National Conference
Thursday, October 22, 2026
8:20 a.m.-9:10 a.m.
Are the Machines in Charge? Using AI to Review Trusts and Other Things…
Mason Clark
9:10 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
10:25 a.m.-11:15 a.m.
Inherited IRAs and Trusts: Understanding and Applying the Current Rules
Craig Reaves
Materials
PowerPoint Pending - Speaker has requested that materials be distributed at or after the conference.
11:15 a.m.-12:05 p.m.
The POMS Problem: Deference, Distribution Decisions, and the Reality of Special Needs Trust Administration
Tara Anne Pleat and Ed Wilcenski
1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1
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- Tax Law Update
Bob Brogan
- Tax Law Update
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- The Bot, the Trust, and the Benefit Threat: Responding to AI-Driven SSA Scrutiny
Victoria Blair and Bridget Swartz
- The Bot, the Trust, and the Benefit Threat: Responding to AI-Driven SSA Scrutiny
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- SSI Update
Kathleen Romig and Jennifer Burdick
- SSI Update
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Materials
PowerPoint Pending - Speaker has requested that materials be distributed at or after the conference.
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- Analyze This: AI and Human Insights, Elder Law, and Ethical Oversight
What’s AI Got to Do With It? Turns Out, A Lot.
Robert Fleming & Rebecca Morgan
- Analyze This: AI and Human Insights, Elder Law, and Ethical Oversight
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Materials
PowerPoint Pending - Speaker has requested that materials be distributed at or after the conference.
2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2
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- Veterans Benefits Law: An Overview
Hon. Michael Allen
- Veterans Benefits Law: An Overview
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No Materials
PowerPoint
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- Crossing Borders: When Special Needs Planning goes International
Benji Rubin
- Crossing Borders: When Special Needs Planning goes International
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No Materials
PowerPoint
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- Demystifying Social Security’s Childhood Disability Benefit
Christopher Smith
- Demystifying Social Security’s Childhood Disability Benefit
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- Navigating AI’s Wild West: Trends, Ethics, and Backlash in Legal Practice
Mason Clark
- Navigating AI’s Wild West: Trends, Ethics, and Backlash in Legal Practice
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3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3
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- Bankruptcy Filings by Care Facilities
Theresa J. Pulley Radwan
- Bankruptcy Filings by Care Facilities
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No Materials
PowerPoint
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- Exceptional Family Member Programs
Lindsey West
- Exceptional Family Member Programs
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- Housing, Housing, Where Am I Going To HUDing Live?
Michelle Mulvena and Laura Traiger
- Housing, Housing, Where Am I Going To HUDing Live?
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4:25 p.m.-5:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 4
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- Tax Basics for those New to the Internal Revenue Code
Benji Rubin
- Tax Basics for those New to the Internal Revenue Code
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No Materials
PowerPoint
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- Determining Services and Supports for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities: Tools You Can Use RIGHT NOW
Elizabeth Moran
- Determining Services and Supports for Individuals with Cognitive Disabilities: Tools You Can Use RIGHT NOW
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- Attorneys and Trustees Navigating the Changing Landscape of Trust Administration
Kerry Tedford-Coles and Roxanne Chang
- Attorneys and Trustees Navigating the Changing Landscape of Trust Administration
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- Drafting 1st Party SNTs
Bob Brogan
- Drafting 1st Party SNTs
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Friday, October 23, 2026
8:05 a.m.-8:50 a.m.
8:50 a.m.-9:40 a.m.
What Now?
Craig Reaves, Eric Einhart, Ethan Ordog, David Goldfarb, and Crystal West Edwards
No Materials
No PowerPoint
9:55 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
10:45 a.m.-11:35 a.m.
From Supplemental to Essential: When the Special Needs Trust Becomes the Safety Net
Tara Anne Pleat
11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m.
The Update
Elizabeth Friman and Robert Fechtman
Materials
PowerPoint
1:30 p.m.-2:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 1
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- Unexpected Expenses When Immigration Status is at Issue
Megan Kelly
- Unexpected Expenses When Immigration Status is at Issue
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Materials
PowerPoint
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- Don’t Bring a Hammer When You Need a Screwdriver: Choosing the Right AI Tool
Crystal West Edwards
- Don’t Bring a Hammer When You Need a Screwdriver: Choosing the Right AI Tool
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- Beyond Preservation: Balancing Beneficiary Quality of Life, Fiduciary Duties, and Public Benefits
Eric Einhart
- Beyond Preservation: Balancing Beneficiary Quality of Life, Fiduciary Duties, and Public Benefits
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2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. - Breakout Session 2
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- When Is the Trust a (Joint) Employer?
Jason Bent
- When Is the Trust a (Joint) Employer?
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- Working with Clients with Cognitive Disabilities: Practical Strategies Client Engagement
Elizabeth Moran
- Working with Clients with Cognitive Disabilities: Practical Strategies Client Engagement
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- Compliance is Foundational, Not Aspirational
Gentry Byrnes
- Compliance is Foundational, Not Aspirational
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Materials
PowerPoint
3:30 p.m.-4:20 p.m. - Breakout Session 3
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- Working Beneficiaries
Michael Pierce, Travis Finchum, and Reilly Morrison
- Working Beneficiaries
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- Modern Drafting for Third-Party Supplemental Needs Trusts: Autonomy, Oversight, and Structural Flexibility
Tara Anne Pleat
- Modern Drafting for Third-Party Supplemental Needs Trusts: Autonomy, Oversight, and Structural Flexibility
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- Special Needs Trust “Wrap Up”, Tips, Tricks and Practice Points to Consider when Directing for the End of the Administration of a Trust
Ethan Ordog
- Special Needs Trust “Wrap Up”, Tips, Tricks and Practice Points to Consider when Directing for the End of the Administration of a Trust
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