Over the past couple of years, when on social media, I have seen more and more crowdfunding and personal fundraising efforts. Crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter cut out the middleman of fundraising, allowing the person or organization in…
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) guarantees all children a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. IDEA requires that children with special needs receive individual educational plans that include specialized in-school and after school services…
Back in December of 2016, we shared the wonderful news of President Obama signing the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act into law. When announced, New York State was out of compliance with this new federal law. On May 22, 2017,…
Social Security is a retirement benefit for individuals who are working and contributing to the social security system. However, it also has a benefit for disabled workers and disabled individuals. Supplemental Security Disability Social Security Disability (SSD) is a plan…
A MOLST (Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment) form is a medical order form that tells healthcare providers a patient’s medical orders for life-sustaining treatment. The form includes medical orders and patient preferences regarding resuscitation instructions when the patient has no…
Parents of children with special needs will inevitably face the following question: Who is going to make health care and financial decisions for my child when I am unable to do so?
Planning and preparing the appropriate documentation for children with special needs will ensure protection for your loved ones.
We often see clients with concerns about loved ones who receive government benefits such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Medicaid. Since SSI and Medicaid have very strict rules as to how much money and how much income beneficiaries can…
Although legal planning documents such as a health care proxy, power of attorney, last will & testament, etc. are an important part of any estate plan, if you are the parent of a child with special needs, these standard estate planning documents may not be adequate. If your child will not be able to live independently or support him or herself as an adult, it is critical that you make special provisions in your estate plan.
Imagine a child growing up without a home or a family to call their own; Imagine a child being alone in the world. Unfortunately, this is a reality for thousands of children in the foster care system today. The majority…
Learning that your child has hearing loss can be a very emotional discovery. Parents are often overwhelmed with many emotions. They must quickly learn a great deal about how to best help their child. Oftentimes, parents don’t know where to turn…