Pooled Trusts Intensive

Pooled Trusts Intensive 
Wednesday, October 22, 2025

8:00a.m.-8:10 a.m.

Welcome and Announcement

8:10 a.m.-9:00 a.m.

The Challenge of Providing Quality Services for the Life of the Beneficiary
Ellen Nalven
Special needs trusts are designed to protect assets, but what about protecting the quality of life for the beneficiary over decades? This session moves beyond the legal framework to explore the critical, often complex, challenge of providing sustained services for the entire life of a special needs trust beneficiary. In this session we will see beyond the Trust document to help navigate a lifetime of quality services. How do we keep the client at the center while ensuring the long-term quality and sustainability of current and growing staff and services?

Drawing on case studies, we'll delve into how to plan for supporting a beneficiary's evolving needs, recognizing that a trust's lifespan may not last as long as the individual's needs. We'll tackle key issues including the intricacies of staffing for long-term care, and the absolute necessity of robust, person-centered life planning. We will discuss strategies to mitigate ongoing client care coordination costs and methods to cultivate a high-quality workplace culture that remains steadfastly focused on the client's well-being. 

9:00 a.m.-9:50 a.m.

Housing
Chuck Collier
[Description coming soon]

9:50 a.m.-10:10 a.m.

Break and Visit with Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsored by Special Needs Alliance

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

What Keeps A Pooled Trust’s Counsel Up at Night?
Anna Sappington
[Description coming soon]

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

How Trust Administrators Can Best Avoid the Unauthorized Practice of Law
Megan Brand and Susie Germany
An attorney and trust administrator will discuss best practices for avoiding the unintended practice of law in trust administration. This session will cover practical procedures to prevent common pitfalls, workshop liability concerns, and clarify when trust administrators should seek legal counsel versus what they can handle independently.

12:00 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Lunch 
Sponsored by Life Enrichment Trust

1:15 p.m.-2:05 p.m.     Breakout Session 1

  • Unique Asset Management
    Chuck Collier, Kevin Hayde, and Peter Wall
    PSNTs are designed to preserve the assets and benefits of individuals with disabilities while ensuring proper financial management. Within these trusts, the inclusion of unique or non traditional assets such as real estate, closely held business interests, mineral rights, or intellectual property presents distinctive challenges and responsibilities. This session provides an in-depth exploration of the management of unique assets within pooled trusts, focusing on the legal, ethical, and fiduciary duties of the Trustee. Topics covered will include asset evaluation, risk assessment, compliance with Medicaid and SSI regulations, and prudent decision-making under the Uniform Prudent Investor Act and other applicable guidelines. The session will also address collaboration with beneficiaries, family members, attorneys, and financial professionals, and provide real-world examples to illustrate best practices. 
  • Outreach and Services to Diverse Communities with Special Needs
    Michelle Wolf and Anthony Verdeja 
    Learn key strategies and practical ways to reach and provide on-going services to beneficiaries whose first language isn't English, or have sensory disabilities.

2:10 p.m.-3:00 p.m.    Breakout Session 2

  • Determining Sole Benefit
    Brenna Galvin
    [Description coming soon]
  • Transfers
    Haley Greer
    [Description coming soon]

3:00 p.m.-3:20 p.m.

Break and Visit with Sponsors and Exhibitors
Sponsored by Special Needs Alliance

3:20 p.m.-4:10 p.m.    Breakout Session 3

  • Parental Duty of Support for Minors
    Alicia Jackson
    [Description coming soon]
  • Supported Decision Making
    Stephen Dale, Haley Greer, and Peter Wall 
    As more and more states pass Supported Decision-Making laws across the country to assist persons with disabilities to be more engaged in decision making that affects their lives and support systems, this panel of practitioners will cover the basics of Supported Decision-Making and how to incorporate Supported Decision-Making concepts in a Special Needs Trust. They will also explore challenges a trustee might encounter while working with a Supported Decision-Making agreement in meeting their fiduciary duties. Case law and case studies will be reviewed, as well as state-to-state regulatory nuances.

4:15 p.m.-5:15 p.m.

Legislative Update/Call to Action
Kerry Tedford-Coles, Roxane Chang, and David Goldfarb
Staying current with legislative, regulatory and policy updates that impact people with disabilities is a necessity to properly support pooled trust beneficiaries. 2025 has posed challenges and uncertainty that we have never quite seen before. The panel will review the most current legislative, regulatory and policy updates that trustees need to know. Session experts will also provide an overview of any new proposed changes along with what the disability community has accomplished over the past year along with what pooled trust administrators can do to continue to promote education and awareness regarding public benefits.