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 decline related to Parkinson’s disease, stroke, Downs Syndrome or other medical conditions. The changes are often wrenching, as parents become vulnerable and adult children grieve [...]
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, Medicare and other programs that are essential to their quality of life. The Voting Rights Act of 1965, Americans with Disabilities Act and Help American [...]
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 security with an individual’s right to privacy and independence. The key is to design legal instruments that adjust to changing circumstances. Families can often predict [...]
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 fewer than half its respondents had done long-term planning for their children with developmental disabilities. Getting Started While the challenges are significant, the reality is [...]
[wp-members status="in"] Every day, SNAers work with other professionals who serve the disability community. In addition, many of our members have developed close relationships with organizations that assist their own loved ones with special needs. Below you’ll find a list of resources recommended by your colleagues. Connecticut Financial Planners Jonathan R Root, CDFATM, CRPC® [email protected] [...]
Individuals with Disabilities Can Establish Their Own Trusts By Morris Klein, CELA As of December 13, 2016, persons who are mentally capable will now be able to establish their own self-settled special needs trusts (SNTs). Incredibly, this type of trust could only be established before this date by a parent, grandparent, a guardian or a [...]
By Taylor Woodard, MPAff & MSSW, Program Associate, The Arc Janet Locke tossed her books down on the counter and got up her nerve. "Hey, Mom, there is something Lyn and I want to discuss with you and Dad. You two have done so much for Lyn all these years, making sure she had every [...]
By Jennifer L. Lile, CELA There are up to 134,000 children with "special needs" awaiting permanent homes, according to the National Adoption Center, and the demand is growing. In the context of foster care and child welfare, "special needs" refers not only to a child who has disabilities, but to children whose risk factors for [...]
By The Arc "Vote as if your life depends on it," Justin Dart, Jr., the disability rights pioneer often known as the father of the Americans with Disabilities Act, implored us, "Because it does." Our core values call us to focus on voting during Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month in this critical election year. The Arc's [...]
This installment of the Voice was written by Robert B. Fleming, CELA. Robert is a partner in Fleming & Curti, PLC, a Tucson law firm focusing on special needs planning, trust administration, guardianship/conservatorship and estate planning. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, and also of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. He has been a member of the Special Needs Alliance since its founding, and was one of the original co-authors of the SNA's Handbook for Trustees, the free online guide to managing special needs trusts.