Discussing end-of-life care with a loved one who has an intellectual or developmental disability is about honoring who they are, what matters to them, and how they want to live.
Special needs trusts enable people with disabilities to receive financial support without losing eligibility for needs-based government benefits such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income.
For blended families that include a child with special needs, financial and legal planning extends well beyond the usual parental concerns. But as with all family matters, proactive planning can help.
The ever-increasing life expectancies of people with disabilities mean that comprehensive special needs planning requires short- and long-term planning.
It is very important for everyone, but especially for parents of children with special needs, to establish an organized system for conveying information about their special needs plan to the people who will be carrying it out. The best way to do this is to create a special needs planning binder.
