Topic
Special needs planning — preserve benefits, not disinherit.
If you have a disabled beneficiary, a generic will is dangerous. The right answer is a special needs trust, and the structure matters more than the amount.
The four things to know
Quick takeaways.
Direct inheritance is the trap
Inheriting more than ~$2k disqualifies a beneficiary from SSI and Medicaid until they spend down. The will that 'helps' them ends up costing them their benefits.
Third-party SNT — your money for them
You leave assets to a trust whose trustee can spend on the beneficiary's behalf for things SSI/Medicaid don't cover. Benefits stay intact.
First-party SNT — their money
If the disabled person already has assets (settlement, accidental inheritance), a different SNT structure preserves benefits but requires Medicaid payback at death.
ABLE accounts complement SNTs
$18k/year contribution limit, $100k cap without affecting SSI. Used together with an SNT for day-to-day spending the trust shouldn't fund.
If this is you
Pick the path that matches your situation.
Ready to put this in writing?
A signed will is the foundation. Trusts and other structures build on top.