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Updated August 2026
Special Needs Trusts: Planning an Inheritance with Public Benefits in Mind
How thoughtful trust and beneficiary planning can support a loved one without overlooking benefits that use income or resource limits.
Read this guidePractice Area 02
Special Needs Planning
Planning for a loved one with a disability should protect more than eligibility. A thoughtful plan can coordinate resources, future caregivers, decision-makers, and quality-of-life goals while accounting for means-tested benefits that may be affected by ownership or control of assets.
How We Help
Start with the right questions.
Special needs planning helps families plan ongoing support for a loved one with a disability. We help families consider special needs trusts, beneficiary choices, and trustee succession in light of their loved one’s needs and goals.
- 01How can gifts or inheritances be coordinated with means-tested benefits?
- 02What is the difference between a third-party and first-party special needs trust?
- 03Who should serve as trustee and as a successor decision-maker?
Special Needs Planning Legal Guides
Learn the basics before the conversation.
These articles provide general information and a starting point for questions to discuss with an attorney about your circumstances.
Discuss your next step