reside and the IRS will simply make one for you. Of course, they have no interest in avoiding or reducing estate taxes, minimizing estate administration costs or protecting your family and legacy. The distribution of your assets will just be turned over to the Probate Court to be distributed in accordance to the government’s rule book.

There are Four Ways to Pass Property at Your Death

1. Joint Property: is a type of ownership of property or asset in which you and another co-owner have a right of survivorship, meaning that when you die, your interest in the property will pass to the surviving owner or owners by operation of law, avoiding probate. Examples of joint property ownership are joint bank accounts and jointly owned real estate.

2. Beneficiary Designation: you name a person designated as the recipient of funds or other property under the terms of a contract. For example, you have an IRA, 401k, or a Life Insurance Policy. By contract, the beneficiary you designate will receive your funds at your death, thereby avoiding probate.

3. Trust: if you put your property into a trust, and the trust is drafted and funded properly (funded means that all of your assets that you want to pass are titled in the trust), your property will pass to your beneficiaries at your death according to the terms of the trust, avoiding probate.

4. Probate Court: if you have assets titled in your name at your death and you have not provided a mechanism to pass the assets to your beneficiaries (i.e. the above three ways to pass property at your death), the only mechanism left to pass your assets is the Probate Court.

What is Probate?

Probate refers to the method by which your estate is administered and processed through the legal system after you die. The probate process essentially transfers your estate in a certain manner (for example, your debts and taxes paid before your beneficiaries receive their inheritance). Think of the probate process as the “script” that guides the transfer of your estate according to the rulebook of the state you live in.

The probate process is needlessly time consuming, frustrating and expensive. It is also open to the public, meaning creditors, predators or anyone else will have complete access to all information about your estate. For the vast majority of people, the benefits of a Will or other estate planning tools far outweigh any initial costs.

Get Educated

To learn more, join us for one of our FREE LifeCare Planning Workshops. Our estate planning experts will have upcoming workshops in Ann Arbor, Bloomfield Hills, Brighton, Dearborn, Lansing, Livonia, Novi, and Trenton. We promise that time will fly, you’ll learn a lot, and have a little bit of fun. To sign up for a LifeCare Planning Workshop click here.

The post The “10 Most Gruesome Estate Planning Mistakes” series. Mistake #1: Dying Intestate appeared first on Michigan Estate Planning.

The key principle behind the push is “Housing First” — the notion that veterans need stable housing in order to make progress on other issues. In order to move forward, a number of federal agencies have collaborated to identify, target and serve the most vulnerable veterans.

Now, local governments are joining the effort. Earlier this summer, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, together with Michelle Obama, issued the Mayor’s Challenge. The program asks mayors to join the White House by pledging to end veteran homelessness in their own cities by 2015.

In Michigan, mayors from Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint, Grand Rapids, Highland Park, Lansing and Southfield have joined.

Still, challenges remain. Recently, NPR reported that homelessness is currently rising for female veterans, who are disproportionately affected by issues such as unemployment and past sexual assault. In addition, many women have children that they support — meaning that if they lose their housing, so does the rest of their family.

The effort to end veteran homelessness is part of a larger initiative by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness. In 2010, the Council developed and presented a comprehensive plan that, by 2020, would end chronic homelessness as well as homelessness among veterans, families, children and youth.

A fact sheet from the Council recognized the specific problem of rising homelessness among female veterans, while also asserting that PTSD, traumatic brain injury and other physical and mental health issues create higher risk for homelessness.

While not everyone believes that the goal of ending veteran homelessness by 2015 is achievable, most experts are encouraged by the progress and continued momentum.

According to the Midland Daily News, Michigan counties received more than $10 million last month in grants for the prevention of veteran homelessness.

Legal Help for Veterans, PLLC fights for veterans rights. We fight to make sure you get the benefits you deserve from the Department of Veterans Affairs. To learn more or contact a veterans lawyer, visit http://www.legalhelpforveterans.com/ or call 800.693.4800

According to Ann Arbor court records, U-M football coach Brady Hoke suspended Glasgow for part of spring practice and the team’s season opener in August against Appalachian State for a violation of team rules. The offense was allegedly committed March 15, and Glasgow’s suspension was announced on March 20.

The traffic stop took place in Ann Arbor, at the corner of Maynard and William streets. If … read more

Drunk driving charges can sometimes arise in unusual circumstances. Police in Pittsfield Township (in Washtenaw County near Ann Arbor) recently arrested a man after he drove to the police station to use the … read more

The potential of V2V communication to reduce accidents by warning drivers of safety hazards has already been demonstrated in tests both in controlled conditions and real-world roads.

V2V communication can help a driver know whether it is safe to pass on a two-lane road or make a left turn across the path of oncoming traffic. By enabling cars to communicate from distances of several hundred yards, it warns of potential threats that neither drivers nor onboard sensors can reliably detect.

In August 2012, the Department of Transportation (DOT) launched a year-long pilot program in Ann Arbor, Mich., deploying some 3,000 vehicles with V2V technology. The test demonstrated the ability of vehicles and communication systems from various manufacturers to operate together successfully. The NHTSA is working to finalize its report on the study, which will cover feasibility and a preliminary cost/benefit analysis. The agency will then start working on a regulatory proposal to require V2V technology in new vehicles at some point in the future.

The applications of V2V currently in development do not automatically operate any vehicle systems, unlike features currently available on some models that apply the brakes if a collision is imminent. However, V2V communication is one key to enabling a future of self-driving cars.

That nascent technology is being advanced under a separate ongoing study here in Florida. The Tampa Bay Times reported that a stretch of Interstate 4 between Tampa and Orlando has been outfitted with radio devices that feed the cars information about road and traffic conditions.

Companies including Google, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan all have working prototype vehicles that can operate without any driver input under some conditions.

Florida has become a hotbed of activity in the burgeoning self-driving car industry. It is one of only four states to explicitly permit the use of experimental self-driving cars on public roads. Advocates of the technology say it could dramatically cut accident rates – eventually by 90 percent or more, some claim.

If you need to speak with a auto accident lawyer, Call Joyce & Reyes at 1.888.771.1529 or visit more of http://www.joyceandreyespa.com/.