Planning for Your Special Needs Child, Elder Law Attorney, Woodstock, GA

If you have a child with special needs, then you know that they often need a lot of money in order to get the basic services they require. This means that you have some extra challenges to overcome in estate planning.

Caring for a child with special needs is not like caring for other children. Other children are expected to eventually be able to support themselves. However, that is not always possible for children with special needs.

Consequently, the parents of a child with special needs must have a plan to care for their child when the parents pass away.

It is not an easy task.

Recently, the New York Times published an article on this very subject titled “Tips for the Future Care of Disabled Family Members.”

The following are key points from the article:

Get Started – The first step is to just get started. You will want to make plans to provide sufficient resources and to ensure that all of your funds will not be used for your own retirement or later-in-life care.
Use New Tools – 529A savings plans may soon be available. They will allow you to save up to $100,000 for your child without jeopardizing your child’s eligibility for government benefits.
Trusts – Setting up a special needs trust with the advice of an experienced estate planning attorney is extremely helpful.
Guardians – Plan carefully to appoint your child’s guardian. It is often better to have two guardians, one to handle the finances and another to handle other matters.

Reference: New York Times (March 27, 2015) “Tips for the Future Care of Disabled Family Members.”

Hear From Our Clients

I heard Cindy’s presentation at a Senior Luncheon at my church, and was very impressed. She helped my daughter and me understand many aspects of elder law. Josh has also been very helpful in my planning to enter an independent living situation . I have told many friends about them.

- Charlotte

The very best elder law attorney and staff anyone could ever ask for! I have referred a number of clients to Cindy and she never disappoints. She is kind, caring, and extremely thorough in making sure everything is completed as it should be. I highly recommend Cindy for anyone needing lawyer services; she truly goes above and beyond for every client she helps and has had a huge impact in so many peoples’ lives. Thank you, Cindy and staff, for everything that you do- I’m so glad to know you!

- Kerri

Cindy and the Nelson Elder Care Law team are trustworthy and helpful. They are the experts in elder care law. At Leaf Cremation, we entrust our families to the care of the Nelson team when their services are needed.

- Pierce

Josh Nelson, and his staff, have been amazingly helpful to our family. The ins and outs of nursing homes, the rules and regulations that govern Medicare and Medicaid are daunting and the folks at Nelson Elder Care Law have been informative, responsive, and above all, empathetic. I cannot emphasize enough how their service has taken a weight off of our shoulders especially during a world pandemic that has targeted nursing homes across our country. I highly recommend retaining Josh and his firm!

- Marcia

I had a simple legal question to them that I needed answered and they very helpful in giving me the information I needed. I highly recommend them and will reach out to them if I need more advice or assistance. Thank you for taking your time to just answer a couple of questions I had!

- Ben