Financial Help for Parents of Special-Needs Children
By Elizabeth O’Brien, The Wall Street Journal
I Just Want to Raise My Child:
Discrimination Against Parents with Disabilities By Robert L. McClelland, CELA The National Center on Parents with Disabilities estimates that at least 4.1 million Americans with children under 18 (6.2 percent) have disabilities of their own. Every day, in countless ways, those moms and dads battle deep-rooted stereotypes as they take on that toughest of jobs [...]
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.
Tips for Negotiating the Best IEP
By Linda M. Gorczynski, Esq. For many families, negotiating for their child’s special ed services is highly stressful. So much depends on a young student’s getting the tools to prepare for adulthood. By law, every child with disabilities is entitled to a “free and appropriate” public education (FAPE), but coming to agreement on exactly what [...]
Finding Out Your Power of Attorney Is Powerless
By Paula Span, New York Times
Roundup: Family Case Study/Modified Curriculums/Paying Home Care Workers
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. Family Case Study Planning for the long-term needs of a loved one with disabilities is a big job. Check out this case study about [...]
Bipartisan Policy Center Recommends Long-Term Care Innovations
By Robert F. Brogan, CELA It was in late 2013 that the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), led by former Senators Tom Daschle (D) and Bill Frist (R), began studying the financing and delivery of long-term care. It took only a few months for them to assess the problem's scope. Long-term care is costly in the [...]
Vote!
By The Arc "Vote as if your life depends on it," Justin Dart, Jr., the disability rights pioneer often known as the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, implored us, "Because it does." Our core values call us to focus on voting during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in this critical election year. The Arc's [...]
Income Taxes and Special Needs
This installment of the Voice was written by Robert B. Fleming, CELA. Robert is a partner in Fleming & Curti, PLC, a Tucson law firm focusing on special needs planning, trust administration, guardianship/conservatorship and estate planning. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and also of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been a member of the Special Needs Alliance since its founding, and was one of the original co-authors of the SNA's Handbook for Trustees, the free online guide to managing special needs trusts.
Strategies for Funding a Special Needs Trust
By James McCarten, Esq. With all the daily responsibilities that parents juggle when one of their children has a disability (and, therefore, special needs), it's tough to find time to plan for the future. But that's what it takes when a loved one has a disability that may affect his/her ability to be self-supporting. It [...]
Choosing Summer Camp for Kids with Disabilities
By Mary Waltari, Esq. The summer camp experience can benefit a child with special needs and parents alike, but they're likely to feel anxious ahead of time. For kids, it's fear of the unfamiliar. For parents, it's worries about having someone who doesn't really know their child suddenly take charge. But if properly researched, spending [...]
When Special Needs Kids Turn 18
By Jade Moon, MidWeek
Roundup: When You Suspect a Disability/Guardianship Mediation/Nursing Home Discharges
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. When You Suspect Your Child May Have a Disability... It can be overwhelming to realize that your child may have a disability. Read tips [...]
Katie Beckett Waiver Brings Home Care to Kids with Serious Disabilities
By Tara Anne Pleat, Esq. In many states, the Medicaid program can generally be seen as having a strong institutional bias when it comes to coverage of long-term care, forcing many families to place loved ones in skilled care facilities or similar institutional settings, despite longstanding efforts to serve individuals with disabilities in mainstream settings. [...]
A Closer Look at 529 Able Accounts
By Ann Carrns, The New York Times
Special Needs and the Affordable Care Act
Shirley B. Whitenack, Esq. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed nearly six years ago and its insurance exchanges are over two years old. How have individuals with disabilities fared under the new system, which is meant to make health coverage universally available? Improvements are undeniable, but gaps remain. While there are more options, making [...]
ABLE Account or Special Needs Trust: How to Decide?
Scott C. Suzuki, Esq., Parenting Special Needs
Long Waiting Lists for Community Services Deny ADA Rights
By Jason Frank, CELA and Jenna L. Snyder Both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Supreme Court's related Olmstead decision support an individual's right to receive long-term care in the least restrictive manner possible. Yet when families ask if Medicaid can help them pay for home and community-based services (HCBS), the answer is [...]
Trust Advisory Committees Can Guide Trustee Decisions
By B. Bailey Liipfert, III, CELA Acting as trustee for a special needs trust (SNT) is a demanding responsibility, and one person or bank trust department may not possess all the knowledge and skills needed for the job. Families sometimes create a trust advisory committee to guide professional trustees who don't know the beneficiary well, [...]
Pairing Advance Directives with Supported Decision-Making
By Michael A. Kirtland, CELA When a young person reaches the age of 18 (19 or 21 in certain states), they are legally considered an adult. For many it's an exciting threshold, full of promise. Still, they may face medical, financial and educational decisions which could benefit from the advice and assistance of others. Unless [...]