• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.

Attorneys & Counselors

Call Now: (281) 759-3213

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS
LP Payment button
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • About The American Academy
    • Advantages of Working With Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • Mission Statement
    • Multimedia
    • Published Books
    • The Academy Fellow Designation
  • Services
    • Asset Protection & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
      • Are You A Caregiver
      • Coping With Alzheimer’s
      • Guardianship & Conservatorship
      • Hospice Care
      • Emergency Medicaid & Nursing Home Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Veteran’s Benefits
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • Incapacity Planning
    • IRA & Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration & Probate
  • Seminars
  • Testimonials
    • Client Testimonials
    • Representative Clients
    • Review Us
  • Resources
    • Areas We Serve
      • Baytown
      • Conroe
      • Galveston
      • Houston
      • Pasadena
      • Woodlands
      • West University Place
    • Elder Law Reports
    • Elder Law Resources
      • Galveston Elder Law
      • Houston Elder Law
      • Sugar Land Elder Law
      • West University Place Elder Law
      • Woodlands Elder Law
    • Estate Planning Resources
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top Estate Planning Techniques
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Avoidance Tax Planning
      • Avoiding Probate
      • Business Succession Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Elder Law
      • Estate Planning
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • IRA and Retirement Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Living Trusts
      • Medicaid
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Planning
      • Pet Planning
      • Power of Attorney
      • Probate
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Trusts
      • Veterans Benefits
      • Wills
    • LGBTQ Resources
    • Probate Resources
      • Houston Probate
      • Sugarland Probate
      • Woodlands Probate
      • West University Place Probate
    • Probate & Trust Administration Resources
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Special Needs Resources
    • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BLOG
Home » Special Needs Planning

Special Needs Planning

Planning for the future is important for every parent; however, if you are the parent of a child with special needs the planning ahead takes on an even greater importance. Like most parents, you may wish to support your child, both financially and emotionally, throughout your lifetime. You may also hope to pass assets down to your child when you are gone. If your child has special needs, however, providing financial support once he/she reaches adulthood or passing down assets in your estate plan could do more harm than good if you don’t plan accordingly. At The Mendel Law Firm, L.P. we understand your dilemma and are here to help by showing you how to incorporate Special Needs Planning into your comprehensive estate plan.

Why Is Special Needs Planning Necessary?

As you likely already know, raising a child with special needs can be costly. As a parent, you want your child to have the brightest – and most independent – future possible. That often requires expensive medical care, therapy, and specialized equipment. Fortunately, many children with special needs do grow up to live fairly independent and self-sufficient lives. Most, however, will continue to need some type of ongoing medical and/or therapeutic care as adults. The good news is that programs such as Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) can help offset the cost of that care for your child’s entire adult life. The bad news is that once your child reaches adulthood, he or she will have to qualify for those assistance programs and any financial help you give your child could jeopardize his/her eligibility. Special Needs Planning anticipates this very dilemma and plans accordingly.

The Special Needs Trust

Most state and federal assistance programs limit the value of assets an applicant can own for eligibility purposes. Therefore, any financial help you give your adult child or any direct gifts you make, during your lifetime or at the time of your death, could disqualify your child for much needed assistance. For many parents in your position, a Special Needs Trust is the answer. Also referred to as a Supplemental Needs Trust, a Special Needs Trust is a special type of irrevocable living trust that allows you to designate assets to be used for the care and maintenance of an individual with special needs without the risk of losing eligibility for state and federal assistance programs. The trust assets may only be used to provide supplemental care over and above that which is provided by programs such as Medicaid and SSI. Because very specific language must be used for a trust to be recognized as a Special Needs Trust, it is imperative that you work closely with an experienced Special Needs Planning attorney during the creation of your trust.

Contact Us

At the Mendel Law Firm, L.P. we are committed to helping you incorporate Special Needs Planning strategies and tools into your comprehensive estate plan to ensure that your child is well cared for without risking eligibility for state and federal assistance programs. Contact the team today by calling (281) 759-3213 or fill out our online contact form.

Primary Sidebar

The Mendel Law Firm

Follow Us

  • FB
  • TW
  • IN
  • RSS

Plan For Your Future and Protect Your Legacy

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

HOUSTON

The Mendel Law Firm, L.P.
1155 Dairy Ashford, Suite 104
Houston 77079
United States (US)
Phone: (281) 759-3213
Fax: 281-759-3214

Map

map

Office Hours

Monday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Footer

The Mendel Law Firm

The information on this website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an
attorney-client relationship.

© 2023 Mendel Law Firm, All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys