Read Ability Connection Colorado’s Annual Report to the Community for FY 2018! We are very excited about the accomplishments of our organization this past year. Find more information, including:
Annual reports for Ability Connection Colorado and ACCO’s HeadStart / Early HeadStart programs:
Ability Connection Colorado held its Annual Meeting for fiscal year 2018 on Friday, April 5, 2019. The well-attended meeting featured a number of speakers who shared outcomes and highlights from all of our programs as well as a review of our special events held during FY 2018. The meeting was capped off with the presentation of Ability Connection Colorado’s annual awards which recognized the outstanding contributions of key staff and community partners in a number of different categories. Special thanks to all who participated in the annual meeting and to all of our deserving award winners! Pictures from the event and a listing of award winners are summarized below.
2018 Outstanding Corporate Sponsor of the Year
The Frohlick Family
2018 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year
The Romero Family
2018 Outstanding Perseverance & Determination Award
Heather Hyatt Montoya
2018 Outstanding Special Educator of the Year
Sara Randolph
2018 Outstanding Teacher of the Year
Maria Cardoza Alvarado
2018 Employee of the Year Award
Tracie Hammons
Civic Responsibility for All: Jury Duty
When our son Aaron turned 18, he started getting pink government envelopes in the mail, and I was not thrilled.
Jury Duty summons…
In principal I support our constitutional right to a jury trial by our peers. However, I thought Aaron would not be able to serve and he would be excused.
The first time he was summoned I went through all the paperwork to get him excused (it required a couple of doctors’ notes and a description from me as to why we felt he could not serve) – it was a pain! Over the years, Aaron has received several other summons and his number has not been called; one time his number was called and we showed up at the court house but were dismissed by noon.
This fall, he got summoned again and yes, his number was required to show up. We dutifully made arrangements to appear.
Aaron didn’t remember our past experience two years ago, but I told him, “don’t worry, they won’t seat you.” Of course I had to keep explaining words, like why it is called a summons or a call, what does it mean to ‘seat’ you, etc.
We had my husband drive us so we didn’t have to deal with parking in Denver County. I accompanied him to sign in and told the clerk that he had a cognitive disability, I was his assistant and asked if they would like us to leave?
Nope. We went into the big waiting room and watched the video with the rest of the potential jurors. And then you wait.
Aaron was a bit anxious and I kept assuring him most likely we would just sit enjoying our coffee and in an hour or so they would dismiss us so we could go have lunch. If his number was called the plan was to tell the court clerk that he has a cognitive disability and surely they would dismiss him. A half hour later sure enough his number was called and I prompted him to raise his hand and say ‘Here’ like the other people whose numbers had been called.
We went out into the hallway with the rest of the potential jurors and listened to the court clerk explain what would happen next: go upstairs to courtroom number D, line up, remove our hats, be quiet & respectful, and sit in the order in which we were placed.
As we waited for our turn in the elevator I explained to the clerk that Aaron had a cognitive, as well as, a physical disability, I had guardianship and was his assistant for the day. I said he was willing to serve but would need my help and she said she would notify the judge. I figured we would never even make it into the court room.
Imagine my surprise when we were all up there and they lined him up, with me behind Aaron!
The clerk informed me that I would sit in the chair at the end of the jury box and that Aaron would sit in his wheelchair right next to me! (By the way, the jury box is NOT wheelchair accessible).
He was pretty nervous but was taking his potential responsibility very seriously. I tried to explain to him that we would still probably be excused but I would assist him with whatever was necessary. He said it felt like he was going to jail. I can understand that, but did my best to keep him calm. We were seated and the judge gave explanations, introduced the lawyers and defendant then explained different reasons people might not feel they could in good conscience serve.
When asked if we had been involved in a similar situation to the charges involved (this was a criminal trial, not a civil one) one person answered yes and was dismissed. Then a woman went up to the bench white noise began so we could not hear what was being said as lawyers from both sides discussed with her and the judge. Then she was excused and left. Next a man who works in the jail as a deputy was excused. They asked if anyone had ever testified in a trial, criminal or civil proceeding so I leaned over to Aaron and told him he needed to raise his hand to tell that he had spoken at his guardianship hearing. The judge asked him if his guardian was there with him and he said yes, his mom and pointed to me. So she asked my name, confirmed that I had guardianship and asked me to come forward with the counsels.
