* Commonwealth Community Trust
        
    Our purpose is to give you peace of mind.
    Commonwealth Community Trust (CCT)
    administers affordable and efficient third party
    Special Needs and self-funded Pooled Disability
    Trusts for people with disabilities. CCT staff
    members are knowledgeable about the rules
    governing trusts for clients receiving
    Supplemental SecurityIncome (SSI) and
    Medicaid in order to preserve these benefits. As
    of 2010, CCT has over 750 clients nationwide
    with $21.5 million funded trusts.

About Commonwealth Community Trust

    Commonwealth Community Trust (CCT) is a 501
    (C) 3 nonprofit organization that was founded in
    1990 by family members who have a loved one
    with a disability and by concerned professionals.

       CCT Administers two types of trusts:

    • The third party Special Needs Trust is
    established by a family member or friend.
    • The self-funded Pooled Disability Trust is
    established with the Beneficiary’s own funds.

    The mission of CCT is to administer Special
    Needs Trusts so that people with disabilities and
    their loved ones can plan for their financial
    future. For clients who receive Supplemental
    Security Income (SSI) and/or Medicaid, the
    trust will not jeopardize government benefits.

    CCT is governed by a volunteer Board of
    Directors comprised of at least two members
    who are related to an individual with a disability,
    legal and financial professionals and experts who
    work in the disabilities field.

    The Trust Company of Virginia, a licensed and
    bonded investment corporation, was selected by
    the CCT Board of Directors to manage and invest
    the funds.

    Commonwealth Community Master Trust
    Agreements allow the Trustee to administer the
    trusts under the umbrella of the "master." Both
    the self-funded Pooled Disability Trust and the
    third party Special Needs Master Trust
    Agreements were written by an Estate Planning
    Attorney with expertise in this area of the law
    and signed by the Board of Directors and the
    Trust Company of Virginia.

    CCT serves clients who have a disability based on
    the Social Security Administration’s definition
    of disabled. A third party Special Needs Trust
    can be established for Beneficiaries of any age.
    The self-funded Pooled Disability Trust can be
    established for anyone under age 65.
    Requirements differ for clients 65 and older who
    receive Medicaid long term care, and the rules
    may be different for each state.

Financial statements are mailed quarterly or can
be accessed through the internet.

* Jean Galloway Ball, PLC
    Jean Galloway Ball, Certified Elder Law
    Attorney (CELA)
    Loretta Morris Williams, CELA
    Katherine Larkin

    10306 Eaton Place, Suite 130,
    Fairfax, Virginia 22030
    Tel: (703) 359-9213, Fax: (703) 591-0553
    www.uselderlaw.com

    The law offices of Jean Galloway Ball, PLC, have
    offered high-quality legal services to families
    with special needs in northern Virginia and
    suburban Maryland since 1988.  Our services
    are custom-tailored to our clients’ specific needs
    in planning for their and their families’ futures.  
    Our attorneys bring a depth of knowledge and
    experience in public benefit programs and
    disability resources when advising clients with
    special needs as to the legal remedies available
    to them.  

    Our attorneys routinely work with the parents
    of special needs children to ensure high-quality
    care and support in living a full and healthy life.  
    We offer support in a variety of ways,
    including:  advising clients on eligibility for
    public benefits, creating special needs trusts,
    representing clients in guardianship/conservator
    proceedings, and general estate planning.

    Public Benefits
    Our attorneys help families with disabled
    children advance through the maze of state and
    federal public benefits, including Medicaid,
    Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other
    governmental benefit programs.  As part of our
    comprehensive special needs planning services, we
    will discuss eligibility for such government
    benefits that may be available to your disabled
    loved one.

    Special Needs Trusts
    Our attorneys help families create Special
    Needs Trusts (also known as Supplemental Needs
    Trusts), which allow the parents of children with
    a disability to manage the child’s assets even
    after they turn 18, protect their child’s
    inheritance, and qualify their child for public
    benefit programs, including Medicaid,
    Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Social
    Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).  Special
    needs trusts may be third-party settled or self-
    settled.  Both types of trusts provide for
    discretionary distributions from the trust for
    the benefit of the disabled beneficiary to
    provide for services that are not otherwise
    provided by public benefits or insurance.  

    Our attorneys are experienced in both types of
    special needs trusts and are able to advise our
    clients as to which fits the clients’ needs.  With
    their in-depth knowledge of public benefit laws
    at the state and federal level, our attorneys are
    uniquely qualified to put the right type of special
    needs trust in place to protect our clients and
    their families.  We also can assist in structuring
    personal injury and medical malpractice
    settlements to protect eligibility for government
    assistance.

    Guardianship and Conservatorship
    When a child turns 18, he or she is considered an
    adult under the law, regardless of capacity. Our
    attorneys can assist parents of children with
    special needs to draft medical and financial
    powers of attorney or establish guardianship and
    conservatorship so that the parents or a trusted
    individual can help make the important decisions
    for their disabled adult child.  Guardianship
    provides the opportunity to make non-financial
    decisions about the disabled adult child, including
    living arrangements and medical decisions.  
    Conservatorship provides the ability to manage
    the financial affairs of the disabled adult child.  

    Our attorneys understand that families
    sometimes disagree over who should be in charge
    of a special needs adult child.  They are
    experienced in litigating contested guardianship
    and conservatorship actions.  Our attorneys help
    our clients see that their loved one is protected
    and that an appropriate person is appointed by
    the court to care for them.  

    Estate Planning
    Estate planning is often of importance to families
    with special needs children to ensure that these
    children continue to be cared for after their
    parents’ deaths and to ensure that their rightful
    inheritance is protected for their benefit
    through use of special needs trusts.  Our
    attorneys are experienced in drafting wills,
    testamentary trusts, and living trusts, as well as
    durable and medical powers of attorney and
    advanced health care directives.

    Special needs planning is a priority at Jean
    Galloway Ball, PLC.  Our attorneys can offer you
    straightforward answers, fact-based guidance
    and family-center support.  

    The Firm’s owner, Jean Galloway Ball, is an
    honors graduate of the National Law Center,
    George Washington University.  She is certified
    in Elder Law by the National Elder Law
    Foundation, a certification that is predicated on
    demonstrated knowledge and experience in
    numerous areas of law relevant to senior citizens
    and disabled persons.  She was recently named a
    Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law
    Attorneys (NAELA), the highest honor bestowed
    by NAELA on its members, and was named the
    most valuable member of the Virginia Chapter of
    the Academy (VAELA) for 2010.  In addition to
    being a member of NAELA and VAELA, she is a
    member of the Academy of Special Needs
    Planners and sits on the Circuit Court Committee
    for the Fairfax Bar Association.  Jean was
    recently named as an Influential Woman of
    Virginia for 2011 by the Virginia Lawyers
    Media.  Jean also has been selected as a Super
    Lawyer in the field of Elder Law in 2007, 2008,
    2009, 2010, and 2011 in both the Virginia and
    the Washington DC metro area.  

    When you choose Jean Galloway Ball, PLC, to
    assist you with your special needs planning, you
    can rest assured that you will receive highly
    attentive service, individualized guidance and
    representation, not generic legal advice or
    prepackaged forms.  We invite you to call us
    today at (703) 359-9213 to schedule your initial
    consultation.  Visit us online at
    www.uselderlaw.com.
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