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Overview

The 16th Annual Changes and Trends Affecting Special Needs Trusts brings together nationally recognized professionals in the SNT field, features the latest updates and hot topics, and offers a great set of materials including sample forms, drafting tips, sample language, and resources. This year’s program includes:

  • An overview of special needs trusts essentials, including SNT Basics, Pooled SNTs: Guidelines for Best Practices, Maximizing Public Benefits (Basics), and Emerging Trends in SNTs.
  • Learn about the New POMs Clarification on the Fee Approval Requirements.
  • The SSA’s Regional Trust Leads discuss the regional centralization of the SSI trust review business process, including 2019 POMS updates.
  • Learn tools and specific recommendations of large and small distributions for evaluating requests in part through quality of life considerations.
  • An overview of support issues in divorce cases involving children and spouses with disabilities and the use of SNTs to protect benefits.
  • Interplay of Guardians and Trustees In and Out of Court + Administering SNTs Established in Other States and Other SSA Regions.
  • A variety of other SNT topics, including Protecting and Maximizing Public Benefits (Advanced), Public Benefits for Children, IRA and SNTs, social security fee petitions, and more.
  • Network with program faculty, colleagues, and exhibitors at the Thursday Evening Reception.

Event Schedule

Program is subject to change.

  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Thursday Morning, Feb. 13, 2020
    Presiding Officer:
    Patricia F. Sitchler, The Law Office of Patricia Flora Sitchler - La Vernia, TX
  • 8:00 am
    Registration Opens
    Includes continental breakfast.

  • 8:35 am
    Welcoming Remarks

  • 8:45 am
    1.00 hr
    SNT Basics
    Take a look at special needs trusts and things to consider when selecting the appropriate option. Gain insight on the intersection of trusts with governmental benefits and delve into the types of special needs trust with case examples.

    Molly Abshire, Wright Abshire, Attorneys - Bellaire, TX

  • 9:45 am
    0.50 hr
    Pooled SNTs: Guidelines for Best Practices
    Examine the best practices guidelines developed as part of a recent Life Passages Planning Project. Discuss the various guidelines, why those were included, and review examples of their application.

    Stephen W. Dale, The Dale Law Firm, PC - Pacheco, CA
    Rebecca C. Morgan, Stetson University College of Law - Gulfport, FL

  • 10:15 am
    Break

  • 10:30 am
    0.50 hr
    0.25 hr ethics
    Maximizing Public Benefits (Basics)
    Hear an overview of public benefits and Medicaid programs for clients, including "waiver" programs and how to use them to provide long-term care services for clients. Discuss practice tips for new practitioners.

    Christina Lesher, The Law Office of Christina Lesher, PC - Houston, TX

  • 11:00 am
    0.75 hr
    0.25 hr ethics
    Emerging Trends in SNTs
    Imagine that you are a parent of a 17-year-old child named Kathy who has been diagnosed with Autism, and expected to live until she is 87 years old. Discuss challenges that Kathy’s trustee would need to address if her parents passed away over the next 70 years including current and future laws and regulations, ABLE Accounts, support systems and government aid. Highlight current challenges in different Social Security Administration Regions across the nation, and how those trends could affect the Texas Special Needs Trust practitioners.

    Stephen W. Dale, The Dale Law Firm, PC - Pacheco, CA

  • 11:45 am
    Pick Up Lunch
    Included in registration.

  • Thursday Afternoon, Feb. 13, 2020
    Presiding Officer:
    Bryn A. Poland, Mayo & Poland PLLC - Baytown, TX
  • LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
  • Thank You to Our Luncheon Sponsor
    Bank of Texas

  • 12:05 pm
    0.50 hr
    Letters of Intent for SNTs
    Letters of intent are pivotal in future planning and are invaluable in administrating a trust. A letter of intent ensures the trustee knows the abilities, limitations, likes, dislikes, interests, routines, history, future, hopes and dreams of the beneficiary. Gain insight on the important aspects that should be included in a useful letter of intent.

    Haley D. Greer, The Arc of Texas - Austin, TX

  • 12:35 pm
    Break

  • 12:50 pm
    0.50 hr
    Public Benefits for Children
    Review public benefits and Medicaid programs for children. Learn tips on navigating clients through the various programs and bypassing wait lists.

    Christina Lesher, The Law Office of Christina Lesher, PC - Houston, TX

  • 1:20 pm
    0.50 hr
    Divorce and Disability / Child Support
    An overview of support issues in divorce cases involving children and spouses with disabilities and the use of SNTs to protect benefits.