I was very impressed at how respectful they all were. They asked me if Aaron could understand what was being presented and listen to the witnesses. I said that if I were to translate into very simple terms that yes, he would be able to get the gist of what was going on, but that it would take time and I would have to be able to speak with him as the trial was progressing. They asked if I could be fair and non-prejudiced as I did that. I said yes, I thought that I could. He votes every year and I take the time to read through the blue book with him, giving plain English, simple translations of the various candidates and issues being voted on. The fact that he doesn’t always vote the same way as I do I think is testimony to my being fair and unbiased in those explanation.
The defense attorney asked if he could participate in jury deliberations without my participation. I said I didn’t think he would be able to grasp the possible discussions that would take place and if there was a particularly strong minded juror he could either be persuaded or bullied or he could dig his heals in and be oppositional. But that if we explained to him the significance of the deliberation process he would try his hardest to understand and come to a conclusion based upon what he heard.
I did say I thought the time needed for him to process information and his cognitive disabilities would make it a very difficult situation. Because he couldn’t do the private jury deliberations without my assistance both the defense and the prosecutor felt that was sufficient cause to excuse him. The judge agreed and everyone thanked our son and myself for being responsible and offering our service.
It was really quite an amazing experience. I was glad that two others had been excused before him so Aaron didn’t feel like he was being singled out for his disability. Ultimately he was very glad not to have to serve and we went off to a lovely lunch and I walked away marveling at how far we have come as a society that he would get
that far into the process before being dismissed.
Never miss a chance to let our sons and daughters rise to the occasion! We talked at length about our rights, our responsibilities, and our privileges as citizens and our chances to serve. I was so delighted that Aaron and I had this experience in civic responsibility!
Want to know what it is like to serve on a jury? Watch this video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNqt5NStkTY
How would you support your son or daughter if they are called to Jury Duty? Share your ideas with us by emailing: Parents@P2P-CO.groups.io
All services at Parent to Parent are provided free to families. However, we rely on donations of generous supporters like you to keep our programs going strong! Donate today at coloradogives.org/P2PCO
Thankful for the Quiet Moments
On the first day of November I always start to think about what I am thankful for – social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) is a good reminder for this as many people post daily thankful posts throughout the month. This is the first year in many that I have not been doing daily posts. As I read what my friends and family are thankful for I am struggling with a myriad of emotions.
You see, 18 months ago I struggled to say “you better call my parents” as I was being rushed away for emergency surgery bleeding to death. I woke up intubated and in restraints somehow managing to communicate that I needed a way to ask if my baby was alive. I had no idea what had happened — just that the day before I had given birth to a darling baby boy.
The days and months after as my body healed, my spirit struggled to keep up. I experienced such severe post-traumatic stress and post-partum anxiety that I could no longer live life as I had.
Life up to this point hadn’t been easy, we had a 9-year old on the autism spectrum and I had been a single mom for many years, but I was able to hold it together juggling all the balls of life. I knew how to put on my favorite red lipstick and smile as I forged through.
Now, though, I no longer had the energy for lipstick or even a shower. I could not manage to go to work as I could not manage to even wash laundry. I struggled to take care of my family or myself. I felt like we lost everything – my uterus, my job, our dream home, my sense of self.
My husband and I have spent a long time putting pieces back together, pieces that no longer fit perfectly because their edges have been frayed.
In the quiet moments (far and few between with a 9 year old and a toddler) I sit and think about how far each member of my family has come since this day that turned our lives upside down and I am thankful that we had this experience.
Pain and tragedy breaks you to pieces, but what can come from that is so beautiful.
I used to make cute little Facebook posts about being thankful for our warm beds, my wonderful job, and such. Those things no longer seem as important (though I am still incredibly grateful to have them). Now I am grateful that my children, husband and I take one more breathe, that we have one more moment together.
As we sit at our tables this Thanksgiving Day, that table may not look the way we want it to be – we may be facing extreme loss, we may be exhausted, we may just not be the best cooks. No matter what it looks like as you tackle life while being the parent of a child with a disability know this…chances are you have way more to be thankful for than what other people share.
What I have learned the past year and a half is this: Be thankful for the simple moments in life – those moments when you take a breath, when your little one (or big one) smiles at you or grasps your hand… be thankful for those quiet moments that melt your heart.
In the Spirit of THANKS and GIVING…All of us at Parent to Parent are thankful to YOU for supporting our work with over 4000 families across Colorado. With your help, last year we provided support and resources to 19,000 individuals. In this season of gratitude, please consider a donation to keep our work going strong. It’s fast and easy to give at: coloradogives.org/P2PCO
What are YOU Thankful for? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in our Online Parent Support Group by emailing: Parents@P2P-CO.groups.io
Not a P2P Member? It’s free and easy to JOIN US!
