By Rachel Johnston, Esq., Littman Krooks ABLE Accounts are designed for individuals with disabilities to assist them in saving money and accumulating a savings account without jeopardizing their access to government benefits. Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts have been around for a few years. Accounts holding up to $100,000 maintain eligibility for Supplemental…

A guardian is someone who is appointed to make important decisions for another person who is not able to make those decisions on their own. This may be for a child, an adult with intellectual or developmental disabilities, or an adult who becomes incapacitated. In New York State, different types of guardianship petitions are filed…

By Littman Krooks We all wish you a holiday season filled with peace, joy, and success. We recognize how difficult this season can be for those with disabilities or mental health challenges and for the elderly. During this time of year, especially, we remember all of those vulnerable individuals, particularly those who do not have…

By Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., CELA®, Littman Krooks Whether you are a trustee of a supplemental needs trust (SNT) or a parent who created a SNT, it is good practice to have the trust reviewed periodically with your special needs planning attorney. Some questions which should be reviewed include: Have there been any changes in…

By Sandi Rosenbaum, Educational Advocate, Littman Krooks Relocation to another state is a complex prospect for individuals with disabilities and their families. Jason DaSilva’s NY Times Op-Doc  of July 24, “How Healthcare Makes Disability a Trap,” illustrates an important aspect of life for people with disabilities. Mr. DaSilva, who has multiple sclerosis and relies on…

­Emergency first responders often possess little more than the information contained in a 911 call and a street address. While this might suffice for most situations, when the emergency involves a resident with special needs, customary rescue operations can be traumatic for the resident and challenging for emergency personnel. To solve this problem, city officials…

By Arshi Pal, Esq., Littman Krooks In April 2018, H.R. 4547 was enacted to strengthen the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) oversight into the Representative Payee Program and protect Social Security beneficiaries. What is a Representative Payee? Representative payees can be either individuals or organizations who receive Social Security (SS) benefits for individuals who cannot manage…

By Amy C. O’Hara, Esq., Littman Krooks President Trump signed tax reform legislation, Public Law 115-97, generally referred to as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, into law on December 22, 2017. The Act is the most sweeping tax legislation to be enacted in decades.  It is broad in scope, complicated, and will impact almost…

By Littman Krooks All of us at Littman Krooks wish you a holiday season filled with joy, happiness and success.   We know how difficult this season can be for those with disabilities or illnesses who are alone, sad or isolated and for their caregivers.   During this time of year, especially, we remember all of those…

In our earlier blog post, ABLE Accounts: What You Need to Know, we discussed what an ABLE Account is, who can contribute and some of the many benefits it can provide. Starting in the 2018 tax year, the Internal Revenue Service has increased the total annual contribution per ABLE Account from $14,000 to $15,000. By…