| LISTEN TO LAWRENCE
Hello everyone,
I’m writing from Clearwater Beach, Florida, where I’m attending Stetson University College of Law’s National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts. Afterward, I’ll be joining my colleagues for the Special Needs Alliance fall meeting.
Why am I here? Because the families we serve need us to keep learning.
For parents of a child with disabilities, one question often overshadows everything else: Who will take care of my child when I’m no longer here?
Answering that question takes more than preparing a trust. It means thinking about housing, caregivers, financial security, public benefits, and the people who will carry out the plan.
This week’s program examines how those pieces fit together. We’re exploring developments affecting Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, and SSI; the rules for leaving retirement accounts to a loved one with disabilities; and the practical challenges trustees face when using trust funds
.One theme particularly interests me: how to use a special needs trust to support a person’s everyday life. Preserving benefits matters, but so do a safe home, reliable care, transportation, friendships, and opportunities for greater independence. A plan should account for all of those needs.
At the Special Needs Alliance meeting, we’ll also be examining artificial intelligence and its role in legal practice. I want to understand how these tools can help us serve families better, while maintaining the careful review, confidentiality, and personal judgment our work requires.
As a co-founder of the Special Needs Alliance, I value the opportunity to exchange ideas with colleagues who have devoted their careers to this work. We bring different experiences, discuss difficult problems, and learn from one another.
After more than 40 years in practice, I still find these conversations essential. Laws change. Families change. A plan that made sense years ago may need attention today.
If you have a loved one with disabilities, consider this a reminder to revisit your plan. Does it reflect their life today—and the support they may need tomorrow?
That is what I’m thinking about this week, and what I’ll be bringing back to our work with Long Island families.
Warmly,
Lawrence |
