When you are the parent or guardian of a child with special needs, talking to educators about the best way to support your child’s learning journey through an Inidualized Education Plan (IEP) can feel daunting. Approaching these meetin... Continue

Mental illness is the most common disability in the U.S. Twenty percent of the adult population experiences mental illness annually.  For minors, ages six to 17, the number is one in six. Virtually everyone has a family member or frien... Continue

The sexual abuse of persons with disabilities remains largely unrecognized, unprosecuted, and unpunished, and there is little awareness of this shocking crime. For many parents or guardians of iniduals with disabilities, whether minors o... Continue

Every parent experiences some anxiety as they prepare to send their child to college, but for parents of children with disabilities, those anxious feelings can grow exponentially. Most young adults will start the process by researching po... Continue

Special needs trusts (SNTs) are often used to help beneficiaries receive income without jeopardizing their receipt of benefits. The trust’s distributions are used to enhance the beneficiary’s quality of life. The distributions can be us... Continue

Special Needs Alliance is a nationwide network of attorneys who specialize in helping families and iniduals with special needs. One of the most valuable resources on their website is the "Find an Attorney" page, which allows you to locat... Continue

The Special Needs Alliance (SNA) and ABLE National Resource Center (ANRC) have agreed to collaborate on efforts to educate iniduals with disabilities, their families and other stakeholders on how ABLE accounts and special needs trusts (S... Continue

Special needs trusts (SNTs) provide a plethora of benefits for beneficiaries requiring care and assistance programs. Yet, with one of the possible disqualifying distributions being care and medical assistance, there is a gray area in some j... Continue

Traditionally, turning 65 has been synonymous with retirement. For those with family members receiving benefits from Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security, a review of their benefits before they turn 65 will be important.

Supplemen... Continue

Clients come to Special Needs Alliance (SNA) attorneys when facing difficult challenges due to an unexpected diagnosis or catastrophic accident. They are likely frustrated, distraught, and overwhelmed, navigating the labyrinth that is speci... Continue

You may already know what a special needs trust is. Many parents understand that its primary purpose is to retain assets for a child with special needs while preserving the child’s means-tested benefits, such as SSI and Medicaid. Frequent... Continue

The shortage of qualified caregivers is of no surprise to care partners, including people with disabilities, older adults, and those in their circle of support. Headlines such as “Nationwide Caregiver Shortage Felt By Older Adults” or �... Continue

When you’re looking for guidance on planning and providing for a loved one with disabilities, choosing an attorney is a crucial step. Of course, you’ll want someone with education and experience in the field. But selecting an attorney w... Continue

On the heels of a child with special needs biggest milestone of becoming an adult at eighteen (18) comes the next and arguably more challenging milestone – life after turning twenty-two (22)*. Last November, SNA member Margaret Graham. Es... Continue

Every parent of two or more children will tell you that each child is different. Each may live in the same home with the same guardian(s) or parent(s), but they have vastly different needs. For example, one child may have been diagnosed wit... Continue