SSI and SSDI

Parents of children with special needs often want to direct required distributions from IRAs following their deaths into a special needs trust (SNT) for the child. But if the trust is not set up properly, the income tax consequences can...

When care needs are significant or family members cannot be available, parents may wish to include instructions in a special needs trust for the trustee to retain a professional care manager.

It is possible to qualify for benefits from the Social Security Administration, like Supplemental Security Income (SSI), without a birth certificate.

Academy of Special Needs Planners advisory board member Patricia E. Kefalas (Patti) Dudek is featured on the cover of the new issue of the flagship publication of the the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.

An Arkansas appeals court has ruled that a father may end child support payments to his adult son with special needs after the son's move to a group home where his Supplemental Security Income (SSI) now covers his monthly expenses.

Hundreds of thousands of Social Security disability (SSD) claimants are waiting up to three years for a resolution of their disability appeals, and during the wait more and more claimants are losing their homes, filing for bankruptcy, or dying from...

A New Jersey appeals court has ruled that the father of a disabled child who did not contribute to her living costs during her lifetime is nevertheless entitled to half of her $1.1 million estate.

What expenses can't be paid by a special needs trust?...

In many cases, the trustee of a special needs trust should hire a professional investment adviser. Here are some guidelines for hiring one.