Loud & Clear: Family Conversations is written by our member attorneys and guests for individuals with disabilities and their families. We tackle the day-to-day and long-range issues that affect the quality of life. Readers are welcome to comment on the discussion, though we can not answer legal questions here. For answers to specific legal questions, please find an attorney in our Directory.
How to Handle SSI Overpayments
By Neal A. Winston, CELA Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a monthly cash payment to qualifying individuals with disabilities, based on financial need. While it often forms the foundation of [...]
When Should a Special Needs Trust Be Updated?
By Daniel Surprenant, CELA Special needs trusts (SNTs) are financial instruments designed to enhance quality of life for individuals with disabilities by supplementing the government benefits available to them. Assets [...]
SNA and ANRC Partner on ABLE Education
The Special Needs Alliance (SNA) and ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) have agreed to collaborate on efforts to educate individuals with disabilities, their families and other stakeholders on how ABLE [...]
Five Activities to Improve Your Child’s Communication Skills
By Lisa Orlando, Invo-Progressus Communication is such a fundamental part of who we are that we can take for granted how often we use these skills. Speaking, listening, questioning and [...]
More Monitoring of Representative Payees
By Kelly A. Thompson, Esq. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has appointed millions of representative payees to manage Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) for individuals [...]
Housing: A Big Piece of Puzzle for Ensuring Your Loved One’s Future
By Desiree Kameka, Autism Housing Network As the project leader for the Autism Housing Network, I have visited over 100 residential options and social enterprises across our country. I have [...]
Planning for Mental Illness Flare-Ups
By Shawn Majette, Esq. Special needs planning for a loved one with mental illness is complicated. Symptoms tend to wax and wane. This makes it difficult to balance protection and [...]
How to Get Started with Special Needs Planning
By Kelly A. Thompson, Esq. Given packed schedules, fragmented services and lack of information, how can families get started with special needs planning? A University of Illinois study found that [...]
Staying Independent
Older Adults with Developmental Disabilities Want to Age in Place Pamela Merkle is executive director of the St. Louis-based, nonprofit Association on Aging with Developmental Disabilities (AADD). “Individuals with developmental [...]
The Impact of Tax Reform on Special Needs Planning
By James McCarten, Esq. As a 2017 holiday present to taxpayers, Congress passed tax legislation that your representatives, senators and many tax professionals have described as the most significant overhaul [...]
Dual Eligible Beneficiaries Under Medicare and Medicaid
By Amy C. O`Hara, CELA There are an estimated 11.4 million individuals receiving services through both Medicare and Medicaid. These individuals, or “dual eligible beneficiaries,” are among some of the [...]
Connecting Through Sports
By Scott Suzuki, Esq. Scott Suzuki (in white shirt) has been a Special Olympics basketball coach for over 15 years. The recent Winter Olympics reminded us that competitive athletics can [...]
Should You Transfer 529 College Savings to an ABLE Account?
By Robert B. Fleming, CELA ABLE accounts are relatively new savings options open to certain individuals with disabilities. As long as the funds are used “to improve the beneficiary’s health, [...]
Don’t Let an Emergency Find You Unprepared
By Elizabeth L. Gray, Esq. While snowstorms, fires and other disasters can plunge entire communities into chaos, the challenges for those with disabilities are often even more acute. But with [...]
Paid Family and Medical Leave: The Disability Angle
By TJ Sutcliffe, Director, Income & Housing Policy, The Arc The need for paid family and medical leave is universal. Nearly all of us at some point will need time [...]
Citizenship Status and Special Needs
By Barbara Isenhour, Esq. Citizenship issues can significantly complicate the often bewildering process of qualifying for special needs benefits. Each federal program has its own stringent citizenship regulations. In addition, [...]
Government Benefits for Vets with PTSD
By Kelly A. Thompson, Esq. While post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) occurs throughout the U.S. population, military veterans are particularly at risk. Some studies estimate that up to 30 percent of [...]
Travelers with Special Needs Learn Ins and Outs of Airports
Travel can be especially stressful for individuals with disabilities…or it can open doors. During October, members of the Special Needs Alliance participated in programs in Chicago, Houston and Phoenix that [...]
Crowdfunding Should Be Handled with Care
By Stephen W. Dale, Esq. Crowdfunding, with websites such as GoFundMe, has increasingly been used to raise money on behalf of individuals with disabilities. In such cases, family, friends and [...]
Changing Attitudes Towards Guardianship
By Scott Suzuki, Esq. Laws have to apply to everyone and this rigid standard can cause problems when dealing with the issue of "legal capacity," because capacity can’t be measured [...]