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What's the Best Financial Protection for a Special Needs Child?
Townhall.com ^ | June 6, 2012 | Carry Schwab Pomerantz

Posted on 06/06/2012 7:52:42 AM PDT by Kaslin

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1 posted on 06/06/2012 7:52:45 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

APPLY FOR GOVERNMENT BENEFITS

F that. The Government should not take care of your brat. that is your job!!!!!!!


2 posted on 06/06/2012 7:55:29 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: napscoordinator

Agreed. Unfortunately, the Feds and the states have set the bar way too low. Virtually anybody with enough money to buy a “welfare lawyer” can get benefits.

This is why there has been a massive increase in the number of people getting SSI. As their unemployment benefits expire, they buy their way into SSI.


3 posted on 06/06/2012 8:08:31 AM PDT by upchuck (Need is not an acceptable lifestyle choice; dependent is not a career. ~ Dr. Tim Nerenz)
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To: Kaslin

Right now, at this moment, the economy of Greece has collapsed. People are discovering that food and medecine is in short supply, electricity and potable water from a municipal source may cease, and public security will be nonexistent. If you’re disabled, you are in mortal danger.

My dad has alzheimers disease. Though still alive, most times cognizant and doing well, he must rely on his pensions and social security to provide him with the financial ability to sustain the care he requires. It is beyond the ability of his childrena and grandchildren to care for him directly.

In the event of an econmic collapse here, in the U.S.A., all pension money (which is nothing more or less than a Ponzi scheme) will evaporate, along with Social Security and government entitlements.

This is going to be real hard for most people to grasp, but caring for the disabled after an economic collapse will be nearly impossible.


4 posted on 06/06/2012 8:14:00 AM PDT by SatinDoll (NO FOREIGN NATIONALS AS OUR PRESIDENT)
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To: napscoordinator

“F that. The Government should not take care of your brat. that is your job!!!!!!!”

That’s quite a hard line naps... There are really only two choices for adult “brats” that are disabled. Society can euthanize them, or take care of them.

Suppose your son or daughter was in an accident and ended up a paraplegic. Perhaps you could care for them at home. What happens to them when you die? Nursing homes cost 7 or 8 thousand a month, and your kid may live another 20 years after you are dead. Think about it...

There’s no way you could ever take care of your “brat” in the long term.

This kind of situation is EXACTLY what public assistance should be about. What it shouldn’t be is taking care of able bodied folks who are just too lazy to work.


5 posted on 06/06/2012 8:23:25 AM PDT by babygene (Figures don't lie, but liars can figure...)
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To: napscoordinator

God help the poor boy, when his mother is gone.

What if she simply doesn’t have enough money to provide for the rest of his life?

What if she does leave him enough money? Who will be a trustworthy guardian? Who will care for him and not warehouse him?

I’ve heard mothers of disabled children say they think about killing both themselves and their children when they reach old age. I thought about it myself, when I didn’t know how well my son would do, but a more life-affirming solution was to give him siblings. Thank God he has done well, and will be able to be completely independent.

If the government has any social welfare function at all, it is to help the truly disabled who cannot provide for themselves, and help those families who have extraordinary expenses. Not the scammers, not the malingerers, not the lazy, but the truly needy. I don’t begrudge them a dime.


6 posted on 06/06/2012 8:25:33 AM PDT by heartwood
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To: heartwood; babygene

This is the problem I have with people today. They all have their pet projects and they refuse to allow the government to become smaller. Conservatives are just as bad as Liberals when it comes to spending. We will NEVER recover if we have pet projects. Let the churches and charities take care of these folks.


7 posted on 06/06/2012 8:29:04 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: napscoordinator

So what are the proper functions of government?


8 posted on 06/06/2012 8:37:26 AM PDT by heartwood
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To: Kaslin

Bzzzzt - wrong. The correct answer should have been:

1) Reduce your debt
2) Manage your taxes
3) Insurance policies for yourself and yourself that include:
- medical
- long term disability
- life insurance with living benefits
4) Develop multiple streams of income that are diverse and do not require you to use your time or effort to realize the income.


9 posted on 06/06/2012 8:52:58 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: napscoordinator
Yup, I hear that all the time with my daughter, the one I was advised to abort based on the results of her Quad Panel at 4 months.

Thank you for supporting my pro-life choice. Then again I guess she will just join her mother in heaven after living in a snake pit after I die. The mother who was diagnosed with terminal cancer after undergoing a physical to buy life insurance, after my employer canceled our spousal coverage. But, Its that's my fault, I should have known that she would die at 38.

