Special Needs Trusts continue to be Vital for People with Disabilities
The term “special needs trust” is used to refer to a trust that’s for benefit of a person with disabilities who depends on means-tested public benefits that have income limits or resource/asset limits. Sometimes these are “first party trusts” — created by the disabled person (over age 18) or his parent, grandparent, or guardian with court permission, or by a...
How to create a master plan for the care of your special needs child
If you’ve been caring for your child who has special needs, you have deep personal knowledge of how your child behaves and responds. You know what they like and what they hate. You know what triggers an anxious or distressed reaction. It could be a flavor, a show, a color, or a person.
As an aging parent, you are probably concerned about who will take care of your child when you are...
Family Estate Planning to Protect Children with Special Needs (part II)
Parents of children with special needs are typically aware that their child may need to be financially eligible for important governmental programs through Medicaid, SSI or the DDD. Under these programs, there is an limit on the amount of assets the child can have. These parents will often consider (1) leaving the child’s share of the estate in a supplemental needs trust, or (2) not...