Texas Special Needs Family Planning Checklist

Confirm which means-tested benefits your loved one receives or will receive (SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, Medicaid Waiver)

Establish a third-party Special Needs Trust funded by parents, grandparents, and any other family gifts

Confirm every life insurance, IRA, 401(k), and POD designation directs assets to the SNT — not to the beneficiary directly

Open an ABLE account for everyday spending (rent, therapy, clothing, a used vehicle) up to the annual contribution limit

Coordinate with grandparents and extended family so gifts and inheritances flow through the SNT, not around it

Evaluate guardianship, limited guardianship, or Supported Decision-Making Agreement before the 18th birthday

Execute medical and financial powers of attorney and HIPAA authorization before the 18th birthday if guardianship is not needed

Draft a detailed Letter of Intent documenting routines, medications, therapies, providers, preferences, and fears

Choose a trustee and a successor trustee, with a professional or corporate co-trustee for compliance

Understand Medicaid's 5-year look-back and how the disabled-child exception applies to your plan

Review housing plans — parent's home, group home, supported living — and how the SNT will pay for housing without affecting SSI

Schedule a plan review every 3 years and after any change in diagnosis, benefits, family circumstances, or Texas law