Ruder Ware's Elder Law Team Recognizes National Special Needs Law Month - Part 2
Mental illness in the United States is more common than most people may think. More than one in five U.S. adults live with a mental illness and one in six U.S. youth aged 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year....more
A special needs trust (SNT) and an Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account each provide a tax-free way for people with disabilities to save money. Both options provide a mechanism for saving money and protecting...more
As the chair of the Elder Law Practice Group, I see a lot of issues that the firm’s clients encounter in their personal lives. As we begin the new year, I thought it appropriate to write about the areas of our practice that...more
Means-tested public benefit programs such as Medicaid (which provides health insurance and payment for skilled care andother medical expenses), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance...more
What do chocolate cake, purple hair dye, Lorrie Morgan, and Alexa have in common? On first or even second glance, most of you would find nothing that these random things have in common, unless you know a gentleman named Doug....more
ABLE accounts, new tax-free saving accounts for people with disabilities, hold great promise for special needs planning. But among the many questions surrounding ABLE plans is who can open accounts? Only the person with a...more
For families with disabled loved ones who are potentially eligible for means-tested government benefits such as Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income, estate planning can be a challenge. One potential tool is to open a...more
Governor Andrew Cuomo recently signed legislation which amends New York law to allow mentally-competent disabled individuals under age 65 to establish a first-party Special Needs Trust without court petition. ...more
In This Issue: - Social Security benefits When is the right time to begin receiving payments? - Planning ahead after a divorce - ABLE accounts benefit disabled family members - Estate planning pitfall: You chose...more
In 2014, new federal legislation was enacted to help relieve the financial strain often faced by so many individuals with disabilities or special needs. The Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (“ABLE Act”) was signed into...more
The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, a bill that would allow people with disabilities to create their own first-party special needs trusts without having to rely on others, has passed the House of Representatives by a vote...more
The Senate has unanimously approved the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, a bill that would allow people with disabilities to create their own first-party special needs trusts without having to rely on others. Now that...more
Do you know one person who is an expert in disability law, housing, medicine, social work and, on top of all that, knows all of the members of your family and how they interact with one another? If you do, this person should,...more
Although the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (or ABLE Act) was signed into law on December 19, 2014, many states have been waiting to offer ABLE accounts authorized by the Act until the IRS published regulations. The...more