Setting Up a Special Needs Trust for a Disabled Relative
The simplest method of assisting the family member is an outright gift, either during lifetime or via our will. However, if the disabled individual is already receiving government benefits such as SSI (Supplemental Security Income) or Medicaid, additional assets could cause them to become disqualified from those programs. On the other hand, some programs such as SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) are not "means tested," i.e., are not affected by the assets or income of the recipient.
Since a person may not need to receive "means-tested" benefits today but may require them in the future, the safest route is to leave them your gift inside a trust. The trustee of the trust will hold your money, invest it, and distribute it to your intended beneficiary as needed, without causing disqualification from government benefits.
Such a trust is called a Special Needs Trust or Supplemental Needs Trust, since it is designed to supplement---and not replace---government benefits. It can be created today and funded with money or other assets now. Such a trust is called an "inter vivos" trust. You can serve as the trustee or permit someone else to serve as trustee; the trust can be revocable or irrevocable; and you can retain power to change the ultimate distribution of the trust assets or not. All of these decisions affect the income tax and estate tax treatment of the trust. If you choose to make the trust irrevocable, then it will have its own federal tax i.d. number and can be set up to be taxed either to you, the trust itself, or to the beneficiary.
You can also set up the trust within your will, to be funded upon your death. Such a trust is called a "testamentary trust." In this case, you will not have a separate trust document, since the terms of the trust will be contained within the will itself.
Because the rules of each state vary as to whether the terms of the trust will cause or not cause disqualification, you really must work with an experienced estate planning or elder law attorney to draft this trust for you. The attorney will be familiar with both the federal and state programs that might be of benefit at some point to your family member, what the rules are under both federal and state benefits laws, how trusts work, the different income and estate tax ramifications of each trust option, and how best to achieve your objectives.
Examples of distributions that will not cause the beneficiary to lose or have reduced government benefits:
new car
attorney/accounting services
alternative health treatments
TV, DVD player
public transportation pass
camera
computer hardware, software, internet fees
courses and classes
dental work not covered by Medicaid
fitness equipment
musical instruments
non-food grocery items
physician specialists not covered by Medicaid
utility bills
physical therapy not covered by Medicaid
vacations
The above is by no means an exhaustive list, but is only intended to give you some idea of what your gift via trust can be spent on to make your family member's life so much better, without causing disqualification. As you can see, your gift will have wide-ranging benefits for your family member and will improve their quality of life for many years.
Related Tags: disabled, trust, special needs trust, supplemental needs trust
© 2007 by K. Gabriel Heiser
Attorney K. Gabriel Heiser has devoted his legal practice to Medicaid planning, elder law, and estate planning for the last 23 years.
NOTE: For more information on this topic and other Medicaid planning techniques, see http://www.MedicaidSecrets.com, which describes an exciting new 256-page book written by attorney Heiser, "How to Protect Your Family's Assets from Devastating Nursing Home Costs: Medicaid Secrets." You don't have to go broke to get Medicaid to pay your nursing home bills, you just have to know the rules and planning techniques. For the first time ever, you can learn the inside secrets of high-priced estate planning and elder law attorneys, in attorney Heiser's new book.
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