by Annette Hines | Dec 21, 2021 | Announcements, COVID-19, Social Security, Special Needs
People facing a reduction, suspension, or other change to their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) now have more time to file an appeal, in a concession by the Social Security Administration (SSA) to delays and difficulties wrought by the COVID-19 crisis. The October... 
by Annette Hines | Dec 13, 2021 | Current Affairs, Social Security, Special Needs
People with disabilities face a double whammy when it comes to food insecurity: They are disproportionately more likely to experience problems getting enough nutrition, yet they confront the highest hurdles to obtaining federal nutritional assistance. Overall, 10.5... 
by Annette Hines | Dec 2, 2021 | Estate Planning, Special Needs, Special Needs Planning, Special Needs Trust
One of the most important roles in a special needs plan is that of trustee, the person who administers a special needs trust (SNT). Of a trustee’s many responsibilities, record-keeping is perhaps the most crucial. Because the trustee is managing accounts on behalf of... 
by Annette Hines | Nov 23, 2021 | General Interest, Parenting, Special Needs
As another holiday season approaches, I am so mindful of my grief and the grief of other parents whose child will not be with them this year. For me, my daughter Elizabeth is not here. It booms and thunders within me. I look up at my treasures in my office from both... 
by Annette Hines | Nov 9, 2021 | Announcements, Social Security, Special Needs
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against the Social Security Administration (SSA) might describe it as an open-and-shut case. When the SSA closed its field offices at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, it remained open for the purposes of denying benefits. But,...