Ending Your Marriage Does Not Mean Ending Your Commitment to Your Special Needs Child

The end of a marriage does not end your commitment to your child with special needs. First, it is important for any child support dedicated to a child with special needs to be allocated under the separation agreement to a special needs trust so that these assets do not affect the child’s ability to receive government assistance. It is important in connection with a divorce that each spouse consider the impact of the separation on his or her individual special needs planning. Each parent must have appropriate special needs planning in order to protect the child’s eligibility for assistance. Each spouse can have their own special needs trust with different trustees and different beneficiaries. Despite this, it is important that where possible, the parents of the child with special needs coordinate the funding of the trusts to ensure that adequate resources will be available to the child, and to ensure that the both spouses have incorporated the planning necessary to preserve the child’s eligibility for assistance.

If you incorporate special needs planning in your estate plan, but your ex-spouse has not, the planning you have done will not be enough to protect your child’s eligibility for assistance at the time that your ex-spouse dies.

In obtaining the divorce, one issue which is not often contemplated is who is responsible for becoming the guardian of the child upon the child’s attainment of age 18 (one parent or both together) and who has responsibility for educational decisions with respect to a child (this could be both parents or one). These issues should be addressed in a divorce agreement to minimize disputes following the divorce.
 

As the law continues to evolve on these matters, please note that this article is current as of date and time of publication and may not reflect subsequent developments. The content and interpretation of the issues addressed herein is subject to change. Cole Schotz P.C. disclaims any and all liability with respect to actions taken or not taken based on any or all of the contents of this publication to the fullest extent permitted by law. This is for general informational purposes and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Do not act or refrain from acting upon the information contained in this publication without obtaining legal, financial and tax advice. For further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to your firm contact or to any of the attorneys listed in this publication.

Join Our Mailing List

Stay up to date with the latest insights, events, and more

Check all areas of law you are interested in receiving e-newsletters and alerts about:(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Our Practices

EACH REPRESENTATION IS A FRESH CANVAS

Practices

Our Industries

EXPERIENCE THAT GOES WHERE OUR CLIENTS GO

Industries