Special Needs Trusts

Trustees of special needs trusts are frequently approached by family members of trust beneficiaries who would like to be paid as caregivers for the beneficiaries.  While the Social Security Administration (SSA) currently does not explicitly prohibit payment of family caregivers...

Life insurance provides a unique opportunity for many families to guarantee the financial security of their loved ones with special needs without placing a significant financial strain on other family members.  ...

When an SSI beneficiary finds out that they will receive an inheritance, their first reaction may be to refuse it. But this refusal, also known as a "disclaimer," might worsen things for the beneficiary.

Once you begin to understand how the gift tax system really works, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that most people can fund a special needs trust for a person with disabilities with a lot more than $14,000 a...

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...

There are many benefits to having a special needs trust that go far beyond the ability to maintain eligibility for SSI or Medicaid. For example, although Social Security Disability Insurance does not have asset or income requirements, this does not mean...

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.

Can the parent of a person with special needs, who is also that person's guardian, serve as the trustee of a special needs trust that will hold a settlement?...

Parents giving gifts to children will sometimes provide nothing to the child with special needs while giving substantial amounts to the child’s siblings. This planning strategy can lead to trouble, as a recent Wisconsin case highlights.