ABSTRACT
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 865 Government Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866
Social Security Disability Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866 Supplemental Security Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 866 Medicaid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 867 Medicaid Waiver Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868 Medicare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868 State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868 State-Mandated Insurance Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868
Selecting and Communicating to the Future Guardians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 868 Special Needs Trusts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 869 Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 872
All parents need to make legal and financial plans for the future. They need to determine who will take care of their children if something happens to them, who will control their children’s inheritance until the children reach a more mature age, and how taxes will impact their plans. But, it is especially important for parents of children with disabilities or special needs to make plans and not put off doing so until later. They must plan for a much longer time period, and the planning can be very complex, taking into consideration many more details, laws, and government regulations. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overall understanding of the benefits that might be available to an individual with a disability and the financial and estate planning necessary to make sure they have access to these benefits. The rules are changing all the time, and programs are regularly altered, added, and removed, so it is critical to have up-to-date information to ensure proper planning.
