Estate Planning · DuPage County, Illinois
Wills, trusts, and the planning that keeps your family in control and out of court, from the same DuPage County firm since 1990.
This is a specialized area of estate planning. A special needs trust lets you support a beneficiary with disabilities without disqualifying them from SSI, Medicaid, and other means-tested benefits. We draft Illinois SNTs that protect both the assets and the eligibility.
At Chris J. Aiello, P.C., we’ve handled these matters for DuPage County clients for over three decades. We translate the complexity into plain language, recommend strategies that actually fit your situation, and integrate this planning with the rest of your estate documents.
Every situation is different. We design the right combination for yours.
We know the Illinois rules in this niche — not just generic estate planning principles.
Specialized strategies must coordinate with your wills, trusts, and POAs. We design them together.
We model the actual tax and benefit impact of strategies before you commit.
Tax law and rules change. We update strategies as needed over time.
Specialized work but predictable pricing — quoted at consultation, not hourly billed.
Chris or John handles this work personally. No handoffs to paralegals.
From our Villa Park office, we represent clients across DuPage County and the western suburbs of Chicago.
Third-party SNTs are funded by someone other than the beneficiary (parents, grandparents) — no Medicaid payback at the beneficiary’s death. First-party SNTs hold the beneficiary’s own assets (settlements, inheritance) — must include Medicaid payback at death.
A regular discretionary trust may still count as an available resource for SSI/Medicaid purposes. SNTs include specific language designed to prevent benefit disqualification.
Distributions for shelter and food can reduce SSI benefits dollar-for-dollar (up to a cap). The trust can pay for almost everything else — therapy, recreation, transportation, education, vacations, personal care — without affecting benefits.
Family trustees know the beneficiary and care more, but may lack expertise in benefits rules. Professional trustees have expertise but cost money. Many SNTs use both — a corporate trustee with a family trust protector.
Often yes. The SNT holds and distributes assets. Guardianship gives someone authority to make personal, medical, or financial decisions. They serve different purposes.
A free consultation tells you whether this strategy fits your situation — and what the realistic impact would be.