When my son was first diagnosed and we started planning for his
financial future, the hardest part wasn’t finding information — it was figuring
out which sources to trust. There’s a lot of generic estate-planning content
out there. Very little of it speaks to the specific reality of protecting a
disabled loved one’s SSI and Medicaid eligibility without losing everything to
an unprotected inheritance.
This is the list of free resources I actually use and recommend. None of the
sources below are paying for placement. None of them are affiliate links.
Several are run by people I’ve corresponded with personally. Where I have
reservations about a resource, I say so.
Last updated: May 2026.
1. National Educational Organizations
Special Needs Alliance
specialneedsalliance.org
— A national, invitation-only organization of attorneys who practice
exclusively in disability and public-benefits law. Their state-by-state Find
an Attorney directory is the cleanest way to identify a vetted SNT attorney
in your area. Membership is selective, which matters: not every elder-law
attorney is comfortable drafting third-party special needs trusts.
The Arc
thearc.org — The largest national
community-based organization for people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities. Their state and local chapters often run free workshops on
guardianship alternatives, future planning, and SNT basics. The Arc’s
Future Planning hub is
especially useful for families starting from scratch.
ABLE National Resource Center
ablenrc.org — The authoritative source
for state-by-state ABLE account comparisons. Every state’s program differs in
contribution limits, fees, and investment options. Their comparison tool is
the best free way to figure out which state’s ABLE plan fits your situation
(you don’t have to use your own state’s plan).
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
nami.org — For families whose disabled
loved one has a mental illness diagnosis, NAMI’s state and local chapters are
the entry point for support groups, family-to-family education, and crisis
resources. SNT planning for mental illness has its own quirks (psychiatric
advance directives, hospital admission protocols, distribution language) —
NAMI chapters won’t draft your trust but they’ll connect you with families
who’ve been through it.
Social Security Administration (SSI/SSDI)
ssa.gov/ssi — The official source for
SSI eligibility rules, the $2,000 asset limit, and the in-kind support and
maintenance (ISM) rules that govern how trust distributions affect benefits.
The official site is dense but it’s the only definitive source. We link to
specific SSA POMS sections throughout our state guides.
2. Educational Sites and Directories
Special Needs Answers
specialneedsanswers.com —
Run by the Academy of Special Needs Planners. Their consumer-facing articles
are the best plain-language explainers for first-party vs. third-party SNTs,
pooled trusts, and Medicaid payback rules. They also maintain an
ASNP-credentialed attorney directory.
NAELA (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys)
naela.org/findlawyer —
NAELA’s Find a Lawyer search tool surfaces members by state and practice area.
Look for the CELA credential (Certified Elder Law Attorney) — it signals
substantive expertise in benefits-eligible planning, which directly applies to
SNT drafting.
Disability Scoop
disabilityscoop.com —
A daily news source for developmental disability policy. Free articles
cover federal funding changes, state Medicaid waiver updates, and
legislation that directly affects SSI and ABLE rules. Following them
weekly is how I stay on top of policy changes that affect our planning.
3. Free Tools and Calculators
Our Medicaid Waiver Waitlist Tracker
specialneedstrustbystate.com/medicaid-waiver-waitlists
— We maintain a state-by-state tracker of HCBS waiver waitlist sizes and
average wait times. Some states have effectively no wait; others have
multi-decade waitlists. Knowing this before you plan is the difference between
realistic expectations and bitter surprise.
Our SNT Attorney Consultation Checklist
specialneedstrustbystate.com/find-attorney
— A free 6-page PDF of the questions to ask before hiring an SNT attorney.
Cost ranges, red flags, what should and shouldn’t be in the engagement letter.
We built this after watching too many families pay $5,000 for a generic
estate-planning template that wasn’t actually drafted as a third-party SNT.
State ABLE Plan Comparison (ABLE NRC)
ablenrc.org/select-a-plan/compare-states
— Interactive comparison of all state ABLE plans on fees, contribution
limits, investment options, and Medicaid payback rules. Most families default
to their home state — that’s often not the best choice.
