Legal and Financial Aspects of Transition for Students with Disabilities

These sites offer a wealth of information on understanding the law, one's legal rights, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), guardianship, and legal and estate planning.

Age of Majority: Preparing Your Child for Making Good Choices
National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET)
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=318
This document is designed for parents to help them to prepare their children for legal majority. It explains guardianship, the transfer of rights, and considerations about graduation.

Rights at the Age of Majority
Transition Coalition
http://www.transitioncoalition.org/~tcacs/new/files/am_brochure.pdf
This two-page brochure was created "to assist families in understanding upcoming changes in their child's legal status and prepare accordingly through transition planning."

Supplemental Security Income
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/index.htm
"Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a Federal income supplement program funded by general tax revenues (not Social Security taxes). It is designed to help aged, blind, and disabled people, who have little or no income; and It provides cash to meet basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter."

Meeting the Needs of Youth with Disabilities: Handbook on Supplemental Security Income Work Incentives and Transition Students
National Transition Network
http://ici2.umn.edu/ntn/pub/hdbk/default.html
"This handbook has two purposes: 1) To alert school personnel to the potential benefits of the SSI work incentives for students with disabilities in transition; and 2)To provide specific guidelines as to how school personnel can assist students and parents in applying for SSI benefits and work incentives."

Understanding Medicaid Home and Community Services: A Primer
George Washington University, Center for Health Policy Research
http://www.keystonehumanservices.org/pdffiles/primerpt.htm
This document provides detailed information about how to use Medicaid funding to pay for a comprehensive range of home and community services for people with disabilities.

Guardianship and Developmentally Disabled Individuals
National Guardianship Association, Inc.
http://www.guardianship.org/pdf/developmentallyDisabled.pdf
This one-page document offers a brief introduction to guardianship, including what it is and when it is needed.

Guardianship/Estate Planning
Utah MedHome Portal
http://www.medhomeportal.org/sections/index.cfm?section_id=4§ion_content_id=75
This site provides an overview of guardianship, estate planning, a special needs trust, and online resources.