    Keith D. Maples, Noelke Maples St. Leger Bryant, LLP - Austin, TX

  • 1:50 pm
    0.75 hr
    A View from the HHSC
    A discussion of current issues and trends from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

    Shari L. Nichols, Texas Health and Human Services Commission - Austin, TX

  • 2:35 pm
    Break

  • 2:45 pm
    0.50 hr
    0.25 hr ethics
    Protecting and Maximizing Public Benefits (Advanced)
    Discuss recent changes in laws and policies affecting benefits. Hear the latest developments and strategies for protecting and maximizing benefits.

    H. Clyde Farrell, Farrell & Johnson PLLC - Austin, TX

  • 3:15 pm
    1.00 hr
    0.50 hr ethics
    New POMs Clarification on the Fee Approval Requirements
    Learn more about POMS GN 03920.007 and the questions it raised, the legislative and administrative advocacy that followed its release, and what may happen now that it has been archived.

    Stacy Braverman Cloyd, National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives - Washington, DC
    Constance R. Somers, Law Office Of Constance Somers - San Antonio, TX

  • 4:15 pm
    0.50 hr
    0.25 hr ethics
    Nuts and Bolts of Preparing a Fee Petition for Social Security Representation
    After winning the case there are additional steps needed to finally get paid. Learn what is required in the client contract, how our first draft is prepared, terms to avoid, addressing the Judge’s concerns, getting clients assistance, where to send the completed fee petition, expected time needed for follow-up, and additional insight.  

    John Driskill, Morgan & Weisbrod LLP - Dallas, TX
    Tasha Dansby Roberts, Morgan & Weisbrod LLP - Dallas, TX

  • 4:45 pm
    Adjourn to Reception
    Join program faculty and attendees for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

  • Thank You to Our Reception Sponsor
    Frost Wealth Advisors

  • Time
    Credit
    Subject
    Speaker
  • Friday Morning, Feb. 14, 2020
    Presiding Officer:
    Peyton Taylor, Texas Bankers Association - Austin, TX
  • 8:00 am
    Conference Room Opens
    Includes continental breakfast.

  • 8:15 am
    0.75 hr
    Working with the Social Security Administration: Appeals, Overpayments and ISM Charges
    Gain a better understanding of the timeline and process of appeals, options for managing overpayments, and strategies to eliminate in-kind support and maintenance charges.

    Alison Packard, Packard Law Firm - San Antonio, TX

  • 9:00 am
    0.50 hr
    IRAs and SNTs
    Many parents’ IRAs and 401(k)s are a significant part of their estate, and they may want to leave it to their child with disabilities to provide for his or her future care. Explore various issues that arise when incorporating retirement benefits into special needs planning, including taxation and SSI/Medicaid disqualification. Whether the distribution is outright, over a period of years, or to a conduit or accumulation special needs trust, proper planning can maximize the benefit to the child with special needs.

    Tresi Weeks, The Weeks Law Firm, PLLC - Plano, TX

  • 9:30 am
    1.00 hr
    Interplay of Guardians and Trustees In and Out of Court + Administering SNTs Established in Other States and Other SSA Regions (Case Studies)
    Complexities abound with SNTs involving multiple decision makers and multiple states. Discuss creative solutions using ABLE accounts, automated distribution plans facilitated by True Link, experienced corporate trustees, and pooled trusts.

    Moderator:
    Renée C. Lovelace, The Lovelace Law Firm, P.C. - Austin, TX
    Panelists:
    Haley D. Greer, The Arc of Texas - Austin, TX
    Nancy Sosa, Cadence Bank - Austin, TX
    Peter J. Wall, True Link Financial - Denver, CO

  • 10:30 am
    Break

  • 10:45 am
    1.00 hr
    SSA Regional Trust Leads Presentation Regarding SSI Trusts
    A discussion with the Regional Trust Leads on the regional centralization of the SSI trust review business process, including 2019 POMS updates. In addition, hear about drafting errors, including case examples.

    Amanda Flood, U.S. Social Security Administration - Dallas, TX
    Dana Marquez, U.S. Social Security Administration - Dallas, TX

  • 11:45 am
    0.50 hr
    0.25 hr ethics
    Noncitizens and Public Benefits
    Learn about noncitizens' eligibility for public benefits and how various statuses may affect sponsors, recipients and family members in a “deterrence only” policy environment.

    Terry Lynn Garrett, The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC - Austin, TX
    Melanie Ibarra, The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC - Austin, TX

  • 12:15 pm
    Pick Up Lunch
    Included in registration.