It’s Time to Vote!
Many people associate the changing of seasons, sweaters, pumpkin spice everything and football season with the fall – but sometimes we forget about the connection to civic responsibility. November is quickly approaching and so is Election Day, a day when we can all participate in the right and privilege of voting!
Eligible voters with disabilities and their family members make up an estimated 25% of the electorate across our country! As family members of people with disabilities we need to be motivated to take action on disability issues, and do what we can to support our adult children to know the issues and express their opinions by voting. Our voting rate during mid-term elections is significantly lower than during a presidential election year—which means that the 40% of people who DO vote are making decisions for all of us! What would it look like if each and every person impacted by a disability voted this year?
In Colorado, everyone has the right to vote and a variety of accommodations are available to ensure that this happens. At first glance, a ballot can look overwhelming but there are resources available that can help you and your family members work through it! The Colorado Cross Disability Coalition has a voter guide developed for people with disabilities and their families with an explanation of the major offices and issues. Rev Up publishes an issues guide that helps voters, advocates, and candidates be better informed about issues that matter to people with disabilities.
One of our P2P Moms shared what voting looks like in her family with two adult children with disabilities. “We get together for a family dinner and afterwards everyone has their ballots. We read through a voter guide and talk about the candidates and issues and answer any questions. Then everyone votes their ballot as they see best – we don’t all agree on how to vote because we have a variety of viewpoints in our family. But we all do agree on the importance of supporting each other to vote!”
Need some additional motivation? Check out these videos for information on why mid-term elections are so influential and some motivation for young people to vote!
Let’s prove that we are paying attention, let’s prove that we care about issues that impact people with disabilities! Let’s shake things up, by speaking out with our vote! The results could be historic if all 25% of us expressed our opinions and preferences this November!
The Rev Up Campaign aims to increase the political participation of the disability community while also engaging candidates and the media on disability issues. REV Up stands for Register! Educate! Vote! Use Your Power!
For additional resources about voting:
Don’t Miss the Latest Ability Connection Colorado Fall NewsletterGet caught up on all of the latest news and information from Ability Connection Colorado including:
• Program updates for Education, Employment and Support
• Wine in the Pines Special Event news
• The latest happenings at ACCO
• Colorado Gives Day
Download or view the PDF by clicking HERE.
Read Ability Connection Colorado’s Annual Report to the Community for FY 2017! We are very excited about the accomplishments of our organization this past year. Find more information, including:
Read the full report here: FY 2017 ACCO Annaul Report_web.pdf
Additional annual reports for ACCO’s HeadStart / Early HeadStart programs:
FY17HS-EHS_AnnualReport.pdf
FY17HS-EHS_AnnualReportSpanishVersion.pdf
Editor’s Introduction: We’ve all heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Variations of this quote have been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Alan Lakein, as well as others. With the New Year upon us, we often start to think of planning, setting goals and accomplishing new things. To start off our Parenting with Altitude blogs this year, we’ve asked several parents and professionals to tell us about their planning efforts in respect to financial planning and resources for their family. We’ll be publishing this series of blogs over the next several weeks with the hope that you’ll find some ideas and inspiration for planning for your family, specifically for your son or daughter with a disability or special health care need. For many working families, the Earned Income Tax Credit is a benefit that goes unclaimed. Read more about how the EITC might fit into your financial planning.
What’s Your Plan? Part 5: It’s Tax Filing Season!
The Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a federal tax credit that has been around for more than 40 years and was created to benefit workers with modest incomes. For example, a married couple with 3 children making $53,000 per year may qualify for the EITC. A single parent with 2 children making $45,000 may also qualify. The EITC survived the recent tax reform bill and continues to receive bipartisan support. This refundable tax credit for working families is worth up to about $6,300; the state of Colorado offers a 10 percent match of the federal EITC as well.
You may be eligible to claim the EITC! Many people who have children with disabilities qualify for the EITC. Generally, you may claim a relative of any age as a qualifying child if the relative is totally and permanently disabled and fits all the other EITC requirements. In addition, families may also be able to claim other child or dependent care expenses credits when caring for a family member with a disability. We always recommend consulting your tax professional or the IRS website If you have additional questions about your eligibility, you can call the Internal Revenue Service toll free number—1-800-829-1040.
