OUR SERVICE FOR ATTORNEYS
You work hard to ensure your client gains the best settlement possible. And we work hard to help them keep what is rightfully theirs, ensuring their means-tested benefits are preserved and maintained. We work within the Medicaid systems of 49 U.S. States and the District of Columbia, abiding by each specific state and federal Social Security guidelines to administer our trusts. Additionally, by design, our services help protect your client’s settlement money from being drained by unscrupulous family members or acquaintances.
As the experts in our field, the following are ways we work with you to achieve desired results. Relieving you of some of the tedious workload and assuring that you place your client in the best hands possible.
- Assisting in settlement planning by helping you or your staff determine what may be the best option for your client. Utilizing our resources and contacts can ensure you have a comprehensive look at each specific case.
- New Leaf assumes the fiduciary responsibility so that you are free to move on to what you do best, litigate.
- New Leaf staff takes care of all paperwork, education and intake calls allowing you and your staff to concentrate on other areas of the case.
- We offer fast turn-around time on trust set up so if a case is determined to need a pooled trust last minute, New Leaf can accommodate those needs.
Why Should You Consider a New Leaf Pooled Special Needs Trust?
New Leaf National Foundation established a Pooled Special Needs Trust not only because there was a clear need for a national Pooled Trust solution, but also a solution that addressed an important and unresolved issue in the world of (d)(4)(c), or Pooled, Special Needs Trusts, namely, “the perceived conflict of interest for funds to be retained by the nonprofit trustee upon the death of a beneficiary and the willingness of the trustee to distribute funds to the beneficiary during their lifetime.”
New Leaf National Foundation provides multiple options for beneficiaries to distribute their remaining Trust proceeds to their heirs after satisfying payback requirements, if any, to the state Medicaid Agency. These options include the descendants of the beneficiary, other specified individuals, or, lastly, the non-profit entity that sponsors the Trust. In a nutshell, the beneficiary, or his or her legal representative, decides where and how remaining funds will be distributed (after Medicaid payback if applicable) upon creation of the Trust account.
In addition to serving as Trustee and fulfilling our primary duty of preserving and maintaining our beneficiaries’ eligibility for public assistance benefits, New Leaf National Foundation also serves as Trustee and provides trust administration services for other standalone special needs or support trusts. The growth of New Leaf in this role can largely be attributed to the demand for trust administration services by individuals (and in many instances, family members) that have been named as Trustee of a (d)(4)(a) or testamentary support trust.
The ability to ensure that our clients receive the highest level of service and maintain the continuity of their public assistance benefits hinges on our compliance with both the Social Security Administration (SSA) and individual state Medicaid agencies. The New Leaf Master Trust and Joinder Agreements meet all of the requirements for the “Medicaid exception.” As such, the Trust is not considered a countable resource for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) purposes.