  • Friday Afternoon, Feb. 14, 2020
    Presiding Officer:
    Renée C. Lovelace, The Lovelace Law Firm, P.C. - Austin, TX
  • LUNCHEON PRESENTATION
  • 12:35 pm
    0.50 hr
    Quality of Life Tools: Bloom Where You Are Planted 
    The goal of quality of life considerations is to help make your clients/beneficiaries feel valued and to appreciate life despite their challenges. In most cases, distribution requests between beneficiaries and professionals are framed as necessities or needs rather than improving their quality of  life. Learn tools and specific recommendations of large and small distributions for evaluating requests in part through quality of life considerations.

    Leah Cohen, arrangeCARE - Austin, TX

  • 1:05 pm
    Break and Vendor Annoucements

  • 1:35 pm
    0.75 hr
    Powers of Appointment in Special Needs Planning: Mystical Authority Made Magical!
    Define the role and use of powers of appointment in the context of public benefits, tax, and dispositive wishes so that problems can be solved rather than created.  

    G. Mark Shalloway, Shalloway & Shalloway - West Palm Beach, FL

  • 2:20 pm
    0.50 hr
    Home Sweet Home?
    Hear common considerations and unusual issues surrounding the ownership and maintenance of a house for a trust beneficiary. 

    Elisa Dillard Rainey, Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law LP - Waco, TX
    Nancy Sosa, Cadence Bank - Austin, TX

  • 2:50 pm
    1.00 hr ethics
    Special Needs Trusts Ethics Jeopardy
    Cover various categories of ethical issues SNT attorneys, using the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct, where the answers are in the form of questions. Get ready to volunteer to play Special Needs Trusts Ethics Jeopardy!

    Mary Alice Jackson, Boyer & Boyer P.A. - Sarasota, FL
    Rebecca C. Morgan, Stetson University College of Law - Gulfport, FL