4. State-Specific Guides
Special needs trust law is state-specific. We maintain a dedicated guide for
each of the 50 states plus DC, covering:
- State Medicaid estate recovery rules (some states pursue, some don’t)
- First-party SNT court-petition requirements
- Pooled trust alternatives by state
- Typical attorney fee ranges
- State-specific ABLE programs
Start here: All 50 state guides.
5. Community and Support Resources
SNT planning is also emotional work. These are the voices and communities
that helped us:
Kapok Aging / Multicultural Caregiving
multiculturalcaregiving.com
— Dr. Angelica Herrera-Venson’s blog focuses on caregiving in multicultural
families, including the cultural pressures and family dynamics that shape how
disability-planning conversations actually happen. Her piece on
“Living with Uncertainty” is one of the more honest treatments of
advance-care planning I’ve read.
Taking Care of Grandma
takingcareofgrandma.com —
Rachel’s blog comes from a dual background — caregiver for her grandmother
and 12 years working in disability support. Her perspective bridges
elder care and disability planning in a way most caregiver sites don’t.
Her resources page links out generously.
Sandwiched KC
sandwichedkc.com — A Kansas City
501(c)(3) nonprofit run by sandwich-generation caregivers. They produce a
free Caregiver Resource Guide and host the annual Heartland Caregiving
Conference. Their work is the kind of grassroots, peer-led caregiver support
that institutional resources can’t replicate.
CareScout
carescout.com — A long-term care
navigation service. Their resources hub publishes state-by-state cost data
that’s useful when you’re modeling how long an SNT will need to support a
loved one. We don’t endorse their commercial navigation product (it’s not
free), but their data pieces are well-researched.
ElderLife Financial
elderlifefinancial.com —
A senior-care financing company whose resource hub covers reverse mortgages,
VA Aid & Attendance, and bridge loans. Useful context for families
juggling planning for both an aging parent AND a disabled child — different
funding tools, same household budget.
Caring.com
caring.com — The largest US directory
of senior living and home care providers. Their Financial & Legal section
covers powers of attorney, adult guardianship, and the annual Wills &
Estate Planning Study. Not SNT-focused, but a useful reference when a family’s
planning needs span both senior care and disability planning.
Caregiver Action Network
caregiveraction.org —
National peer-support organization for family caregivers. Their toolkits and
“caregiver story” archive are free. The CAN community is broader than
disability-specific, but the practical caregiving advice (medication
management, communicating with medical teams, self-care) applies to anyone
caring for a disabled loved one.
6. Resources to Approach Carefully
A few things to know before you trust certain sources:
“Free SNT Templates” Online
Free template trusts circulate on legal-DIY sites and Reddit. Don’t use
them. State-specific drafting requirements (Medicaid payback language,
trustee discretion, distribution standards) vary in ways a template can’t
handle. A wrong trust is worse than no trust — it can disqualify your
loved one from benefits without protecting any assets.
Commercial Attorney-Referral Services
Several large directories charge attorneys for premium placement.
A top listing on those sites doesn’t mean the attorney is best for SNT work;
it means they paid. Cross-check against the Special Needs Alliance and NAELA
directories (linked above) — those are credential-based.
Outdated News Articles
SNT law and SSI/Medicaid rules change. Articles from before 2017 (when
the SNT Fairness Act passed) describe an older first-party SNT regime where
only a parent, grandparent, guardian, or court could establish one. The
beneficiary themselves can now establish a first-party SNT. Many old articles
haven’t been updated.
A Word on This List
This list is curated by hand and updated when something changes. If you
run a free resource that fits and isn’t listed, or if a link here is broken
or out of date, let us
know. We don’t accept payment for inclusion and we won’t list sites that
are paywalled, monetized through aggressive affiliate links, or that
prioritize lead-gen over education.
Built and maintained by Randy Smith, parent of an adult son with autism
and bipolar disorder.