2026 National Conference on Special Needs Planning and Special Needs Trusts

Main Conference
Friday, October 23, 2026

8:00 a.m.-8:05 a.m.

Welcome and Announcements
Becky Morgan

8:05 a.m.-8:50 a.m.

Medicaid Update
Alice Burns
In this session, Alice Burns, PhD, Associate Director of KFF’s Medicaid and Uninsured Program will provide an overview of the possible changes to the Medicaid program stemming from Congressional action and the implications for states. Dr. Burns will describe how to access KFF's state-level resources and share state-level data for participants to access information about their state’s program.

8:50 a.m.-9:40 a.m.

What Now?
Moderator Craig Reaves, Eric Einhart, Ethan Ordog, David Goldfarb, Crystal West Edwards
Q&A on Medicaid Updates

9:40 a.m.-9:55 a.m.

Break and Visit with Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsored by InterActive Legal

9:55 a.m.-10:45 a.m.

Medicare Updates
David Lipschutz
The health care and Medicare landscape continues to rapidly shift at the federal level.  This presentation will provide the latest updates on changes in law and policy, including the impact of H.R. 1, Medicare Advantage and Part D issues and ongoing barriers to care.

10:45 a.m.-11:35 a.m.

From Supplemental to Essential: When the Special Needs Trust Becomes the Safety Net
Tara Anne Pleat
Special needs trusts were traditionally designed to supplement public benefits, not replace them. Increasingly, however, families and trustees find that these trusts are functioning as the beneficiary’s primary financial safety net. This program explores how attorneys should counsel clients when a “supplemental” trust must realistically support housing, care, and long-term stability while still navigating the complex rules governing public benefits.

11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m.

The Update
Elizabeth Friman and Robert Fechtman
A review the year’s most significant, interesting and/or quirky cases, and statutory or regulatory changes. Join us for a fast-paced review of a bumpy year.

12:25 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

Lunch
Sponsored by Advocacy Trust

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

Unexpected Expenses When Immigration Status is at Issue
Megan Kelly
[Description coming soon]
Don’t Bring a Hammer When You Need a Screwdriver: Choosing the Right AI Tool
Crystal West Edwards
[Description coming soon]
Beyond Preservation: Balancing Beneficiary Quality of Life, Fiduciary Duties, and Public Benefits
Eric Einhart

Special needs trusts and related fiduciary arrangements are often described in terms of what fiduciaries should not do: do not disrupt SSI, do not jeopardize Medicaid, do not make imprudent distributions, and do not exhaust trust assets. But fiduciary administration should also ask a more important question: what is this trust actually for?

This session will examine how attorneys can advise trustees, and other fiduciaries to make thoughtful, defensible decisions that enhance a beneficiary’s quality of life while remaining faithful to the trust terms, public benefits rules, and fiduciary duties of prudence, loyalty, impartiality, and reasonable discretion. The program will address housing, technology, transportation, recreation, caregiving, education, employment supports, subscriptions, family involvement, documentation, and recurring expenses. Attendees will leave with a practical framework for counseling fiduciaries through difficult distribution decisions where “no” may be safe, but not always right.

2:25 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Breakout Session 2

When Is the Trust a (Joint) Employer?
Jason Bent
Think your trust is not the employer? Think again. In this session, Professor Bent will address the times when the trustee hires a person to provide services to the beneficiary. Does this create an employment relationship? If the trustee hires a payroll and employment services provider, are the trustee and the services provider “joint employers?” Trustees need to consider the independent contractor/employee distinction and the joint employer tests under relevant employment laws. Potential employment law implications include payroll tax withholding, workers’ compensation insurance, immigration status, accommodations, and more.
Working with Clients with Cognitive Disabilities: Practical Strategies Client Engagement
Elizabeth Moran
Representing clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), traumatic brain injury (TBI), dementia, and other cognitive disabilities presents unique opportunities - and responsibilities - for attorneys, judges, fiduciaries, and other professionals. While the governing legal principles may be familiar, achieving the best outcomes often requires adapting communication, recognizing functional strengths and limitations, and employing strategies that maximize client participation and autonomy. This session explores practical strategies for effective client engagement while honoring autonomy, making reasonable accommodations throughout the legal process that maximizes participation, and complies with evolving legal and ethical standards. Participants will examine communication techniques, environmental accommodations, supported decision-making principles, and approaches for distinguishing legal capacity from functional abilities. The session emphasizes practical techniques that strengthen attorney-client relationships and improve legal outcomes without sacrificing efficiency.
Compliance is Foundational, Not Aspirational
Gentry Byrnes and Alan Stegeman
This breakout session will discuss the importance of having a well written compliance/risk management policy whether you are a regulated fiduciary or an individual. We will discuss office procedures, dual control, conflict of interest, anti-money laundering & source of wealth requirements, cyber-security concerns, and documentation of decisions. Bottom line… this session keeps you out of trouble.

3:15 p.m.-3:30 p.m.