Estate Planning

Some parents choose to avoid the complication of a trust by leaving their estates to one or more of their healthy children, relying on them to use the funds for the benefit of their disabled siblings. This is not a...

Special needs trusts (also known as "supplemental needs" trusts) allow a disabled beneficiary to receive gifts, lawsuit settlements, or other funds and yet not lose his or her eligibility for certain government programs. Such trusts are drafted so that the...

A parent with a child with special needs should consider buying life insurance to help fund the special needs trust set up for the child's support. What may look like a substantial sum to leave in trust today may run...

Each public benefits program has restrictions that the special needs trust must comply with in order not to jeopardize the beneficiary's continued eligibility for public benefits. Both Medicaid and SSI are quite restrictive, making it difficult for a beneficiary to...

To help parents manage the long-term financial security of children with special needs, Massachusetts Mutual and Easter Seals have released a 10-point set of question-and-answer guidelines.

The most challenging obstacle for many individuals with disabilities is to find a safe, clean, and affordable place to live. Currently, many individuals with disabilities rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Section 8 housing vouchers, distributions from a...

Five Massachusetts attorneys have written an uncomplicated, user-friendly guide for those charged with administering a special needs trust.

Income paid from a special needs trust to a beneficiary will reduce SSI benefits by one dollar for every dollar paid to him or her directly. In addition, payments by the trust to the beneficiary for food or housing are...

Choosing a trustee is one of the most important and difficult issues in special needs trusts. The trustee must have the necessary expertise to manage the trust, including making proper investments, paying bills, keeping accounts, and preparing tax returns. A...