Public Benefits

People with special needs may qualify for a variety of government benefits, including Medicaid and Medicare. It can be difficult to tell the two programs apart, especially because their names are so similar. However, Medicaid and Medicare, which account for...

Special Needs 101

Do you have a friend or loved one who receives Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and is unable to manage her payments?  If so, you can request that the Social Security Administration name you as...

Special Needs 101

Some special needs trusts may be eligible for considerable tax savings. Here's how.

Special Needs 101

When a person with special needs cannot make important financial decisions, the government sends his benefits directly to a third party, known as a representative payee. ...

Senator Kennedy and his son, Representative Kennedy, are advocating for differing federal mental health parity bills.

A Medicare advocacy group has begun pressing Congress to pass a bill that would eliminate the two-year wait imposed on individuals with disabilities before they can qualify for Medicare.

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that parents of special needs children do not need to hire a lawyer to sue a school district over their children's special education needs.

One of the programs on the cutting edge of community mental health is called "supportive housing," and it incorporates not only housing but social services and medical care as well.