Special Needs Trust Administration

A Special Needs Trust (SNT) is created for a couple of reasons: 1) to enable a client with special needs to qualify for public benefits, and 2) to then enhance the quality of life for that client by paying for additional items beyond those provided by the public benefits. The laws governing the administration of an SNT are complex. A mistake by the trustee can disqualify the beneficiary from receiving the public benefits. The trustee can then be held liable for the loss of those benefits. Professional fiduciaries, together with the attorneys who counsel  them, are able to navigate the precarious waters of SNT administration. Parents who establish an SNT for a special-needs child need to consider who will administer the trust for the child after the parents are no longer alive or are no longer able to personally administer the trust.