National Conference

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Thursday, October 23, 2025

8:20 a.m.-9:20 a.m.

Advocacy – An Essential Part of a Special Needs Practice (Now More Than Ever...)
Frederick M. Misilo, Jr.

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9:20 a.m.-10:10 a.m.

Where Child Support Meets Special Needs - A Survey of Current Law
Craig Reaves

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10:25 a.m.-11:15 a.m.

  • SSI Update 
    Kenneth Brown and Jenifer Burdick

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11:15 a.m.-12:05 p.m.

    • Raising the Degree of Difficulty:  When Immigration Issues Collide With Care
      Michael Vastine

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1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

      • Sex, Drugs, and Rock n’ Roll: Atypical Beneficiary Distribution Requests  
        Megan Brand, Marco Chayet, and Peter Wall
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      • Making it Work: Income Strategies to Protect Your Client’s Benefits Eligibility 
        Elizabeth Moran
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      • Crowdfunding and Public Benefits 
        Lauren Mechaly
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2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

      • Ethical Practice in Elder Law and Special Needs Law: Preventing Mistakes Before They Become Claims   
        Roberta Flowers
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      • Can’t You Decant?  
        Michelle Mulvena
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      • Medicaid’s Right to Reimbursement and Special Needs Trusts 
        Bridget O’Brien Swartz
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3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3

      • The Unseen Burden: Navigating Special Needs Planning for Solo Ager Caregivers  
        Eric Einhart
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      • SNT Ethics Jeopardy   
        Becky Morgan, Bryn Poland, Mary Alice Jackson, Robert Fleming
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      • Remote Support: What it Can—and Cannot!—Do 
        Janet Lowder and Jeanne Sydenstricker
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4:25 p.m.-5:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 4

      • First Party Special Needs Trusts-Settlement Consultation: What a Trust Practitioner Should Know, Consider, and Review  
        Ethan Ordog
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      • HOT Issues in HOTMA: Trustees (and others) Beware!    
        Stuart Zimring and Emily Starr
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      • Proposed Changes to Model Rule 1.14: How They Will Affect Practice 
        Charles Sabatino
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    Friday, October 24, 2025

     

    8:15 a.m.-9:05 a.m.

    • Medicaid Update 
      Alice Burns

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    9:05 a.m.-9:45 a.m.

    • Planning for and Advising Clients
      Alice Burns, Mary O’Byrne, Mary Alice Jackson, and Neal Winston

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    10:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m.

    • Medicare Updates
      David Lipschutz

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    11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

    • The Update
      Elizabeth Friman and Robert Fechtman

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    • 1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1

      • IEPs and Transition Plans: Present Levels for Future Planning 
        Jeff Eckert
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      • Passing the Baton: Trustee Resignation, Release, and Transition Challenges in Supplemental Needs Trusts 
        Tara Anne Pleat
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      • 2025 Tax Update
        Bradley Frigon
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      • 2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2

        • Is the Trust an Employer? 
          Jason Bent
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        • Scams and Deception Abound 
          Mark Bauer and Janet Varnell
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        • Medicaid Work Requirement – What is it, Whom is Effected, and Does it Matter?
          Thomas Smith
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      • 3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3

        • Navigating Distance & Disability: Legal and Fiduciary Approaches to Remote Caregiving  
          Michael Cognetti and Tara Anne Pleat 
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        • The House is on Fire…Literally  
          Bridget O’Brien Swartz and Mark Bauer
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        • The Great SNT Road Trip: First-Party SNT Beneficiaries Crossing State Lines
          Christopher Smith
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    • 4:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

      • If I Knew Then What I Know Now: Wisdom from Experienced SNT Attorneys 
        Janet Lowder, Vincent Russo, Shirley Whitenack, and Robert Fleming

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