Financial Planning

Overview
Our Mission
Services
Info & Resources

Overview

The MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning^SM helps you to take steps to provide lifetime quality care that your dependent with special needs requires.

Planning for the future of an individual with special needs requires in-depth knowledge of the federal laws as they pertain to government benefit eligibility and legal documents such as special needs trusts and guardianships. There are important financial considerations as well for providing not just lifetime care, but quality of life.

In planning for the future of your dependent, remember that you are the primary expert, but you may also need to turn to a number of other experts for assistance on such things as special needs estate planning. Though many of these issues can seem overwhelming, it is important you take the time with those experts today to provide for your loved one’s tomorrow. Get more information.

The same holds true for dealing with issues of medical insurance authorizations for specialized services and products such as physical therapy and medical equipment. It is also true when it comes to knowledge of the special education laws which most often require you to become an active advocate and participant in your child's education plan.

One out of 9 children under the age of 18 in the US today receive special education services
Out of 72.3 million families included in the 2000 Census, about 2 in every 7 reported having at least one member with a disability
20.9 million families have members with a disability
Of the 20.9 million families reporting at least one member with a disability, 5.5 percent have both adults and children with a disability
One in every 26 American families reported raising children with a disability
One in every three families with a female householder with no husband present reported members with a disability
An estimated 2.8 million families were raising at least one child aged 5 to 17 with a disability.*

* Source: “Disability and American Families: 2000” , US Census Bureau, July 2005 Report.

Our Mission

MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning^SM is dedicated to helping families secure both lifetime care and quality of life for their dependents with special needs.

Our mission is to help families plan for the future of their dependents with special needs, including preserving government benefits and providing insurance and other financial solutions which can help provide lifetime quality care. The planning process begins with a complete review of your dependent's needs, future care plans, assessment of government benefit eligibility, and finally a review of your family's current financial and legal plans. Critical areas that must be addressed are:

Government benefit eligibility requirements for Supplemental Security Income SSI and Medicaid
Types of special needs trusts and knowing which are right for you
Guardianship, conservatorship and client self-determination and empowerment issues
Appropriate funding vehicles -- including life insurance, to help guarantee your child's future quality of life.

Four-Time-Winner of the National Business & Disability Council's Valued Customer Gold Award of Honor

Achieving this award four consecutive times signifies MetLife's consistent leadership in responding to the special needs of families with children and other dependents with special needs

Services

MetLife’s Special Needs Planners will help you determine your dependent’s needs and funding options to address those needs.

While there are many types of life insurance, two-parent families survivorship life is usually the most appropriate vehicle to fund lifetime care for a person with special needs. Survivorship policies insure two people instead of one and pay a death benefit only after the death of the second person, when the money is needed the most. It is also generally less costly than insuring two people individually. Survivorship is a common funding vehicle in providing for the long term needs of a person with special needs.

Survivorship policies within the MetLife enterprise provide a policy split option when set up solely for the needs of a special needs dependent. This means that if the dependent predeceases his/her parents, the parents have an option to split the policy into two individual policies.

Like most insurance policies, MetLife policies contain exclusions, limitations, reductions of benefits and terms for keeping them in force.

A Special Needs Planner will be glad to provide costs and complete details.

Info & Resources

If you have a dependent with special needs, you probably have already learned it's a much more challenging experience to get the best possible services and plans in place if you go it alone. There's no need to. MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning^SM provides a wealth of information and resources to assist you. Your Special Needs Planner may be the most robust source for information and help but the information here will help you on your special needs planning journey as well.

Collapse All

Expand All

Special Needs Planning Quiz

Take this quiz to see how well you have planned for your family's future:

Do you or your spouse/partner have a vision of how your dependent with a disability will live after you’re gone?
Have you identified a guardian, conservator, or trustee for your dependent?
Do you have a complete understanding of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) government benefits?
Have you begun setting aside money for your dependent with special needs?
Do you have a written Letter of Intent?
Are any children, whether they have a disability or not, being excluded in your will?
Do you have a special needs or supplementary needs trust established to preserve government benefits?
Have provisions been made to fund these trusts with assets or insurance?
Have you coordinated your special needs planning with other relatives?
Have you done everything possible to protect your dependent’s financial future?
Have you planned where your special needs dependent will live if you are not around?
Will your dependent be able to earn enough to care for himself or herself?
Will your dependent have adequate health insurance?

Newsletters

Information and Support for the Special Needs Community. Click on the link below to review our bi-monthly newsletter in pdf format.

