Educational Series Event: Special Needs Trusts

Madison Public Library Foundation will host Special Needs Trusts, the next event in its virtual Educational Series, from noon–1 p.m. Monday, March 18.

A special needs trust is a legal arrangement that enables a physically or mentally disabled or chronically ill individual to receive income without reducing one’s eligibility for the government-funded disability benefits from Social Security, SSI, or Medicaid.

Learn how to make gifts or leave bequests to loved ones who rely on means-tested benefits for support.

Johanna Allex, Partner at Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, and Kevin Hayde, Executive Director at WisPACT, will educate attendees on the following:

• who requires a special needs trust
• the different types 
• how to navigate the process of starting a special needs trust
• the benefits of setting one up
• how to give or leave a gift to someone with a special needs trust

All Educational Series events are free to attend. Registration is required; click the button below to sign up. All who register will receive an email with a link to the event recording in case they cannot attend live.

About the Panelists

Johanna J. Allex is a partner in the Madison office of Stafford Rosenbaum, where she helps families and individuals plan for and manage life’s expected and unexpected transitions. Her law practice covers all aspects of estate planning and estate administration, marital property law, business succession planning, tax-exempt organization planning and operations, and alternative dispute resolutions. Allex is a Certified Public Accountant and serves on the firm’s board of directors. She regularly presents on topics, such as estate planning, alternative dispute resolution, and operational issues of importance to nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations.

Kevin Hayde has served as Executive Director of WisPACT since 2017. He spent the previous 11 years as Executive Director of The Disability Foundation Inc., in Dayton, Ohio, where he managed a pooled special needs trust organization. For 35 years, Hayde has advocated for the rights and appropriate support services for individuals with disabilities. He has served in a wide range of positions throughout his career, including quality assurance; management of a supported living agency; securing of appropriate and adequate housing for individuals with disabilities; and management of a foundation organized to provide grants to nonprofit organizations which were providing supports to individuals with developmental disabilities. He has served on numerous state- and county-level advisory and advocacy committees; along with serving as a board member for numerous organizations during his professional career. Hayde is a proud member of the National PLAN Alliance Inc. (NPA) and has made several presentations to national audiences, including the National Special Needs Conference (Stetson) and the Special Needs Financial Services Institute. Hayde is a 1988 graduate of Miami University (Ohio).