Incoming president plans to explore how artificial intelligence can serve clients and members while keeping advocacy and legal judgment at the heart of the Alliance’s work. MOUNT SINAI, N.Y. — October 28, 2026 — The Special Needs Alliance (SNA), a national organization of attorneys dedicated to disability and public benefits law, has announced its leadership [...]
Vienna, Va. — The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) and the Special Needs Alliance (SNA) — the nation’s leading organizations dedicated to planning for individuals with disabilities, their families, and public benefits law — are recognizing National Special Needs Law Month this October by highlighting the importance of home and community-based services (HCBS). [...]
Originally published in 2021 by SNA member Scott Suzuki and updated by Scott in 2026. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that more than 7 million United States residents moved to a different state over the past year. (See US Census Data Set 2023 American Community Survey 1-year Estimates, State-to-State Migration Flows.) Moving can be a [...]
This article was written by SNA member Mark Munson, CELA of Ruder Ware LLSC in Wausau, Wisconsin. Serving Wisconsin and South Dakota, the firm specializes in special needs planning, estate planning and government and public benefits. Families with closely held business interests and special needs family members will often want to incorporate special needs planning [...]
Originally published in March 2020, the original version of this Voice® article was written by SNA member Leonard Anderson. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original author’s work, with revisions by Latisha Bernard Schuenemann. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a means-tested federal program that provides cash assistance to individuals [...]
This article was written by SNA member Jennifer Marie McInerney of the McInerney Law Firm in Vestavia, Alabama. The firm’s primary practice areas include special needs planning, wills and trusts, estate administration, trust administration, guardianships, and conservatorships. If you're caring for a family member with a disability, or navigating Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), an [...]
Originally published in April 2024, this issue of The Voice® was is co-authored by SNA members Jennifer Crane and May-Lis Manley of Landsman Law Group. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original authors’ work, with revisions by Scott Suzuki. People may want to move for a variety of reasons. [...]
This article was written by Matthew Smith of Elder Law Lawyers McClelland & Associates, PLLC in Lexington, KY. Serving Lexington and northern Kentucky, the firm specializes in special needs trusts and administration, estate planning, adult guardianship, and STABLE/ABLE accounts. Most of the conversation about artificial intelligence swings between two extremes: it will change everything, or [...]
Originally published in May 2021, the original version of this Voice® article was written by SNA member Sandra Smith, CELA. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original author's work, with revisions by Jenn Crane. Federal employees may be able to provide government survivor benefits for their children with special [...]
This article was written by SNA member Laura Silver Traiger, a partner at Starr Traiger LLP in Worcester, Massachusetts, who concentrates her practice on the legal issues facing older and disabled clients, including estate and Medicaid planning, public benefits protection, special needs trusts, guardianships/conservatorships, and estate administration. Saving money for a family member with a [...]
Originally published in September 2022, this issue of The Voice® was originally written by SNA member Hyman Darling. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original authors’ work, with revisions by Scott Suzuki. This article will discuss some of the tax issues related to a person with a disability moving [...]
Safeguarding Democracy: The Maryland Case Shaping Voting Rights for People with Disabilities This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Elena Sallitto, CELA of Stavely & Sallitto Elder Law, LLC in Annapolis, Maryland. Serving all of Maryland, the firm focuses on special needs planning, guardianship, estate planning and Medicaid and asset protection. Voting [...]
Originally published in July 2019, the original version of this Voice® article was written by former SNA member Lee Holmes. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original authors’ work, with revisions by Jenn Crane. Divorce is often a particularly stressful time for families. When divorcing parents have a child [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Tara Anne Pleat, CELA, with Wilcenski & Pleat PLLC in Clifton Park and Queensbury, NY. The firm serves clients in the Greater Capital Region north through the Adirondacks and focuses on special needs estate planning and trust administration, traditional trusts and estates law, and long [...]
Originally published in August 2020, the original version of this Voice® article was written by SNA member Emily Kile. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original authors’ work, with revisions by Latisha Bernard Schuenemann. One of the most common questions attorneys are asked after drafting a Special Needs Trust [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA Fiduciary Counsel Member Judith Bomster of Cambridge Trust Wealth Management in Manchester, NH, and SNA Sponsored Member Alisha Cahall of Morneau Law in Nashua, NH. Families supporting a child with disabilities often describe the transition to adulthood as both meaningful and challenging. Turning 18 and 21 [...]
Originally published in June 2022, the original version of this Voice® article was prepared by attorneys practicing with retired SNA member Charlene Quade. The article was updated in 2026 with appreciation and gratitude for the original authors’ work, with revisions by Scott Suzuki. Marriage is a significant event in a person’s life, accompanied by excitement, [...]
Have You Heard About HOTMA? Eligibility Rules Are Changing for Subsidized Housing This issue of the Voice was written by SNA member Emily Starr, CELA, of Starr Traiger LLP in Worcester, Massachusetts. Serving central Massachusetts, her firm specializes in special needs planning, estate and trust administration, guardianship and conservatorship, estate planning, and elder law. The [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Angela Macey-Cushman of Macey-Cushman & Reilly, PLLC in Edmonds, WA. Her firm specializes in special needs trusts, long-term care planning, estate planning, and administration and settlement trusts. A Special Needs Trust (SNT) for a loved one is a wonderful way to provide support without endangering [...]
This issue of the Voice was written by SNA member Twyla Sketchley, B.C.S. of the Sketchley Law Firm, P.A. in Tallahassee, Florida. She specializes in guardianship, elder law, fiduciary representation, estate planning, and the prevention and maltreatment of elders and people with disabilities. Caring for elderly or infirm loved ones is difficult. It can bring [...]