10 posted on 06/06/2012 8:57:22 AM PDT by MrNeutron1962
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To: napscoordinator

Seriously harsh. I have a learning disabled child. She’s 33, mentally she’s about 8. There is no way we can save enough money to take care of her when we are gone. Right now she lives at home and works at Goodwill, she makes about $60 ever two weeks. We have family that’ll help, if something happens to us, but, I wouldn’t want the full burden to be on them. I figure we pay plenty in taxes, if our taxes were cut way down, we could afford to save the money that would be needed. I enrolled her for benefits as soon as I could, just in case something happened to one of us. She has no siblings, I lost 3 babies. If you think for one minute I”m not going to get what my daughter needs think again. I hope you never have a seriously handicapped child. You have no idea how hard it can be, and the financial strain it is even with help. There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by, that I think, what’s going to happen to her when I’m gone? Who’s going to love her like I do? Will she be abused? If our government collapses will she be murdered to get her out of the way? I have to give those things over to God, I can’t control any of that. But, it is things I do think about.


11 posted on 06/06/2012 8:58:34 AM PDT by MsLady (Be the kind of woman that when you get up in the morning, the devil says, "Oh crap, she's UP !!")
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To: napscoordinator

You think disabled adults who are dependent are “pet projects”?

Count your blessings that you have not had to deal with this anguish.

I am disappointed to hear such heartlessness from a fellow FReeper.


12 posted on 06/06/2012 9:24:40 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: taxcontrol

So how would insurance policies for yourself and yourself serve to meet the needs of the disabled child?


13 posted on 06/06/2012 9:27:54 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: MsLady
Seriously harsh. I have a learning disabled child. She’s 33, mentally she’s about 8.

I have a nineteen year old step son with autism, mentally he's about 6. Sessami Street is his favorite show. Ufortunitely like all 6 year olds he can have tantrums sometimes violent ones, only he's not 6 he is a strapping 19 year old. I am 50 now and can handle him but when I think to the future it gives me pause. What will I do when when I am 60 or 65? There are no good answers and the medical "professionals" just throw more meds at you and hope they help. Not sure what the future holds.

14 posted on 06/06/2012 9:38:12 AM PDT by usurper (Liberals GET OFF MY LAWN)
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To: napscoordinator
My disabled daughter required 25 surgeries. The first time, employers are sympathetic, the second time they just look at you. The third time, you are fired.

Raising a disabled child is akin to financial armegeddon. There's no daycare after they turn 12 due to insurance and, believe me, no one wants to babysit.

Plus, the worry of "what's going to happen after I'm gone" is always, always with you.

On top of that, it takes a toll on the caregiver's health.

15 posted on 06/06/2012 9:39:35 AM PDT by SCalGal (Friends don't let friends donate to H$U$ or PETA.)
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To: NEMDF

Just as you cant get a job from a poor man, one of the axioms of taking care of someone else is that you first must be able to take care of yourself. In planning for the care of others, this means that you must protect your income / wealth from unexpected drains.

Health insurance protects you against the cost of an illness / injury - typical medical bills.

Long term disability insurance protects your wealth against the drain of you become disabled and are unable to earn an income. Say some idiot in a car hits you and now you are not able to work.

Life insurance with living benefits protects you in several cases most notably if you are diagnosed with a terminal condition (say 24 months or less to live) you can withdraw some portion of the policy right away to set up a transition plan.


16 posted on 06/06/2012 10:02:45 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: taxcontrol

Okay. I fully agree with the taking care of self first (36 years working with life, disability income, LTC, investments, etc. insurance). And I am always glad to hear someone advocating to plan/insure for those contingencies.

But if all those things are in place, then still a plan is needed to take care of the special needs child.

(Not trying to be argmumentative; I just had intrepreted your earlier post to mean that the ideas you listed somehow solved the problem of future care for the child).


17 posted on 06/06/2012 10:14:44 AM PDT by NEMDF
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To: NEMDF

My point is that UNTIL those things are in place, planning for the long term care needs of a dependant is at best ill conceived, and at worst, down right foolish. No sense in planning for a trust if you dont have any money to put into it. And if you DONT have the insurances, and then you get hit with a medical bill, your long term planning is now shot because .... you wont have any money to put into the trust / plan, etc.

After step four - developing multiple income streams, when you have a positive cash flow, you can now fund the care plan. Until then, focus on the basics.


18 posted on 06/06/2012 10:29:30 AM PDT by taxcontrol
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To: NEMDF

You all act like we don’t have 15 trillion in debt. Why on Earth do you all act like socialist? I don’t think some of you belong on this CONSERVATIVE site which is a proponent of fiscal responsibility. We cannot afford anything at this point. Didn’t Wisconsin teach you anything?????


19 posted on 06/06/2012 10:30:23 AM PDT by napscoordinator
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To: taxcontrol

Got it, and I agree.


20 posted on 06/06/2012 11:19:37 AM PDT by NEMDF
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