Special Needs Estate Planning, Elder Law Attorney, Woodstock, GA

Families with members who have special needs that require continuing care have some estate planning options to make sure that care is provided fairly.

When an adult child has special needs that require the help and support of parents it is important to create an estate plan that makes sure that support is provided after the parents pass away. This requires an estate plan that provides for the child’s monetary needs in a way that does not disqualify the child from receiving government benefits. It also often requires creating an estate plan that provides those funds in a way that is fair to other children.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal discussed a couple of tools to accomplish these goals in “Estate Planning When You Have a Special-Needs Child.”

The tools include:

Supplemental Needs Trust – These trusts allow parents to leave assets for the care of a child with special needs, but leave those assets under the control of a trusted third-party who can make sure the assets are used appropriately and invested wisely. They also help prevent disqualification from receiving government benefits, which is often the result if a child with special needs is left a large inheritance in one lump-sum.
Life Insurance – To fund a trust for a child with special needs, parents can take out life insurance policies and make the trust the beneficiaries of the policies. This allows the parents to divide their assets between all of their children equally while providing the extra funds for the child with special needs in a way that other children will not view as unfair.

These are only two of several options for providing for child with special needs in an estate plan.

Speak with an estate planning attorney about the other options and what might be best for your family.

Reference: Wall Street Journal (March 27, 2016) “Estate Planning When You Have a Special-Needs Child.”

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