Cunningham Legal

Medical costs are rising, government benefits are falling—and may continue to fall further. This is why developing a comprehensive plan of your own for your special needs child is more important than ever. As California special needs attorneys at CunninghamLegal, we can show you a number of ways to get the financial support you need now, as well as design a plan to protect your special needs child’s financial future when you can no longer serve as primary care giver, or after you pass away.

We can help you accomplish all of the following goals and more:

• Alleviate your concerns about protecting your child’s eligibility for SSI and other government benefits
• Find residential options and the means to finance them
• Maximize the amount of public and private resources available to you
• Help you address the planning needs of other members of your family

We help you accomplish these goals by working closely with you to understand your top priorities and overall family objectives. We also analyze your current financial situation to determine what benefits are available to you and the best strategies to maximize these benefits today and tomorrow. Then, we will design and implement a customized plan, and review it periodically to adjust for changes in your financial, family or medical situation, together with changes to the law itself.

Special Needs Trusts

There are a wide range of special needs trusts, intended to accomplish a variety of goals. In general, however, they are designed to maintain eligibility for means tested government assistance programs such as Medi-Cal and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Special needs trusts can also create a fund capable of supplementing the services and level of care not provided by Medi-Cal and SSI.

It is important to note that there are many different Medi-Cal and other public assistance programs available, each of which has its own rules for eligibility. Couple this with the fact that a special needs child’s needs change over time, as does the financial situation of the family as a whole, and you can see why you should seek counsel only from attorneys with extensive experience in special needs planning. Contact us today for an initial consultation to discuss your particular situation.

additional offices:

Oakland Hills
Montclair Village
6200 Antioch Street
Suite 202
Oakland, California 94611
Phone: (510) 339-0233

San Rafael
CunninghamLegal in the offices of Freitas Law
1108 Fifth Avenue, Third Floor
San Rafael, CA 94901
Phone: (415) 358-6970

Staffed only by appointment. Please send mail to Auburn, NorCal Corporate office.

Walnut Creek
The Atrium Building
1981 N. Broadway
Suite 305
Walnut Creek, CA 94596
Phone: (925) 930-6000

Staffed only by appointment.

CunninghamLegal in Wells Fargo Center Office Building
Sacramento
400 Capitol Mall, Ste. 740
Sacramento CA 95814
(Wells Fargo Center)
Phone: (916) 767-0850