  • 3:50 pm
    Adjourn

Download Schedule

Conference Faculty

Molly Abshire

Wright Abshire, Attorneys
Bellaire, TX

Stacy Braverman Cloyd

National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives
Washington, DC

Leah Cohen

arrangeCARE
Austin, TX

Stephen W. Dale

The Dale Law Firm, PC
Pacheco, CA

John Driskill

Morgan & Weisbrod LLP
Dallas, TX

H. Clyde Farrell

Farrell & Johnson PLLC
Austin, TX

Amanda Flood

U.S. Social Security Administration
Dallas, TX

Terry Lynn Garrett

The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC
Austin, TX

Haley D. Greer

The Arc of Texas
Austin, TX

Melanie Ibarra

The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC
Austin, TX

Mary Alice Jackson

Boyer & Boyer P.A.
Sarasota, FL

Christina Lesher

The Law Office of Christina Lesher, PC
Houston, TX

Renée C. Lovelace

The Lovelace Law Firm, P.C.
Austin, TX

Keith D. Maples

Noelke Maples St. Leger Bryant, LLP
Austin, TX

Dana Marquez

U.S. Social Security Administration
Dallas, TX

Rebecca C. Morgan

Stetson University College of Law
Gulfport, FL

Shari L. Nichols

Texas Health and Human Services Commission
Austin, TX

Alison Packard

Packard Law Firm
San Antonio, TX

Elisa Dillard Rainey

Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law LP
Waco, TX

Tasha Dansby Roberts

Morgan & Weisbrod LLP
Dallas, TX

G. Mark Shalloway

Shalloway & Shalloway
West Palm Beach, FL

Constance R. Somers

Law Office Of Constance Somers
San Antonio, TX

Nancy Sosa

Cadence Bank
Austin, TX

Peter J. Wall

True Link Financial
Denver, CO

Tresi Weeks

The Weeks Law Firm, PLLC
Plano, TX

Planning Committee

Renée C. Lovelace—Co-Chair

The Lovelace Law Firm, P.C.
Austin, TX

Patricia F. Sitchler—Co-Chair

The Law Office of Patricia Flora Sitchler
La Vernia, TX

April Rogers—Director

The University of Texas School of Law
Austin, TX

Ashlee Bennett

Texas Bankers Association
Austin, TX

Leah Cohen

arrangeCARE
Austin, TX

Stephen W. Dale

The Dale Law Firm, PC
Pacheco, CA

H. Clyde Farrell

Farrell & Johnson PLLC
Austin, TX

Terry Lynn Garrett

The Garrett Law Firm, PLLC
Austin, TX

Haley D. Greer

The Arc of Texas
Austin, TX

Mary Alice Jackson

Boyer & Boyer P.A.
Sarasota, FL

Christina Lesher

The Law Office of Christina Lesher, PC
Houston, TX

Pi-Yi Mayo

Mayo & Poland PLLC
Baytown, TX

Bryn A. Poland

Mayo & Poland PLLC
Baytown, TX

Kristen Quinney Porter

Kristen Quinney Porter, LLC
New Braunfels, TX

Elisa Dillard Rainey

Rainey & Rainey, Attorneys at Law LP
Waco, TX

Nancy Sosa

Cadence Bank
Austin, TX

Peyton Taylor

Texas Bankers Association
Austin, TX

Tresi Weeks

The Weeks Law Firm, PLLC
Plano, TX

Credit Info

MCLE Credit
A Texas MCLE Reporting Form will be included in your course materials. Please complete and return to the registration desk and UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the State Bar of Texas, or you can self-report your credit directly to the State Bar of Texas at texasbar.com. A Certificate of Attendance will be provided at the conference to keep for your records.  
At the conference, you will need to sign in on the Record of Attendance form at the registration desk. Self-report your CLE credit directly to the State Bar of California at calbar.ca.gov. You will receive a Certificate of Attendance at the conference to keep for your records. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.  
At the conference, you will need to sign in on the Record of Attendance form at the registration desk. You will receive a Certificate of Attendance at the conference to keep for your records. UT Law CLE will report credit on your behalf to the Oklahoma Bar Association within 30 days after the conference.
Note on Self-Reporting Your Credits in Another State
If you wish to satisfy MCLE or other professional education requirements in another state for a program offered by the University of Texas School of Law, please check with the state bar or other licensing authority in that state before taking the program to ensure it will qualify for self-reporting your credits.
Other Credit

http://www.cfp.net/
This conference has been approved by the American Bankers Association (ABA) Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB) for continuing education credits. Credit approvals are based on the relevance of the program to the ICB's certification exam outline. One credit is awarded for every 50 minutes of relevant instruction. You will receive an ICB Certification Certificate of Completion at the conference for your records. ICB Members self-report these credits at www.icbmembers.org
The University of Texas School of Law is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors. State boards of accountancy have final authority on the acceptance of individual courses for CPE credit. Complaints regarding registered sponsors may be submitted to the National Registry of CPE Sponsors through its website: www.nasbaregistry.org.

Delivery Method: Group-Live

To comply with NASBA Standards, attendees claiming CPE credit must sign in to verify attendance for each segment. Attendance sign-in sheets will be available at the registration desk. You will need your CPA license number to sign in. A CPE Certificate of Completion will be provided at the conclusion of the conference.

Reporting: CPAs are responsible for reporting CPE credits earned to their state's accountancy board, and must retain appropriate documentation of their participation in learning activities. Visit your state’s reporting website for more information or www.nasba.org.
The University of Texas School of Law (Provider #250) live conferences are presumptively approved by The Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for Texas Accounting CPE credit based on a 50-minute credit hour. Approved for general CPE credit only.

At the conference, you will need to sign in on the Accounting CPE Record of Attendance form at the registration desk. You will receive a Texas Accounting Certificate of Completion at the conference for your records. Self-report your CPE credit directly to TSBPA. UT Law CLE will maintain Attendance Records for four years.  

Contact Laura Tolin, ltolin@law.utexas.edu, if you have additional questions.

Key Dates

Austin – Feb 13-14, 2020 – DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Austin
Conference Concluded
Buy
Austin
Last day for Individual early registration: Feb 5, 2020

Add $50 for registrations received after this time

Last day for Group (5 registrants minimum) early registration: Feb 5, 2020

Add $50 for registrations received after this time

Last day for Group (10 registrants minimum) early registration: Feb 5, 2020

Add $50 for registrations received after this time

Last day for cancellation (full refund): Feb 7, 2020

$50 processing fee applied after this date

Last day for cancellation: Feb 10, 2020

Venue

speaker

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Austin

6505 N. Interstate 35
Austin, TX 78752-4346
512-454-3737
800-866-3126 (reservations)
Map

Accommodations

$169 room rate good through January 22, 2020 (subject to availability). 

Book your room online here or call the reservations department at 1-800-866-3126 and reference the group name "UT Law Special Needs Trust". The online link and group code will be active until the room block is full or the cutoff date of 1/22/2020, whichever comes first. 

Parking Information

Daily or Overnight Self-parking: $8 
Valet Parking: $20

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