What will happen to our special needs loved ones as we age? Don't delay. Call TODAY for a free telephone consultation.

We will do anything for the people we love. In the case of those who aren't able to care for themselves or live independently, we happily dedicate our time, energy, affection, and financial support to keep them safe, content, healthy, and well attended to. But what will happen to these family members after we are gone?

Habiger & Associates wants you to know that you can set up a plan for the care for your disabled  or special needs loved ones even after you are no longer able to do so yourself. With individualized and strategic special needs planning, you can rest assured that your beloved family member will continue to flourish in the future. Serving residents of Southern Illinois, we are committed to finding solutions for special needs and disabled individuals that offer a high quality of life, legal protection, and financial security.

Over the last few decades, our special needs planning clients have included: 

• Attorneys who have won an award or settlement due to a personal injury or medical malpractice incident and want to find ways to protect their client's entitlement to SSI, Medicaid, and other public benefits.
• Financial professionals and attorneys who need to fix a flawed estate plan in order to protect an estate or trust beneficiary's eligibility for governmental benefits.
• Aging parents who are seeking plans for their adult children with special needs or disabilities.
• Those who are mentally or physically disabled who have received an inheritance or personal injury award.
• Children and adults with special needs and require care - such as those with autism, Asperger's syndrome, or other autism spectrum disorders.
• Children and adults of any age with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, genetic and chromosomal disorders, Down's syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, and other developmental disorders.
• Persons living with multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy, or other conditions who need assistance with their activities of daily living.
• Children and adults who have special needs or disabilities due to an accident or injury - such as a traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury.
• Those who need life care support due to a mental illness such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, or schizophrenia.
• Those who suffer from degenerative or progressive disorders that require life care planning.

Often we hear from the parents, spouses, and other close relatives of those who need legal protection and special needs planning. In many cases, concerned family members simply want peace of mind that, should anything happen to them, their loved one will be suitably taken care of.  At Habiger & Associates, we can help you find not only the best options for care, but also help you find ways to fund these options. For example, depending on the unique facts of the case the following options, as well as others, may be appropriate: 

• A supplemental needs trust or special needs trust. Very simply, a special needs trust is a document that protects the assets of the physically or mentally disabled while still allowing them to qualify for a number of government programs and health care services such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, Section 8 housing, and other public benefits. A particular type of special needs trust is especially useful when a disabled person receives an inheritance or personal injury award.
• Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a federally funded program that helps people who are disabled and who have little or no income to pay for basic needs such as food, clothing, or shelter. Those who receive SSI must have less than $2,000 in non-exempt assets.
• Medicaid benefits. Title 19 of the Social Security Act, known as Medicaid, is another government program that grants benefits to low-income individuals with ongoing medical needs. Although not all low-income people are eligible for Medicaid, the disabled are able to receive benefits if they meet certain requirements.

Are You Looking to do Estate Planning to Protect a Disabled Loved One?

Request Our FREE report, Parents' Legal Survival Guide to Special Needs Planning.
To give you a basic understanding of how we can help your child or other loved one, we have put together a FREE, no-obligation report called the Parents' Legal Survival Guide to Special Needs Planning. By filling out the form to the right of this page you will receive a copy of this valuable guide, gain instant free access to our members-only area, and receive our newsletter.

This 16-page guide contains clear, straightforward information on special needs estate planning for persons with disabilities.  This guide will give you a basic understanding of special needs trusts and how they can be used to protect your child or other loved one throughout their life.

As a special bonus for requesting the Parents' Legal Survival Guide to Special Needs Planning today, you'll also have immediate FREE access, and be able to download, a list of the goods and services that may be made for your loved one by a properly designed special needs trust as well as a form to help you begin the process of planning for your loved one. 

Request Your FREE Guide Now!

Are You an Attorney or Financial Professional Looking to Protect a Disabled Client's Injury Award or an Inheritance?

Request Your FREE Guide Now!
Contact Us Today

Habiger & Associates Elder Law Office (HAELO) provides legal services to elderly or disabled persons in Southern Illinois. The founder of the firm, Richard Habiger, is an elder law attorney with more than 30 years experience. We are an Elder Law and Life Care Planning Law Firm that provides legal and care coordination assistance, including: Medicaid planning; asset protection; estate protection; Medicaid applications; Medicaid appeals; VA pension benefits planning and applications for veterans and their surviving spouses; planning for those with Alzheimer's, dementia, or other forms of memory loss, and those who have suffered a stoke; Hospice planning; and special needs planning, including special needs trusts and supplemental needs trusts.

HAELO is located in Carbondale Illinois, and serves clients in twenty-seven Southern Illinois counties south of Interstate 70 highway. Southern Illinois Counties: Jackson County, Williamson County, Union County, Franklin County, Perry County, Saline County, Jefferson County, Hamilton County, Johnson County,  Randolph County, Wayne County, White County, Washington County, Edwards County, Monroe County, Wabash County, Richland County, Clay County, Marion County, Clinton County, Bond County, Fayette County, Effingham County, Jasper County, Crawford County, Massac County, Pulaski County, Alexander County, Pope County, Hardin County, Gallatin County, and Lawrence County.
Southern Illinois Cities & Towns: Carbondale, Murphysboro, Carterville, Herrin, Marion, Anna, Vienna, Metropolis, Harrisburg, West Frankfort, DuQuoin, Benton, Chester, Pinckneyville, Mt. Vernon, McLeansboro, Carmi, Fairfield, Nashville, Waterloo, Centralia, Salem, Albion, Mt. Carmel, Flora, Olney, Lawrenceville, Newton, Robinson, Jonesboro, Eldorado, Shawneetown, Ridgway, Sparta, Golconda, Johnston City, Marissa, Coulterville, Carlyle, Ullin, Tamms, Elizabethtown, Galatia, Wayne City, Cobden, Lake of Egypt, Goreville, Brookport, Olive Branch, Cave-in-Rock, Carrier Mills, Energy, Cambria, Zeigler, Royalton, Christopher, Rosiclare, Sesser, Okawville, Woodlawn, Thompsonville, Steeleville, Raleigh, Olmsted, Baldwin, Villa Ridge, Mounds, Tunnel Hill, Red Bud, Trenton, New Baden, Ewing, Dix, Norris City, Creal Spring, Bridge Port, Sumner, Waltonville, Breese, Aviston, Germantown, Whittington, Vandalia, and Ina.

Blog for Special Needs & Disability Planning

• Disinheriting a Child Requires Special Provisions

Library for Special Needs & Disability Planning:

• What Personal Injury Attorneys Need To Know   
  Description: Its not just automobile drivers, doctors, and hospitals that end up on the hook when they make mistakes. Personal injury attorneys can also. Although PI attorneys are reputed as knowing how to pay attention to details, as they were taught in law school, sometimes they make mistakes. And when they do, they may suffer the consequences . . . big time! Consider two cases.

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Web Resources for Special Needs & Disability Planning:

• Special Needs Alliance

  Description:

  This organization is a national, not-for-profit alliance of attorneys dedicated to the practice of disability and public benefits law. Individuals with disabilities, their families and their advisors will find this site helpful in connecting them with attorneys who focus their practices in the disability law arena.

• Arthritis Foundation

  Description:

  This organization offers information and tools to help people live a better life with arthritis. Whether it's advice from medical experts or specialized arthritis self-management or exercise classes, the Arthritis Foundation can help.

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