Why haven’t I heard about the EITC before? Many people may be missing out on claiming this valuable credit because they just don’t know about it. In Colorado, one in four eligible families doesn’t claim the EITC. The criteria for claiming the EITC is somewhat complicated and many other people who could benefit from it may be missing out because they make below the threshold for filing taxes. But, you won’t know if you qualify, if you don’t file.
What’s the benefit? The biggest benefit of the EITC is that even if a taxpayer doesn’t owe any tax, it gives money back. It is one of the most valuable credits in the tax code, helping families receive thousands of dollars each year to bridge the gap between their income and expenses. Most families use their refund to cover unexpected expenses like medical bills, transportation or increased housing costs. Families who have sons and daughters with special needs may use the refund for equipment, therapy, or other expenses.
To estimate how much you can receive visit—http://www.piton.org/eitc or use the EITC calculator.
Where can I find tax help? Tax Help Colorado operates 29 free tax sites throughout Colorado where you can ask questions about tax credits available to you and have your taxes prepared by an IRS-certified preparer. To qualify for free tax help, you must make $54,000 or less a year. To locate a free tax site near you, call 2-1-1 or visit TaxHelpCO.org for a statewide list of all places providing free tax preparation. Check out this flier to learn more about free tax help, what to bring to a tax site, and how to access free online filing.
How are you planning for your son or daughter? You can share your ideas with us at: p2p-co@yahoogroups.com Be sure to visit The Resource Storeroom for more information on Financial Resources and Planning. Two other helpful resources include: The Arc Future Planning and Wright’s Law Future Planning We also love the resources at Lifecoursetools – these are great visual planning resources to use with your son or daughter to create “a good life” with financial planning included.
Editor’s Introduction: We’ve all heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Variations of this quote have been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Alan Lakein, as well as others. With the New Year upon us, we often start to think of planning, setting goals and accomplishing new things. To start off our Parenting with Altitude blogs this year, we’ve asked several parents to tell us about their planning efforts in respect to financial planning and resources for their family. We’ll be publishing this series of blogs over the next several weeks with the hope that you’ll find some ideas and inspiration for planning for your family, specifically for your son or daughter with a disability or special health care need. Because working maybe an important part of your financial planning, today we offer a post on working from home!
Working from Home: Will It Work for YOU?
Working from home has become the latest trend and we are talking globally here. Every day, more and more companies are allowing their employees to work from home at least once or twice a week. And even more companies are looking to outsource, looking for employees who can work from home and, sometimes, from a different country. We can see these “work from home” job offers increasing every single day on the different job boards and people are really starting to get into this new groove because, let’s face it, staying at home has to be better than going to the office every day. However, this is not true for everyone. Working from home has its pros and cons, but, in the end, it depends on each person.
Let’s begin listing some of the pros: no commuting, that alone should convince you to stay home, no traffic, no public transportation, no people on top of you during rush hour, just bliss while you walk from your room to the office space; flexibility of hours and in managing that time, most of these jobs do not necessarily have a rigid schedule you need to follow, so you are able to manage your own time, especially if you are a freelancer; less stress, since most people working from home are their own bosses, or their bosses are nowhere near them, stress can be reduced to a minimum; less distractions hence more productivity, no useless meetings, no coworkers telling you about their 13 cats or children, no running around the whole office looking for a photocopier that actually works, no wasting time with small talk, just you and your family; more family time, since you are already at home, there is a really good chance you can spend more time with your family, or your dogs, while working from home, you just need to be organized and know how to manage your time in a productive way.
Even though you are now probably ready to pack up your desk and go home, you need to know that working from home also has its disadvantages: isolation, even though some people prefer being alone, others would rather have some company during the day, but if you have a family, this is not really a problem; distractions, we might have more distractions in an office, but that does not mean there are not any at home, browsing social media becomes your biggest enemy while working from home; separating work from home, this is probably one of the worst disadvantages of working from home, you need to be able to organize your day in a way you get to spend enough time working and enough time with your family or friends, try to have a separate space for working, do not stay in your bedroom, find a good nook in the house to do so; working endlessly, since you have no one controlling your hours but yourself, you might feel the need to work at all times, that is why you need to be very organized with your time and prioritizing your responsibilities.
If you’re a working parent and a parent who has a child with special needs, you experience untold challenges in balancing responsibilities. Studies show that 40 percent of these moms had switched jobs, reduced hours or refused promotions because of their intense parenting responsibilities. Long days in the office = less time at home. That arrangement doesn’t always make sense for a parent, so many of them prefer to look for jobs that keep them closer to home, especially if they have younger children or children with disabilities or special health care needs.
