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.
Ensuring that Structured Settlements Meet Plaintiff Needs
This post was written by Tara Anne Pleat, Esq., Wilcenski Pleat Law, with offices in Clifton Park and Queensbury, New York. Her practice includes special needs planning and administration, traditional estate planning and elder law.
Guardianship Should Be a Last Resort
This post was written by former Special Needs Alliance president Katherine N. Barr, Esq., a member of Sirote & Permutt’s Private Clients, Trusts and Estates Practice Group, Birmingham, Alabama. Much of her practice involves special needs planning, through which she assists clients in providing for a family member in a way that does not jeopardize government benefits. She is a fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC) and has been cited in The Best Lawyers in America©.
Full Funding of the IDEA Critical for Our Children
By Linda M. Gorczynski, Esq. It's critical that we get increased funding for special education services in order to meet the needs of students with disabilities and achieve compliance with [...]
Letter of Intent Gives Valuable Advice to Future Caregivers
By Glynis A. Ritchie, Esq. Parents of children with special needs have lots on their plates. When it comes to estate planning, the tasks at hand can be complicated, and [...]
How In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Affects Benefits
By Martha C. Brown, CELA Special needs trusts (SNTs) are established to supplement the benefits that individuals with disabilities receive from government programs, such as Medicaid and SSI (Supplemental Security [...]
Looking Ahead: Transition Planning for Life After School
By Sage C. Hart, Esq. High school graduation is a milestone for any student, but when a young adult has disabilities, it ushers in a period of even greater change. [...]
Bullying and Kids with Disabilities
By Judith L. Smith, Esq. Bullying in its many forms is a serious, all-too-common problem, and social media has moved this abuse online. The bullying may involve insults, threats or [...]
Wings for All® Takes the Fear Out of Flying
Barbara Hughes, center, Vice President of The Arc Dane County, chaired the stunningly successful event. From left, Danielle Sendelbach and Bianca McCormick from Barbara’s office were two of the many [...]
Preparing for Dementia
By Sally L. Schoffstall, CELA Dementia is on the rise with the aging of baby boomers. Nearly six million individuals in the U.S. have Alzheimer’s, while others deal with cognitive [...]
Considerations Selecting a Family Trustee
By Tara Anne Pleat, Esq. It is not uncommon for parents who are creating a supplemental needs trust (SNT) for a loved one with disabilities to assume that naming one [...]
Mother and Son Activists Shared Story in Far from the Tree
Emily Kingsley and son Jason are prominently featured in Andrew Solomon’s Far from the Tree, recognized by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2012, [...]
Obstacles Remain to Exercise of Voting Rights by Individuals with Disabilities
By Emily A. Donaldson, CELA As mid-term elections approach, the stakes are high for individuals with disabilities. Budget battles are being waged at every level of government, threatening Medicaid, SSDI, [...]
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 [...]