PLAN’s Social Support Service Coordinators

All special needs trust beneficiaries are assigned a PLAN Service Coordinator – a licensed social worker with extensive experience working with individuals with type of disability: physical, developmental, neurological, mental health, or age-related. Our social service coordinators are accustomed to supporting individuals with both congenital disabilities (disabilities they were born with) and acquired disabilities (disabilities that occurred after birth, including as a young or older adult). These caring professionals help support and guide a beneficiary, identifying both day-to-day needs and long-term goals — both life quality and financial. They work with the trust beneficiary, and their family as appropriate, to create a prudent spending plan (long-term financial plan) that addresses those needs and goals.

And, over the long term, they coordinate disbursement of trust funds to the providers of goods and services for the beneficiary.

Our Service Coordinators communicate regularly with special needs trust beneficiaries, family members, and external service providers. They help to identify unmet needs and eligible expenses (services or products that would improve the special needs trust beneficiary’s quality of life); identify and suggest resources, goods and services; and determine whether expenditures meet legal requirements.

In doing their work, Service Coordinators consider many factors—including the special needs pooled trust or stand-alone special needs trust beneficiary’s age, disability, needs, expenses, and trust account balance. But the most important factor is first and always the beneficiary’s best interest.