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Three Ways to Avoid a Reduction in SSI Benefits Due to In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM)

This issue of The Voice® is written by SNA member Rachel Trafton, Esq. of Maine Elder Law Firm LLC in Bangor, Maine. The firm focuses exclusively on the legal needs of aging Mainers and people with disabilities, including special needs planning, long-term care planning and estate and trust administration.

Recommended Books for the Special Needs Community: If You Could Take A Pill To Become Typical, Would You?

This issue of The Voice® was prepared by SNA member Laurie Hanson, with Northwoods Law Group, P.A., in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The firm focuses on issues specific to aging and clients living with a disability and serves clients based in the twin cities and throughout the state, including populations in Grand Marais and the Walker/Brainerd lakes area.

2024-01-21T19:24:05-05:00Tags: |

SNA 2020 Public Policy Initiatives

The Voice® is the e-mail newsletter of the Special Needs Alliance (SNA). This installment was written by a consortium of members of the SNA’s Public Policy Committee. The Public Policy Committee through our public policy consultant, Brian Lindberg, work with members of Congress and congressional staff to educate and advocate on issues of importance to individuals with disabilities and their families. Beginning with this installment, the Public Policy Committee will author periodic issues of the Voice® to introduce our readers to the Public Policy efforts the SNA is directly involved in.

2024-01-21T19:38:23-05:00Tags: |

In-Kind Support and Maintenance – A Trap for the Unwary

This edition of the Voice is written by Leonard Anderson, Esq. Leonard is a Partner at Barlow Anderson, LLC in Anchorage, Alaska, where he has been practicing in the elder law field for more than 25 years. He is a member the Special Needs Alliance and his practice areas include probate, estate planning, guardianships, special needs planning, and trusts. He is a past president of the Anchorage Bar Association and is a member of the Probate Rules Committee for State of Alaska.

2023-08-14T10:53:01-04:00Tags: |

Recommended Books for the Special Needs Community, Second Installment

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Laurie Hanson, Esq., a shareholder in the Minneapolis, Minnesota elder law firm of Long, Reher, Hanson, & Price, P.A. The firm’s focus is to provide individuals who are aging or living with disabilities positive strategies to live as independently as possible for as long as possible. Laurie concentrates her practice exclusively in the areas of government benefit eligibility, special needs trusts, trust and public benefit litigation, estate planning and planning for incapacity. She is a past president of the Elder Law Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association, a member of the SNA board of directors, and is repeatedly named a super lawyer in the field of elder law by her peers.

2022-03-08T12:03:46-05:00

Filing a Tax Return for a Special Needs Trust: What a Trustee Needs to Know at Tax Time

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment of The Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Tara Anne Pleat, Esq.. Tara is a founding partner of the law firm of Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC in Clifton Park, New York. She practices in the areas of Special Needs Planning, Elder Law, and Trust and Estate Planning and Administration. Tara writes and lectures frequently on issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families.

2022-05-19T09:46:31-04:00

Political Advocacy by Parents of Children with Disabilities

This issue of the Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Lois M. Zerrer. Lois has practiced Elder and Special Needs Law in Springfield, Missouri for over thirteen years and speaks frequently on these topics for Special Needs professionals and families.

2022-03-08T12:15:12-05:00

Bullying of the Special Needs Child and What Parents Can Do

Any child can be a victim of bullying or harassment, but research has shown that children with special needs are both more likely to be bullied or harassed and also more likely to be seriously harmed by it. In addition, children with special needs may be less likely to be able to seek help to [...]

2022-03-15T11:01:06-04:00

Tax Tips for Parents of a Child with Special Needs

This issue of the Voice was written by Robert B. Fleming, CELA, a founding member of the Special Needs Alliance and a partner in the Tucson, Arizona, law firm of Fleming & Curti, PLC. Mr. Fleming represents family members who are guardians, conservators or trustees; he also frequently acts as trustee of special needs trusts. He travels and speaks extensively on taxation and trust administration issues. His website is at https://elder-law.com/.

2023-08-02T12:07:09-04:00Tags: |

Using Private Trustees to Administer Special Needs Trusts

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance members Gregory Wilcox of Berkeley, California, and Dennis M. Sandoval, CELA of Riverside, California. Greg's firm focuses on government benefits and estate planning for the elderly and for individuals with disabilities. He is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (CELA); co-author of Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration and of California Elder Law Resources, Benefits, and Planning; and a board member of California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR) in San Francisco. Dennis M. Sandoval, PLC, in Riverside, California specializes in estate planning for families with special needs loved ones. He is a member of the Special Needs Alliance and the only attorney in California with certifications as a Certified Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Specialist, Certified Taxation Law Specialist and Certified Elder Law Attorney. He is also the Director of Education for the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys and a co-author of Special Needs Trusts: Planning, Drafting, and Administration.

2024-01-31T09:42:05-05:00

Is a Qualified Disability Trust Appropriate?

The Voice is the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Elizabeth L. Gray, Esq., of the Fairfax, Virginia law firm of Cossa, Gray and O'Reilly, PLC, where she focuses her practice on special needs planning, elder law and general estate planning and administration. Elizabeth writes and lectures frequently on issues affecting seniors, individuals with disabilities and their families. She has been recognized as one of the best attorneys in Washingtonian Magazine and Northern Virginia Magazine and has been selected as a Super Lawyer for Washington D.C. and Virginia.

Readers of this article are referred to the January 24, 2012 issue of The Voice, "A Short Primer on Trusts and Taxation" by Special Needs Alliance members Barbara S. Hughes and Tara Anne Pleat, that they may want to review in conjunction with this article.

2023-03-09T11:20:54-05:00Tags: |

The Other Special Need: Planning for Those with Severe Mental Illness

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of the Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Special Needs Alliance member Shawn Majette, Esq. of Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Majette was recently named to Virginia Lawyers Media 2010 class of Leaders in the Law. This program, now in its fifth year, aims to honor the lawyers who are setting the standard for other lawyers. Mr. Majette has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America in Elder Law since 2007. He is also an active member of NAELA and was recently the focus of the organization's magazine cover story, The Magician of Elder Law. Mr. Majette's many articles can be found on the t-mlaw.com website. Involuntary Civil Commitment is one of the most recent posted online.

2022-11-25T10:25:18-05:00Tags: |

Taxes and Special Needs Trusts

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Lisa Nachmias Davis, CELA and Shawn L. O'Sullivan, who practice law in New Haven Connecticut as two-thirds of the firm Davis O'Sullivan & Priest LLC. Lisa is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Shawn has handled trust accounting and tax returns for over twenty-five years. Lisa is a member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national organization committed to helping individuals with disabilities, their families, and the professionals who represent them.

2024-03-13T09:36:18-04:00Tags: |

Fixing a Flawed Special Needs Estate Plan

You are reading The Voice, a newsletter published by The Special Needs Alliance. Our purpose is to provide information--and answers--about special needs planning for family members and professionals. We hope this newsletter helps you. We would love to hear your questions, suggestions and comments; please feel free to e-mail us. We also encourage you to forward our newsletter to others who might benefit from the information here, or who might have similar questions.

2022-11-03T14:53:46-04:00Tags: |

Non-Profit Organizations as Trustees of Special Needs Trusts

You are reading The Voice, a newsletter published by The Special Needs Alliance. Our purpose is to provide information--and answers--about special needs planning for family members and professionals. We hope this newsletter helps you. We would love to hear your questions, suggestions and comments; please feel free to e-mail us. We also encourage you to forward our newsletter to others who might benefit from the information here, or who might have similar questions.

2021-01-08T12:32:52-05:00