Guardian Ad Litem Panel and Court Appointed Attorney Panel

Understanding the benefits and services available to an individual with special needs will help to inspire your creativity to better serve your clients for a more secure future. SSI, SSDI, Medicare, IL Medicaid, and waiver services will be highlighted.

Special needs planning is not just a third party and/or a first party special needs trust. It is not just estate planning, not just guardianship and alternatives to guardianship. In this session, you will also learn how to effectively prepare for and conduct the initial consultation, including topics you should cover in addition to estate planning, such as the who, what, why, where and how of accessing the Illinois “maze” of services for individuals with special needs, Letters of Intent, etc.

This session features Medicaid planning strategies, such as Medicaid-compliant annuities, gifting as well as non-penalized transfers of real estate, and other resources to achieve Medicaid qualification while preserving assets. The speaker will outline the steps necessary to execute these Medicaid strategies and the pitfalls to avoid potential problems.