Special Needs Trusts

An estimated 20 percent of military-connected children have special needs. Under the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015, military members can designate their child's special needs trust (SNT) as the beneficiary of their Survivor Benefit Plan.

Here are seven questions to ask before accepting appointment as a trustee of a special needs trust.

Unfortunately, too many trustees of special needs trusts or those who oversee funds for people with special needs don't even know that they have a duty to account for the funds they manage, let alone perform that duty correctly.

A recent story on National Public Radio’s "All Things Considered" featured Academy of Special Needs Planners member attorney Theresa Varnet.   ...

A California jury recently returned a $23 million verdict against a contractor who took advantage of a trustee of a special needs trust who suffered from depression and substance abuse. While the contractor's actions were egregious, the case also highlights...

Despite being the beneficiary of a multi-million dollar special needs trust, Mark Holman never saw a cent until a New York judge intervened. The case illustrates the difficulties those creating trusts face when choosing a trustee for a special needs...

Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.) introduced the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act of 2013, a bill that would allow people with disabilities to create first-party special needs trusts to hold their assets without interfering with their access to Supplemental Security Income...

In a recent New York case, an institutional trustee has been ordered to pay back a special needs trust almost $180,000 for its failure to make certain that the beneficiary qualified for available public benefits.

A bill that would allow retired military service members to name special needs trusts as beneficiaries of their Survivor Benefit Plans has been reintroduced in Congress.