Monthly Archives: October 2015

A Delicate Balance – How Working Affects Public Benefits

By Jefferey Yussman, Esq. Employment is an important road to independence and self-esteem. But some individuals with disabilities worry that accepting a job offer will disqualify them for means-tested benefits, such as SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Income). Since such programs may be the bedrock of their financial security, what happens [...]

2024-02-28T08:40:57-05:00

Representative Payee for Social Security Benefits

The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment was written by Martha C. Brown, CELA, a Special Needs Alliance member in St. Louis, Missouri. Martha Martha Brownlimits her practice to elder law and special needs law. A Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a Certified Elder Law Attorney, Martha has been designated a Super Lawyer for the last six years. Through her numerous community presentations and continuing legal education presentations, Martha helps attorneys and the public understand and address legal issues concerning the elderly and people with disabilities. Currently Martha is participating in the statewide task force to rewrite the guardianship code in Missouri.

2024-02-29T08:52:48-05:00

Distributions from Special Needs Trusts: In Kind Distributions, Credit Cards, Gift Cards, or Debit Cards

You are the trustee of a special needs trust. Your beneficiary (Beth) lives in public housing, receives SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and MA (Medical Assistance), and has just asked you for a $200 gift card to Target so that she can buy headphones, clothes, toiletries, and some food. Remember, a special needs trust (SNT) is [...]

2024-04-16T12:06:32-04:00Tags: |

Roundup: Special Needs Trusts/Vets with Disabilities/Medicare

SNA attorneys have ongoing involvement with the wide-ranging issues faced by individuals with disabilities, their families and the professionals who serve them. Below is a sampling of posts from member blogs and newsletters. Mother's Gifts to Children Create Dispute over Special Needs Daughter When planning for the longtime financial security of a child with disabilities, it's best [...]

2021-07-20T16:06:55-04:00

Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome: A Little-Understood Disability

By Emma Hemness, CELA Before representing the Special Needs Alliance (SNA) at the Glut1 Deficiency Syndrome Foundation's annual conference in Orlando, I knew very little about the disease being discussed. Unfortunately, my lack of awareness wasn't unusual. According to the National Institutes of Health, since first identified in 1991, only a few hundred cases of [...]

2022-11-24T09:14:32-05:00