Assured

Safe housing that meets older adults’ needs is essential to healthy aging in communities. Many seniors with low, fixed incomes struggle to balance housing expenses with the costs of health care, transportation, and groceries. Finding inexpensive, safe, and accessible...

Homelessness rates are rising among people aged 65 and over. In addition to the dangers unhoused people face on the street, there are exponential effects on their access to health care. Barriers to accessible housing mean that more seniors are exposed to deadly...

Children with disabilities need a high level of care, which can be difficult considering the fact that over 2 million health care jobs are unfilled. A recent study in Colorado showed that hiring family members as certified nursing assistants (CNAs) can be an effective...

Note: The details in this article have been provided by attorney and the Academy of Special Needs Planners National Director, Kevin Urbatsch, during the organization's 2023 meeting. Some Background: On July 29, 2016, the Housing Opportunity through Modernization Act...

Parents or other family members establishing a special needs trust for their child often want to name a professional – usually a bank, trust company, attorney, certified public accountant or non-profit – as one of the trustees of the trust in order to take advantage...

For special needs planners, the potential passage of the SECURE Act 2.0 later this year could mean many more clients will become eligible to open an ABLE savings account. ABLE to Save Month With August nearly here – marking National ABLE to Save Month – it may be an...

If you are an individual with a disability who holds an ABLE account, your annual contributions to this type of account generally must not exceed $17,000 a year, as of 2023. However, ABLE account owners who are employed can contribute their work income to this type of...

Those who obtain a workers’ compensation settlement for future medical expenses must create a Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) Account to preserve their eligibility for Medicare. This separate, interest-bearing account pays for medical costs related to the worker’s injury....

Special needs planning question: Is there any way to use the funds in your Medicare Set-Aside (MSA) trust even if you don't need further treatment for your injury? Answer: Funds in a MSA can be used to cover medical expenses set out in the MSA agreement even if the...

Trustees of special needs trusts generally have wide discretion in determining whether to distribute funds to trust beneficiaries. One of a trustee’s main concerns lies with the beneficiary’s continued eligibility for public benefits. For example, a special needs...