Keep Benefits After Settlement

Special Needs Trusts

With Milestone’s guidance, plaintiffs can utilize a special needs trust to get the most from their settlement while keeping eligibility for income-based government benefits.

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Guidance on Special Needs Trusts from an Experienced Team

A special needs trust helps plaintiffs stay eligible for their means-tested benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Using settlement funds to supplement coverage, a special needs trust pays for goods and services that the government programs do not cover. This tool helps beneficiaries avoid disqualification by keeping them within the programs’ strict income limits.

special needs trust can pay for:

  • A home and its property.
  • A vehicle that is used by the beneficiary or a member of his or her household for transportation.
  • Household goods and personal effects.
  • Life insurance policies (within SSI’s combined face value limit).
  • Burial spaces for the beneficiary and his or her immediate family.
  • Burial funds for the beneficiary and his or her spouse (within SSI’s value limit).
  • Property used in a trade or business or on the job if the beneficiary works for someone else.
  • Money or property set aside under a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS).
  • Up to $100,000 of funds in an ABLE account.

Contact Milestone if your client has means-tested government benefits and is about to receive a personal injury settlement. Our team’s guidance can ensure they remain eligible.