Estate Planning
Special Needs
Planning
Provide for a loved one with a disability — without putting the public benefits they depend on at risk.
- Special needs trusts
- Protects public benefits
- First- & third-party options
- Coordinated with your plan
Planning with care
Support that adds to benefits, not replaces them.
Means-tested benefits like SSI and Medicaid have strict asset limits. A well-meaning gift or inheritance left directly to a person with a disability can disqualify them from the very programs they rely on.
A special needs trust solves this. It holds resources for your loved one's benefit and supplements their quality of life — while preserving eligibility for public benefits. These plans require precision, and they need to fit the rest of your estate plan.
Why it matters
What a special needs trust protects
Preserve benefits
Keep your loved one eligible for SSI, Medicaid, and other means-tested programs.
Enhance quality of life
Fund the extras benefits don't cover — therapies, equipment, recreation, and more.
Name a trustee
Appoint someone you trust to manage funds and make distributions responsibly.
Coordinate the plan
Align beneficiary designations and your trust so the inheritance flows the right way.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Why not just leave money to my child directly?
A direct gift or inheritance can push a person with a disability over the asset limits for SSI and Medicaid, disqualifying them from benefits. A special needs trust lets you provide support without triggering that loss.
What's the difference between a first-party and third-party special needs trust?
A third-party trust is funded with someone else's assets (for example, a parent's) and is the most common planning tool. A first-party trust holds the beneficiary's own assets — often from a settlement or inheritance — and has additional rules, including potential Medicaid payback. We'll determine which fits.
Who should be the trustee?
Someone responsible and detail-oriented, since distributions must be handled carefully to protect benefits. Many families pair a trusted individual with a professional trustee for the technical side.
Plan for a loved one's lifelong security
A free 15-minute call to talk through your family's situation and the right structure to protect them.