Estate Planning for Special Needs Families
Delivering concierge estate planning services by designing secure, tax-efficient legacies — compassionately tailored to each family's unique and special needs.
Claire C. Kelly, Esq.
Claire developed a passion for estate planning law in 2011 and enjoys the creativity involved in designing bespoke estate plans to meet the needs of the most discerning client. Estate planning involves more than legal and tax considerations - it’s about protecting your loved ones in the event you’re no longer able to take care of them yourself. Claire’s understanding of her clients and their loved ones enables her to craft an estate plan reflecting their unique values and needs.
Claire has been fortunate to leverage her estate tax and estate planning knowledge in service of the community. Her volunteer experience includes estate planning for first responders through Wills for Heroes and tax preparation through the Capital Area Asset Builders. When not collaborating with clients to design their perfect estate plan, Claire enjoys woodworking, traveling, and spending time with her husband and three children.
Arc of Northern Virginia Webinar: Estate Planning for your Family’s Future
This session clarifies the roles of different estate planning tools, when to use them, and how to protect your loved ones. We also talk about the role a Special Needs Trust (SNT) can play in your estate plan and how this awesome tool can protect you and your loved ones.
Book an Appointment
Call today or schedule an estate strategy session to take your first step in protecting your family’s future.
Frequently Asked Questions
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A special needs trust is a way to protect your child’s future. It holds money or assets for them without putting their government benefits at risk. Funds in the trust may be used to enrich their lives and pay for therapies their government benefits don’t cover.
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Once you’ve set up a Special Needs Trust, you’ll need to go back and change the beneficiary to the trust. If your child receives the asset in their own name it could change their ability to continue receiving benefits.
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To a point. The trust generally will not pay for something that could endanger your child’s access to government benefits. But you’ll have the opportunity to specify what you want the trust to cover, such as social outings, therapies, art supplies, and visits with family. You can be as specific or as flexible as you want. All trust distributions are of course subject to fund availability.
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Absolutely. They do a great job of explaining their pooled trust program. You get to ask questions in a relaxed, supportive space, and leave with great information.
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Start simple. Attend one of the Arc’s Trust Talk Tuesday webinars. Talk to an estate planning attorney. Just take one small step. I promise, the peace of mind you’ll feel when you know your child will be safe, secure, and cared for—it’s worth everything.