Special Needs Planning

We help individuals with disabilities and their families develop a lifetime plan to support the best possible quality of life.

This often involves creating a special needs trust (sometimes called a supplemental needs trust) to ensure continued access to public benefits. It may also include advice regarding housing options, specialized service organizations and support groups, and options for service providers for individuals with disabilities to replace family support as circumstances change.

We advise about programs such as the North Carolina Community Alternatives Program (CAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Income (SSDI), Medicare, and Medicaid.

We help families determine whether a court-appointed guardianship is appropriate.

We work with individuals who receive personal injury settlements or an unexpected inheritance to ensure their continued eligibility for public benefits. In both cases, a particular type of special needs trust may be required (sometimes called a first-party or d4A trust).

Our special needs services include:

• Third-party supplemental needs trusts
• First-party Medicaid payback (d4A) trusts
• Advice on eligibility for public benefits
• ABLE accounts consultation on personal injury settlements
• Trust modifications and decantings
• Advice for corporate and individual trustees of special/supplemental needs trusts