SECURE 2.0: Michigan Advocacy Helps Pass The Special Needs Trust Improvement Act

By Christopher W. Smith, Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices, PLLC Special needs planners regularly encounter families who have accumulated large retirement accounts.  While the initial SECURE Act forced most beneficiaries of an inherited retirement account to take distributions out in 10 years (or fewer), beneficiaries with disabilities (referred to as “eligible designated beneficiaries” in SECURE) […]

Cutting Care for Special Needs Kids Won’t Fly

When the Community Mental Health agency in Ionia County decided that because of the COVID Crisis, they would stop providing living supports and respite services to families with severely disabled children and adults at home, CT’s Joelle Gurnoe-Adams would have none of it. One of the families impacted were her clients. Attorney Gurnoe-Adams, with help […]

COA Gives Special Needs Community Big Win in Placement Case

This is a published decision about the guardianship over a person with a developmental disability (a “DD guardian”), and more specifically, the powers of a DD guardian versus Community Mental Health (“CMH”) with respect to the transfer of the protected person from one CMH facility to another. As probate lawyers understand, DD guardianships are not […]

CT Adds Housing and Resource Advocate

Chalgian and Tripp is proud to announce the addition of Carrie Alexander as our Housing and Resource Advocate.  This is a new position at CT created for Ms. Alexander, who comes to us with a wealth of experience in helping families find quality housing for persons with disabilities.  Prior to joining CT, Ms. Alexander spent […]

Attorney Chris Smith elected to the Special Needs Alliance Board of Directors

Chalgian and Tripp is pleased to announce that Attorney Chris Smith has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Special Needs Alliance. The SNA is a national organization of lawyers committed to helping individuals with special needs and their families. Attorney Smith has a personal passion for special needs planning and focuses his […]

Setting Up A GoFundMe Campaign While Preserving Benefits

The Detroit News and other news organizations are reporting a tragic story about a woman who was sexually assaulted and had a child. Friends and family started a GoFundMe campaign to support her and her child and raised over $100,000.  Unfortunately, because of the GoFundMe campaign, she and her child lost health insurance and other financial assistance.

Amy Tripp – Bringing Dignity to Practice of Elder and Special Needs Law

Amy Rombyer Tripp keeps client files filled with details few lawyers would ever think to ask: favorite food, laundry detergent, brand of shampoo. Not every file inside Chalgian & Tripp Law Offices PLLC includes such personal data. But for clients without a living family — widows, orphaned, never-married — she wants to know the best […]

Our Updated ABLE Brochure

Are you wondering if an ABLE Account is right for you or for a loved one? Our attorneys have spent countless hours studying the ABLE Act and looking at ABLE programs across the country in order to advise our clients. For you, we have tried our best to compact our knowledge in our recently updated […]

Come to a C&T Special Needs Checkup!

It’s that time of year again! Every year, the Chalgian & Tripp Special Needs Team goes around the state giving individuals, parents, families, friends, and other professionals a free update on what is going on in special needs planning. 

Filing a Tax Return for a Special Needs Trust: What a Trustee Needs to Know at Tax Time

I hope you find the following article from The Voice (the email newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance) helpful: This installment of the Voice was written by: Tara Pleat ——— The Voice is the e-mail newsletter of The Special Needs Alliance. This installment of The Voice was written by Special Needs Alliance member Tara Pleat. […]