Public Benefits

The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently issued an Emergency Message to all personnel requiring workers to specifically inform Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants or beneficiaries of the reasons a special needs trust has been rejected by the agency.

My daughter's first-party special needs trust was paying for several services that weren't covered by Medicaid.  I know that if my daughter dies, the state has the right to recover funds from my daughter's trust for Medicaid services that it...

Here are a couple of tricks for determining the type of disability benefit someone is receiving, short of finding the disability award letter or contacting the Social Security Administration directly.

If you’re currently receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you may want to protect your income by setting up a special needs trust. Receiving financial gifts could jeopardize other related benefits.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) both allow working beneficiaries to deduct certain work-related expenses from their countable income, making it easier to qualify for benefits or, in the case of SSI, to receive a larger...

A recent Massachusetts case illustrates why trustees of special needs trusts have to be very careful before making distributions for people receiving public benefits.

You may not realize that owning an RV could impact your government benefits, especially Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid.

Many people with special needs choose to live in group homes or supportive housing with other people with special needs.

A law passed in 2014 allows people with disabilities who became disabled before they turned 26 to set aside up to $18,000 a year (as of 2024) in tax-free savings accounts without affecting their eligibility for government benefits.  ...