Maximizing Military Survivor Benefits in Northern Virginia

THE PROBLEM

Career military retirees have long been able to defer a portion of their retirement pay to provide an annuity for a surviving spouse or dependent children upon the retiree’s death. However, naming a child with disabilities as a beneficiary of a Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) sometimes caused the child to lose Medicaid and other public benefits. SBP considers a child is disabled if he or she is incapable of self-support because of a physical or mental disability that existed before the 18^th birthday or which was incurred before age 22 while the child was a full-time student.

THE FIX

Congress addressed this problem by enacting the Disabled Military Child Protection Act as part of the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015. Retirees may now designate a special needs trust for their disabled child as a beneficiary of their SBP. The SBP income will be paid directly to the trustee, so it will not count as income for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Medicaid. Military children with special needs will benefit from the SBP without losing valuable Medicaid services like group homes, job coaches or personal care attendants.

THE DETAILS

The SBP benefits must be paid to a “first party” (or “payback”) special needs trust. Upon the child’s death, funds remaining in the special needs trust will reimburse any Medicaid services provided to the child, before any other distributions are made from the trust.

A person with disabilities can create a first-party special needs trust, or it can be created for them by a parent, grandparent, guardian/conservator, or a court. The trust is funded with resources belonging to the beneficiary. Because the state is paid back upon the death of the disabled individual, parents should not leave an inheritance to a first-party special needs trust. Parents can create a separate special needs trust as part of their estate plan to protect their child’s inheritance.

Alternatively, parents can direct SBP benefits to an individual account in a “pooled” trust for disabled beneficiaries managed by a non-profit organization. The child will have his or her own separate account, but funds are “pooled” for investment purposes.

NEXT STEPS

Military personnel considering SBP for a disabled child should work with an experienced elder law/special needs attorney to be sure that they have the right documents in their estate plan and that their benefits are properly directed. The SBP election is very difficult to change, and the trust you create to receive the benefits will be irrevocable. Proper planning is essential.

Our attorneys can assist in many legal areas, including federal pensions, asset division, special needs trusts, and name change. We can also assist with setting up an ABLE account for your child with special needs to properly plan for their future. Contact our team today for legal assistance.

Work with a Northern Virginia special needs planning attorney to find out how SBP benefits fit into your family’s plan. Attorneys Jean Galloway Ball and Loretta Morris Williams can assist you with special needs planning and creating special needs trusts. Jean and Loretta are certified in elder law by the National Elder Law Foundation and are members of the Academy of Special Needs Planners. Both are AV rated by Martindale and frequently listed as SuperLawyers.