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 [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Emily R. Taylor of Emily Taylor Law in Phoenix, Arizona. Serving all areas of Arizona, her firm specializes in special needs planning, estate planning, and guardianship and alternatives. The holidays are a time for generosity, and many families want to pick out something special for [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Ashely Shannon Burke, CELA, of Burke & Pecquet, LLC in Cincinnati, Ohio. The firm focuses on special needs planning, elder law, Medicaid and estate planning. Are you ready for when disaster strikes? According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), approximately 57 percent of American [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member Michelle M. Mulvena, of Mulvena Winston PC in Stoneham, Massachusetts. The firm focuses on disability and elder law, including special needs planning, long-term care, Medicaid planning, guardianships and conservatorships, estate planning, asset protection, and trust administration. When a child with disabilities reaches the age of [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA members Thomas Begley, Jr., CELA, and Emily Schurr of the Begley Law Group in Moorestown, NJ. The firm focuses on all areas of elder and disability law, including estate planning, special needs planning, special needs trusts, personal injury settlements, Medicaid planning and applications, estate and trust [...]
This article is an updated version of one originally published in August 2014 by SNA member Ed Wilcenski of Wilcenski & Pleat, PLLC in Clifton Park, NY, and now-retired SNA member Barbara Hughes. Studies indicate that divorce rates increase with the onset of a disability. While any divorce is likely to be disruptive, when one [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA members Thomas Begley, Jr., CELA, and Emily Schurr of the Begley Law Group in Moorestown, NJ. The firm focuses on all areas of elder and disability law, including estate planning, special needs planning, special needs trusts, personal injury settlements, Medicaid planning and applications, estate and trust [...]
This issue of the Voice® is written by SNA Public Policy Advisor Brian Lindberg, Vice President of Health and Aging Policy with Healthsperien LLC in Washington, DC. We all know the real estate maxim, Location, Location, Location. But I am a public policy advisor, not a realtor, so my maxim is Relationships, Relationships, Relationships! Advocacy [...]
This issue of The Voice® was written by SNA member W. Seth Todd of Yussman Special Needs Law & Wyatt Estate Planning in Louisville, KY. His firm serves all of Kentucky and specializes in special needs law and estate planning. It’s that time of year again. If you are the trustee of a special [...]