THE VOICE

Privacy, Consent, and Data Security: What Everyone Should Know Before Providing Sensitive Information in AI Tools

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 [...]

2026-09-08T16:33:39-04:00Tags: |
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AI as a Support Tool: Practical Help for Caregivers, Families, and People with Disabilities

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 [...]

2026-08-03T14:17:54-04:00Tags: , |
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ABLE Accounts: What Families Should Know

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 [...]

2026-08-03T14:24:00-04:00Tags: , |
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Tax Considerations When Moving to Another State

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 [...]

2026-06-25T11:29:00-04:00Tags: , |
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Voting Rights & Safeguarding Democracy

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 [...]

2026-07-07T17:33:43-04:00Tags: |
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Opening the Outdoors: Accessible Trails and the Promise of Inclusive Nature

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 [...]

2026-07-30T20:44:08-04:00
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What, Where, Why, and When must a Special Needs Trust Be Reported to Government Agencies?

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 [...]

2026-07-30T22:07:12-04:00Tags: |
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Milestone Ages in Special Needs Planning: Key Considerations at Ages 18 and 21

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 [...]

2026-07-14T17:43:13-04:00Tags: , |
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What Happens To My Child’s Social Security Benefit Upon Marriage?

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, [...]

2026-07-30T22:10:52-04:00Tags: |
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HOTMA and Section 8: What Attorneys and Trustees Need to Know

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 [...]

2026-07-30T22:14:28-04:00Tags: , |
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Inter Vivos vs Testamentary Special Needs Trust: How to Choose?

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 [...]

2026-07-30T22:35:14-04:00Tags: , |
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Five Ways to Avoid Conflict When Caring for an Elderly or Infirm Loved One

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 [...]

2026-07-31T11:42:27-04:00Tags: |
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Emergency Preparedness for People With Disabilities

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 [...]

2026-07-31T11:51:33-04:00Tags: , |
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Understanding Powers of Attorney for Adult Children with Disabilities

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 [...]

2026-07-31T11:53:09-04:00Tags: , , |
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The Fundraiser Dilemma: Supporting Individuals with Disabilities Without Jeopardizing Public Benefits

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 [...]

2026-07-31T11:59:57-04:00Tags: , , , , |
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