Here are a few tips on how you can manage taking care of your child and working from home:
Time Constraints: You may have daytime hours available or you may only be able to work nights. You need to honestly look at the time you have available and commit to finding work that fits into your busy life.
Chaos: Keep in mind, some of the most readily available work from home jobs are in customer service. Chaos is an everyday occurrence with children, so before looking for work, know that, life in general, may limit your ability to work a number of popular at-home jobs.
Remain Open-Minded: Remain open minded about remote working possibilities. You’re going to have limitations when it comes to working from home as a parent and you may very well land on something that works perfectly into your busy schedule.
It may not be easy to go from the job search to actually managing life as a stay-at-home, work-at-home, mother or father. If you’re determined, you can make this work and gain valuable family time while still earning a living. Now you are ready to consider your options and decide whether you are a good candidate to work from home or not. Welcome to the future!
How are you planning for your son or daughter? You can share your ideas with us at: p2p-co@yahoogroups.com Be sure to visit The Resource Storeroom for more information on Financial Resources and Planning. Two other helpful resources include: The Arc Future Planning and Wright’s Law Future Planning We also love the resources at Lifecoursetools – these are great visual planning resources to use with your son or daughter to create “a good life” with financial planning included. For more ideas on working from home and balancing parenting responsibilities, we like Achieving Balance As A Work At Home Parent
We’re looking for a new Team Member at Parent to Parent of Colorado to work on a grant funded project! Much of the work can be complete at home! For a full job description or any questions, please email us at infop2p@abilityconnectioncolorado.org
Editor’s Introduction: We’ve all heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Variations of this quote have been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Alan Lakein, as well as others. With the New Year upon us, we often start to think of planning, setting goals and accomplishing new things. To start off our Parenting with Altitude blogs this year, we’ve asked several parents to tell us about their planning efforts in respect to financial planning and resources for their family. We’ll be publishing this series of blogs over the next several weeks with the hope that you’ll find some ideas and inspiration for planning for your family, specifically for your son or daughter with a disability or special health care need.
What’s Your Plan? Part 3: Working Together
Like all of us, as parents of a child with special needs, we worry about what will happen to our children when we are gone. My daughter, Izzy, who has significant disabilities will always require care, and will never be able to live independently. This was the main reason why I setup a special needs trust for my daughter. The trust allows for money to be held in an account for the use of my daughter without affecting her ability to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Luckily, both my ex-wife and I were on the same page when it came to preparing for our daughters future.
I chose to work with an attorney/financial advisor who specializes in these kind of trusts. In addition to a special needs trust, I also set up a living trust. An added difficulty was that I was going through a divorce at the time. However, as parents, we were able to work together to come up with a plan to support our daughter’s future. For myself, there was the decision of whether to set up a living trust or a will. A will can be cheaper and easier on you, but the living trust is easier on your heirs. All of my assets will go into the living trust when I die. Those assets will be easier and quicker to access, since they will not have to go through probate. This can be a difference of only a couple of weeks for the living trust as opposed to possibly months for a will.
How much will all this cost? To set up two living trusts, one for me and one for Izzy’s mom, and a special needs trust for Izzy, the grand total was $3800. There were three meetings with the attorney.
To prepare for the second meeting, there are certain things you should consider:
Funding can come from many sources. You can fund a trust at any time, but for Izzy’s mom and I, we have decided to wait to fund it. When we both pass, the assets of our living trusts will go into the special needs trust. Those assets will include personal property, retirement accounts and most importantly insurance policies. Relatives can also contribute, but we have told them not to list Izzy, individually, but instead us or her special needs trust. To make things simple, we were given a sheet of paper with how to designate beneficiaries. Depending on the type of asset, you may want the beneficiary to be your living trust or a particular person.
Once the special needs trust is funded, what do you do with it? The money can be used for anything that Izzy needs outside of what must be paid for with SSI. One of my main concerns has always been if she needs to be put into a care facility, I want there to be options for her. This trust will provide that. We have also stipulated that whoever is taking care of her, can take a monthly stipend. We have set a predefined amount for this stipend.
Finally, what happens when Izzy passes? Whatever money is left in the special needs trust can be designated however the parents wish. For us, the money will go to whomever was taking care of Izzy at her passing. However, trust law continues to change and in some cases there may be a requirement to pay back Medicaid. This is where working with an attorney who is knowledgeable about special needs trusts is important.
