Special Needs Trust
Planning For Their Future. Protecting Who Matters.
Planning today can help protect the care, support, and quality of life your loved one deserves for years to come. At Mission Trust, we’re here to help you plan with compassion, clarity, and confidence.
When you’re planning for a loved one with a disability, the focus is on the person behind the plan. A Special Needs Trust can help provide long-term support while protecting assets and preserving access to certain public benefits.
Mission Management & Trust Co. brings care, experience, and thoughtful fiduciary administration to every Special Needs Trust. We work alongside families and their professional advisors to help manage the trust with attention to each beneficiary’s unique needs, circumstances, and long-term well-being.
Whether you’re planning ahead, preparing an inheritance, managing a settlement, or navigating a financial change, having an experienced trustee can help provide confidence that the trust is administered with its purpose — and the person it supports — always in mind.
What Is a Special Needs Trust?
A Special Needs Trust, or SNT, is designed to hold and manage assets for a person with a disability while helping preserve eligibility for certain means tested public benefits, including Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
More importantly, the trust is designed to support the person behind the plan. It can provide additional resources for the beneficiary’s needs and quality of life while a trustee manages the assets, reviews distributions, maintains records, and administers the trust according to its terms.
How Mission Trust Can Help
Mission Trust can serve as a professional trustee, providing experienced fiduciary administration while keeping the beneficiary’s individual needs and long term well-being at the center of every decision.
We work alongside families, caregivers, attorneys, and other professional advisors to help manage the responsibilities of the trust, coordinate distributions, maintain proper records, and carry out its purpose over time with care and consistency.
When Might a
Special Needs Trust Be Helpful?
A Special Needs Trust may be helpful when:
- A parent, grandparent, relative, or friend wants to leave an inheritance to a loved one with a disability
- A personal injury settlement is expected
- Someone receiving SSI or Medicaid receives a significant amount of money or other assets
- Your family is planning for a loved one’s long term financial needs
- You are considering who will manage financial resources when a parent or caregiver is no longer able to do so
You do not have to wait for a major life event to begin planning. Mission Trust can work alongside you and your professional advisors to help you understand your options, prepare for future transitions, and create a plan centered on the person who matters most.
Understanding the Two Basic Types
Third Party Special Needs Trust
A Third Party Special Needs Trust is funded with assets from someone other than the beneficiary, such as a parent, grandparent, relative, or friend.
It can be incorporated into a family’s estate plan to help provide continued financial support for a loved one with a disability while keeping their individual needs, quality of life, and future well-being at the center of the plan.
First Party Special Needs Trust
A First Party Special Needs Trust is funded with assets that belong to the individual with a disability. These assets may come from a direct inheritance, a personal injury settlement, or other funds the beneficiary owns.
Because the rules and requirements can differ depending on the type of trust, working with experienced professionals can help families understand their options and choose an approach that supports the beneficiary’s needs, benefits, and long term well-being.
I have had the privilege of working alongside Bridget O’Brien Swartz for many years in the field of special needs planning. Mission Management & Trust Co., and specifically Bridget, is always on my list of referrals when a corporate trustee is needed …Their depth of knowledge and practical experience in this highly specialized area is exceptional. Administering a special needs trust is never one-size-fits-all, and Mission Trust demonstrates a clear understanding of the nuances involved in preserving benefits while enhancing quality of life. … For these reasons, Mission is always included in my referral list to carry out this important role with professionalism, compassion, and skill. "
Emily Kile, Retired Attorney
Choosing The Right Trustee
Creating a Special Needs Trust is an important step, but choosing who will manage it is just as important. The trustee may serve for many years, making decisions that can directly affect the beneficiary’s support, resources, and quality of life.
A Special Needs Trustee may be responsible for:
- Managing trust assets and investments
- Reviewing and approving distribution requests
- Maintaining records and coordinating tax reporting
- Working with family members, caregivers, attorneys, financial professionals, and other members of the beneficiary’s support team
- Considering how distributions may affect public benefits
- Adjusting to the beneficiary’s changing needs over time
A trustee may be a family member, trusted friend, professional fiduciary, or trust company. Because the role can involve complex financial, administrative, and fiduciary responsibilities, it is important to consider who has the experience, capacity, and long term availability to serve.
A Professional Partner for the Long Term
Mission Trust can serve as a professional trustee, providing experienced fiduciary administration while working closely with the people who know your loved one best.
Our role is to bring consistency, professional oversight, and thoughtful administration throughout the life of the trust. By managing the ongoing responsibilities, we help families spend less time navigating the details and more time focused on the beneficiary’s care, goals, and well-being.
More Than Protecting Benefits
A Special Needs Trust is about more than preserving eligibility for public programs. It can help create a financial resource designed around the beneficiary’s life, needs, goals, and quality of life.
It can also provide families with greater confidence knowing there is a plan in place for the future and an experienced trustee available to help carry it forward.
At Mission Trust, we understand that every beneficiary and every family is different. Our approach is personal, collaborative, and centered on helping the trust serve the person it was created to support.
Meet Bridget O’Brien Swartz,
Vice President & Fiduciary Counsel
With more than 25 years of experience serving individuals with disabilities and their families, Bridget O’Brien Swartz brings a unique combination of fiduciary, legal, and social work experience to the administration of a special needs trust. Before becoming an attorney, Bridget worked as a social worker with children experiencing mental health challenges and their families. She is a nationally recognized leader in special needs law, a Fellow of ACTEC, and a former President of both the Special Needs Alliance and NAELA.
Let’s Talk About A Plan For Their Future
Tell us about yourself and how we can help. Our team will reach out to you shortly with more information.
Clients Believe in Mission Trust
“Both our CPA and our attorney recommended Mission. Mission has been a caring organization that seeks the best interests for its clients. We could not be more pleased.”
Ben and Martha C.
