Terry Berthelot, MDW, JD

Assistant Professor In-Residence (PI)

Human Development and Family Sciences

---

Research Interests

I am an assistant professor in-residence in the Human Development and Family Studies department at the University of Connecticut. My research and advocacy are primarily about access to healthcare for people who are over sixty-five and for people with disabilities. I received my Masters degree in Social Work from Syracuse University, after which I designed, implemented, and then coordinated a Joint Commission Accredited hospice program located in the Mississippi delta. Finding myself fascinated by the legal and ethical questions surrounding death and dying, I pursued my law degree at the University of Mississippi. After graduating, cum laude, I joined the Center for Medicare Advocacy, a national not-for-profit law firm. As a senior attorney, I oversaw the Center’s advocacy efforts. I also provided legal advice and representation to Medicare beneficiaries unfairly denied Medicare coverage or access to healthcare, wrote articles for national publications, produced educational materials, engaged in educational outreach activities with a particular focus on the Medicare hospice benefit, was a contributing author to the Medicare Handbook, and served as co-counsel for federal class action lawsuits challenging improper Medicare policies. Also while with the Center, I was the lead Medicare trainer for Connecticut’s State Health Insurance Assistance Program and for Connecticut’s Medicare Senior Patrol. I am a former chair of the steering committee for the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys’ Health Care Section and am a former Connecticut liaison for National Healthcare Decisions Day. I am currently a member of the Mansfield Town Council.

Education

MSW, Syracuse University, 1993
JD, University of Mississippi, 2001

Recent Publications

Navigation Tips For a Successful Medicare Appeal, NAELA Journal (forthcoming)

Medicare Hospital Discharge Appeal: Winning Against a Stacked Deck, NAELA NEWS Journal, Volume 3, Issue 4, Oct/Nov/Dec 2018.

Hospice Coverage, Chapter 5, Medicare Handbook, edited by Judy Stein and Alfred J. Chiplin, Jr., 5-1 – 5-32, Aspen Publishers, Wolters Kluwer, Law & Business, 2002-2016.

Medicare Hospice Benefit, Chapter 11, A Practical Guide to Issues in Elder Law, edited by Susan B. Nobleman and Mark W. Dorst, Law First Publishing, The Connecticut Bar Association, 2012.

When is a Hospital Stay Not a Hospital Stay? NAELA NEWS Journal, Volume 23, Issue 3, June/July 2011.

Medicare Hospice Care: Straddling the Palliative, Curative Divide, NAELA NEWS Journal, Volume 17, Issue 1, February 2005.

Hospice Care: Benefits and Barriers for Low-Income Americans, Clearinghouse Review, Journal of Poverty Law and Policy, Volume 42, Numbers 11-12, March-April 2009.

Medicare Hospice Care, NAELA News Journal, Volume 16, Issue 6, December 2004.