How it Works:

• A Third-Party Special Needs Trust is funded by a third party such as a parent or other relative.

• No funds belonging to the beneficiary may be used to fund the trust. Typical funding comes from gifts, an inheritance from parents or grandparents, and proceeds of life insurance policies. This trust has no provisions to pay back Medicaid upon the trust’s termination; rather, the person creating the trust decides how the trust estate is distributed when the beneficiary dies.

• Medicaid should never be named as a remainder beneficiary of a third-party SNT.

Benefits:

• Protects the assets of the person with special needs.

• Provides additional potential income to facilitate a better quality of life.

• Prevents the loss of government benefits, including Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

• Allows other family members and/or St. Elizabeth School to be listed as a beneficiary.