Special Needs Planning

August 16, 2023

How Equine-assisted Therapy is Helping People with Special Needs

The bond between people and horses is a strong one. Over the millennia, this interspecies relationship has evolved from one of equine servitude as a beast of burden to one in which horses share our lives in a much more intimate and integral way.

Cowboys in the West still rely on their trusty Quarter Horses to wrangle livestock. Equestrians all across the world breed, train, and compete with their four-legged athletic partners. And young children still fall in love with the idea of someday having a pony of their very own. Even people who have never ridden a horse can enjoy the animal’s majestic beauty.

Horses also often take on therapeutic roles. Dating back to Ancient Greece, equine therapy has long been used to treat a variety of physical ailments including cerebral palsy, behavioral tics, motor control issues, and coordination problems.

June 19, 2023

Wheelchair Transportation: A Quick Reference Guide

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

If you use a wheelchair or are a caregiver for a loved one who uses a wheelchair, you already know that transportation can be a challenging issue.

While experts agree that riding in a vehicle’s regular passenger seat is the safest option, if it’s too difficult or unsafe to transfer someone from their wheelchair into the vehicle, it’s time to look at alternative options. But which options are best, and how do you even know what to look for?

Two organizations doing research and publishing information about the best ways to keep wheelchair users safe while in transit are:

April 10, 2023

9 Ways to Help Your Autistic Grandchild Thrive

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Becoming a grandparent is one of life’s most amazing experiences, and one many people look forward to with great anticipation.

Unlike parenting your own child, which tends to come with a healthy serving of self doubt, a mountain of responsibility, and the grind of the daily routine, grandparenting is usually a time of indulgence (for both the grandchild and the grandparent), harmless rule breaking, and general fun.

But what happens when your journey into grandparenthood includes an unexpected element in the form of an autism diagnosis?

March 28, 2023

Making Sensory Inclusion More of a Mainstream Movement

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

If you have never experienced it yourself, it can be difficult to understand what it’s like to feel deep anxiety and even physical pain as the result of being exposed to sensory stimuli like sounds, scents, lights, and crowds.

For people with sensory sensitivity, the intensity of these experiences ranges on a scale from mere inconvenience to completely incapacitating.

This issue is not nearly as rare as most people assume. In fact, 1 in 6 people living in the United States have either a sensory need or an invisible disability that makes them more prone to sensory needs. This group includes people with PTSD, autism, and dementia, as well as people who have had strokes.

March 1, 2023

The Importance of Legal Planning for Children with Brain Injuries

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

March is Brain Injury Awareness Month, and according to the Brain Injury Alliance, there are currently over 5 million Americans living with brain injuries, a number that increases by about 5,000 injuries per day.

So for us, it’s a perfect time to raise awareness of the impact that brain injuries can have on individuals and families.

An acquired brain injury (ABI) or traumatic brain injury (TBI) can drastically change the lives of not only the individual with the injury, but also their loved ones. And when the person with the injury is a minor child, the whole family faces unexpected challenges and uncertainty.

February 7, 2023

Big News for Special Needs Trusts! Charities May Now Be Named as SNT Remainder Beneficiaries

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

A special needs trust (also referred to as a supplemental needs trust) enables assets to be left to a disabled or chronically ill individual without disqualifying them from certain public benefits such as Medicaid.

For the special needs planning community, the passage of the SECURE Act 2.0 offers the advantage of enabling certain types of charitable organizations to now be named as remainder beneficiaries of SNTs funded with retirement accounts, but without compromising the favorable “stretch” payout timeframe available to individuals with disabilities who are the primary beneficiaries.

This is a huge win for families who had previously sought to name a beloved non-profit as a remainder beneficiary in a special needs trust only to be told that it wasn’t possible to do so.

January 3, 2023

Recipients of Social Security and SSI Benefits Get a Raise

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

In 2023, Americans with disabilities will receive a significant raise in their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and in other Social Security benefits.

According to the Social Security Administration, monthly SSI payments are going up 8.7% – an average increase of more than $140 per month beginning this January.

This cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase will begin with benefits payable to more than 65 million Social Security beneficiaries in January 2023 and began on December 30, 2022 with increased payments to more than 7 million SSI beneficiaries. (Note: some people receive both Social Security and SSI benefits).

September 14, 2022

Understanding the Differences Between Guardianships and Conservatorships

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

It’s not surprising that people are often confused by the terms “guardianship” and “conservatorship.” Usage of these terms varies from state to state, and multiple levels can apply in either case.

We hope this quick overview will help set the record straight about when and how these terms apply according to Connecticut law.

To get started, let’s take a high-level look at the different kinds of guardianship and conservatorship that are possible depending on the specific situation.

August 22, 2022

How Much Should You Pay a Trustee?

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

Asking someone to be a trustee of your trust shows you have a lot of faith in that person’s capabilities and ethics.

But how much is their time worth?

Serving as a trustee can be a big responsibility, and can also be quite time consuming. And while family members and friends often serve as trustees without expecting any financial payment, there are many cases in which compensation is either warranted or required.

February 1, 2022

4 Key Differences Between ABLE Accounts and SNTs

by Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri LLC

For those who are new to the game, ABLE accounts are tax-free savings accounts for individuals with qualifying disabilities that began before age 26.

Created in 2014 as the ABLE Act, there are now over 20 ABLE programs to choose from, including Connecticut, which has its own ABLE plan!

How does an ABLE account work?