Trusts are fluid documents, everything is not set in stone. I can make changes as situations change. Some of those changes will, however, mean meeting with a lawyer.
I do feel much safer now that we have a plan in place and Izzy will be taken care of when I am gone. Working together with Izzy’s mother and the attorney, it was a painless process and well worth the money.
How are you planning for your son or daughter? You can share your ideas with us at: p2p-co@yahoogroups.com For more information on special needs trusts, read What’s Your Plan? Part 2: Options for Planning. Be sure to visit The Resource Storeroom for more information on Financial Resources and Planning. Two other helpful resources include: The Arc Future Planning and Wright’s Law Future Planning We also love the resources at Lifecoursetools – these are great visual planning resources to use with your son or daughter to create “a good life” with financial planning included.
Are you an individual, business or organization that would like to partner with P2P-CO?
Learn more about our Friends of P2P-CO Program!
Editor’s Introduction: We’ve all heard the phrase, “Failing to plan is planning to fail”. Variations of this quote have been attributed to Benjamin Franklin, Winston Churchill and Alan Lakein, as well as others. With the New Year upon us, we often start to think of planning, setting goals and accomplishing new things. To start off our Parenting with Altitude blogs this year, we’ve asked several parents to tell us about their planning efforts in respect to financial planning and resources for their family. We’ll be publishing this series of blogs over the next several weeks with the hope that you’ll find some ideas and inspiration for planning for your family, specifically for your son or daughter with a disability or special health care need.
What’s Your Plan? Part 2: Options for Planning
Supporting a person with special needs can be a 24/7 job, and many caregivers lay awake at night worrying about what will happen to their son with Down syndrome or sister with Cerebral Palsy if they become unable to provide that support. Discussing your own vulnerability or mortality is never an enjoyable subject, but it is a necessary conversation for all families to have to ensure loved ones are protected and provided for in the future. This is never more crucial than with respect to a family member with special needs. Estate planning for families with special needs, also known as special needs planning, determines in advance how your loved one will be cared for without you (in addition to more typical issues such as the distribution of property).
Public benefit programs like Medicaid are often a lifeline for an individual with special needs, and a key factor determining whether that person can live a decent, fulfilling, and productive life. Thus, one of the most important aspects of special needs planning is maintaining public benefits eligibility. This is typically accomplished with a Special Needs Trust (SNT). A SNT is a legal document created for an individual with special needs in which a Trustee manages assets for the individual to ensure he or she can remain eligible for public benefits.
If you provide financially for your loved one with special needs or plan to leave a financial gift for him or her after your death, a SNT is an essential piece of your estate plan. The assets in a SNT do not count against the Medicaid/SSI resource cap because the individual with special needs does not have direct access to them. Only the SNT Trustee can access the assets, and he or she alone decides when to make distributions from the SNT. This allows assets to be set aside for supplemental expenses not covered by public benefit programs, such as education expenses, vacations, hobbies, or certain medical expenses.
There are several different types of SNTs. An individual first-party SNT, also called a self-settled SNT, is used when the individual with special needs has received or will receive substantial assets that would ordinarily disqualify him or her from public benefit programs, such as a person injury settlement. An individual third-party SNT is used when a third party wishes to provide for an individual with special needs, such as an inheritance from a family member. Finally, there are pooled trusts, in which a nonprofit organization sets up and administers a master SNT for multiple individuals with special needs, combining their assets and investing them together.
In some circumstances, families should also consider drafting a Letter of Intent spelling out the family’s wishes for the SNT funds. A Letter of Intent can also outline the individual’s functional abilities, routines, activities, and medical information. This document is essential if the individual with special needs cannot advocate for him or herself.
Every situation is different. A one-size-fits-all approach does not work for families with special needs, and therefore meeting with an estate planning attorney who understands special needs planning is an important first step in securing your family’s future. Probate Power, the Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition’s new estate planning legal program, focuses almost exclusively on special needs planning and can help address your family’s questions and concerns.
How are you planning for your son or daughter? You can share your ideas with us at: p2p-co@yahoogroups.com
Be sure to visit The Resource Storeroom for more information on Financial Resources and Planning. Two other helpful resources include: The Arc Future Planning and Wright’s Law Future Planning We also love the resources at Lifecoursetools – these are great visual planning resources to use with your son or daughter to create “a good life” with financial planning included.
Are you an individual, business or organization that would like to partner with P2P-CO? Learn more about our Friends of P2P-CO Program!
HS/EHS FY 2018 Annual Report
HS/EHS FY 2018 Annual Report in Spanish