Last month we told you about Special Needs Trusts, which are an important tool in planning for the support and care of a disabled person. Today, we will continue that conversation and tell you a little about how you can use both a Special Needs Trust and an ABLE Account to plan for the support and care of a disabled person.
ABLE Accounts have been talked about on our blog in the past, but here is a little refresher. ABLE Accounts are available in both Kentucky and Ohio, through the National Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE’) Act. ABLE Accounts allow for a disabled person to save and invest money without losing eligibility for certain public benefits programs, like Medicaid, SSI, or SSDI. Additionally, earnings in your ABLE Account are not subject to federal income tax, so long as you spend them on “Qualified Disability Expenses.” Some examples of “Qualified Expenses” include education, housing, transportation, employment support, health prevention and wellness, assistive technology and personal support. However, ABLE Accounts have limited deposits of $15,000 a year, lifetime funding limits, and a medicaid payback provision. Additionally, the onset of the disability must have occurred prior to age 26. These restrictions on ABLE Accounts make planning all the more important.
So you might be asking, which planning tool do I need? A Special Needs Trust or an ABLE Account? The answer could be both. ABLE Accounts allow for more accessibility of funds, with a prepaid debt card feature. The card does not pull money directly out of your ABLE Account. Instead, you get to choose a specific amount of money to load onto your card. This way, you can better control budgets and plan for your Qualified Disability Expenses. They also allow the disabled person to easily receive and save funds from employment without affecting government benefits. If a disabled person is able to work, SSI limits benefits for that person if they have a balance in personal bank account exceeding $2,000. ABLE Accounts allow a person on SSI to work and retain income without diminishing their maximum SSI benefit. However, the money in an ABLE Account will be counted as a resource for SSI purposes if the balance increases over $100,000.
Unfortunately, the funds placed in a ABLE Account are not protected long term because of the medicaid payback provision upon the account holders death. If a family member, by gift or inheritance, plans to leave money for a disabled person the Special Needs Trust is the preferred planning tool. The Special Needs Trusts discussed last month can hold unlimited funds while also allowing for the disabled person to continue receiving SSI.
There are many considerations to look at when trying to protect government benefits for a disabled person and making sure to plan properly is so important. The rules for both Special Need Trust and ABLE Accounts are very complex and it is highly recommended that you work closely with your attorney, CPA, and financial advisor.
Bill Hesch is a CPA, PFS (Personal Financial Specialist), and attorney licensed in Ohio and Kentucky who helps clients with their financial and estate planning. He also practices elder law, corporate law, Medicaid planning, tax law, and probate in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky areas. His practice area includes Hamilton County, Butler County, Warren County, and Clermont County in Ohio, and Campbell County, Kenton County, and Boone County in Kentucky.
(Legal Disclaimer: Bill Hesch submits this blog to provide general information about the firm and its services. Information in this blog is not intended as legal advice, and any person receiving information on this page should not act on it without consulting professional legal counsel. While at times Bill Hesch may render an opinion, Bill Hesch does not offer legal advice through this blog. Bill Hesch does not enter into an attorney-client relationship with any online reader via online contact.)