Fundamental Supplemental Needs Trust Planning

Careful planning is necessary for individuals who have heirs with special needs that qualify for means-tested public assistance. At a minimum, such a plan should include a trust that restricts distributions to any special-needs heir. Any distribution that would otherwise pass to such an heir can only be made for the heir's "supplemental needs," or those needs that are not provided by a government assistance program. This trust provision is necessary to prevent a special-needs heir on means-tested public assistance from ceasing to qualify for such assistance due receiving an inheritance.

Assets subject to a supplemental needs trust are not countable resources for purposes of determining the special-needs heir's qualification for means-tested public assistance. Accordingly, the heir can continue benefiting from their public assistance programs while maintaining the beneficial interest in a supplemental-needs trust. The trust is able to provide benefits that the heir is not already receiving from his or her public assistance program. A trust that is funded solely with assets derived from someone other than the special-needs heir is known as a third-party supplemental needs trust. After the termination of the trust, assets remaining in a third-party supplemental needs trust can be passed to other family members.

If proper planning is not undertaken and a special-needs heir does inherit assets, they have two primary options: Spend down all of the inheritance until the heir qualifies once again for the public assistance program(s), or transfer the inheritance into a first-party or self-settled supplemental needs trust. First-party supplemental needs trusts are funded with assets belonging to the individual with special needs. The key downside of a first-party supplemental needs trust is that upon the termination of the trust, the government must be reimbursed from any property remaining in the first-party trust up to the total amount of medical assistance benefits received by the beneficiary during their lifetime. Accordingly, it is much better if all family members from whom a special needs individual could possibly receive an inheritance complete an estate plan that includes supplemental needs planning provisions.

Posted in: Estate Planning,Irrevocable Trust,Medicaid