The Importance of Special Needs Planning — September/October 2009

Resource Links

Planning for your dependent with special needs requires extensive research to compile an enormous amount of information relevant to your loved one’s well-being. You may need up to date medical, educational, financial, and legal information on recent changes in the law. MetLife is here to provide you and your family with assistance addressing the concerns that are unique to your family's situation.

However, we realize that your needs may extend beyond the scope of our areas of expertise. MetLife has provided the following links we hope will be helpful to you in your search for additional information and support resources.

Abledata — The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
www.abledata.com

Autism Society of America
www.autism-society.org

The Exceptional Parent Magazine
www.eparent.com

Family Village — Global Community of Disability-Related Resources
www.familyvillage.wisc.edu

HDSA — Huntington's Disease Society of America
www.hdsa.org

L.A. Goal
www.lagoal.org

Learning Opportunities for Individuals with Special Challenges
www.devereuxpocono.org

Manny's Caring Hands
www.mannys-caringhands.org

NAMI — National Alliance on Mental Illness
www.nami.org

National Fragile X Foundation
nfxf.org

NICHCY — National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
www.nichcy.org/Pages/Home.aspx

NICHCY — Services for Adults with Disabilities
www.nichcy.org/FamiliesAndCommunity/Pages/servicesadults.aspx

Special Needs Alliance — Special Needs Attorneys
www.specialneedsalliance.com

Academy of Special Needs Planners
www.specialneedsplanners.com

Non-Profit Partners

* MetLife has working relationships with leading advocacy organizations throughout the country: Autism Society of America; the Arc, NORD (National Organization for Rare Disorders); National Down Syndrome Congress, United Cerebral Palsy, and Huntington’s Disease Society of America. Find out more about the dynamics of these relationships and how they benefit all.p>

We focus on the concerns of families with dependents with special needs through a dedicated, nationwide network of MetLife Special Needs Planners who provide customized financial solutions to meet families’ needs.

Our relationships with the advocacy organizations are designed to provide members with easy access to special needs financial and estate planning information to help protect their rights and to educate them on issues facing the special needs community.

The Autism Society of America (ASA) is the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization. It exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism by increasing public awareness about the day-to-day issues faced by people on the spectrum, advocating for appropriate services for individuals across the lifespan, and providing the latest information regarding treatment, education, research and advocacy.
http://www.autism-society.org/

The Arc is the world’s largest community based organization of and for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It provides an array of services and support for families and individuals and includes over 140,000 members affiliated through more than 780 state and local chapters across the nation. The Arc is devoted to promoting and improving supports and services for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
www.thearc.org.

The National Down Syndrome Congress(NDSC). The purpose of the NDSC is to promote the interests of people with Down syndrome and their families through advocacy, public awareness, and information dissemination on all aspects of Down syndrome.
www.ndss.org

The National Organization of Rare Disorders (NORD) serves more than 25 million Americans affected by over 6,000 rare disorders. NORD provides patients and their families with easy to understand disease reports, peer networking, resource referrals, medication assistance program, technical assistance to new and established support groups, scientific research, and advocacy on legislative matters.
www.rarediseases.org

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) UCP affiliates serve more than 176,000 children and adults with disabilities and their families every day. Their affiliates provide services such as housing, therapy, assistive technology training, early intervention programs, individual and family support, social and recreation programs, community living, state and local referrals, employment assistance and advocacy. Each affiliate offers a range of services tailored to its community's needs.
http://www.ucp.org/

The Huntington’s Disease Society of America, Inc. (HDSA) is a national non-profit voluntary health agency dedicated to finding a cure for Huntington's Disease (HD). They provide vital support, information and educational services to improve the lives of those affected by HD, offer resources and guidance for HD families through a national network of volunteer-based chapters and affiliates as well as through HDSA Centers of Excellence for Family Services and promote and support research to find a cure for HD.
www.hdsa.org

For more information about the MetLife Center for Special Needs Planning, please call 1-877-638-3375.

* MetLife makes an annual contribution to these organizations.

Get Free Personalized Assistance

MetLife Special Needs Planners are helping families plan for the future of their dependents with special needs, to achieve not just lifetime care, but quality of life.

Speak with a Special Needs Planner for free personalized assistance

For More Information

For more information or to schedule a workshop for your organization, please call us at:

1-877-638-3375

Special Needs Calculator

This calculator can help you project the future expenses of an individual with special needs.

Start the special needs calculator