Are You Disabled? Do you have a Disabled Child? If so, did you know an inheritance could cost you your benefits?

People with disabilities have special needs. Often the person on disability relies on certain governmental benefit programs such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for support and medical insurance. These programs have strict income and asset eligibility requirements. A well intended inheritance could in fact cause the person to lose important benefits. Proper planning can avoid these problems.

In our office, we often have parents of a disabled child tell us that they plan to disinherit the disabled child and leave their estate to another “well” child whom they expect will “look after” the disabled child. While these parents have good intentions, this can be a recipe for disaster. The healthy child has no obligation of support for the disabled child and could, without any legal consequences, keep all of the inheritance.

Parents will then tell us “my child would never do that.” But then we ask: what if your child gets divorced, dies, is disabled or is in a car accident? The money could then be lost through no fault of the well child. Are you willing to take this chance when there is a safer solution?

The safer solution is to create a Supplemental Needs Trust (SNT) for the benefit of the disabled child. In the parent’s Will or Trust the parent leaves the disabled child’s share to the SNT rather than directly to the disabled child. The funds in a properly crafted SNT should not disqualify the disabled child from benefits. The funds should then be available to help pay for services and “extras” not paid for by the programs. It creates a nest egg for the disabled child and should be protected from the claims of the Trustee’s creditors.

For example, Mom and Dad, in their Wills, leave $50,000 to a SNT created by them for the benefit of their child, Mary, who has Down’s Syndrome and is dependent upon Medicaid for her health insurance. The Trust assets should not disqualify Mary and can be used to pay for things such as extra medical care not covered by Medicaid, or a vacation, or clothing, or perhaps even a car! After Mary dies, any money remaining in the trust will be paid out to whomever Mom and Dad designated when they created the SNT.

A competent elder and special needs attorney can guide families through the difficult issues to create an estate plan that follows the family’s wishes, cares for the disabled individual properly and allows for continuation of government benefits. If you have a loved one dependent on government benefits for support, we encourage you to call our office because we have experience in special needs.

Five Planning Pointers for Parents with Disabled Children

Buy enough life insurance.  A parent is irreplaceable, but someone will have to fill in if the worst happens. It may be siblings or other relatives. In all likelihood, the family will have to pay for at least some services the parent or parents had provided when able. If the estate is not large enough for this purpose, it can be made large enough through life insurance proceeds. Premiums for second-to-die insurance (which pays off only when the second of two parents passes away) can be surprisingly low.

Set up a trust.  Any funds left for a child with special needs, whether from an estate or the proceeds of a life insurance policy, should be held in trust for his or her benefit. Leaving money for anyone with a special need may jeopardize public benefits. Many people with special needs cannot manage funds — especially large amounts. Some families disinherit children with special needs, relying on their siblings to care for them. This approach is fraught with potential problems. Siblings can be sued, get divorced, disagree on their responsibilities, or run off with the funds. It can also cause tax problems for the siblings. The best approach is a trust fund set aside for the child with special needs.

Create a Will and appoint a guardian. While a Will and the appointment of a guardian is important for anyone with minor children, it is doubly so if the child has special needs. Finding the right guardian can be difficult. In some cases, the care needs of the child may be so demanding that he or she will need a different guardian from his or her siblings. The parents need to make these determinations while they can. The Will is the vehicle for the appointment of a guardian.

An adult child may also require a guardian when the parent can no longer serve in this role (whether officially appointed or not). It will probably not be legally possible to officially appoint a successor guardian once the parent is out of the picture. So, it may make sense to begin making the transition to a new guardian while the parent is able to assist in the process. This can be in the form of a co-guardianship, or passing the baton to a successor guardian.

Write down the care plan.  All parents caring for children with special needs are advised to write down what any successor caregiver would need to know about the child and what the parent’s wishes are for his or her care. Should the child be in a group home, live with a sibling, be on his or her own? Usually, the parent knows best, but needs to pass on the information. The memo or letter can be kept in the attorney’s files with the parent’s estate plan.

Coordinate with other family members. Even a carefully developed plan can be sabotaged by a well-meaning relative who leaves money directly to the child with a special need. If a trust is created for the benefit of the child, grandparents and other family members should be told about it so that they can direct any bequest they may like to leave to that child through the trust.