The CJP Disabilities Trust II is a self-settled pooled trust. It is funded by a disabled adult for his/her benefit. These funds could come from an inheritance, a gift, an injury award, divorce settlement, etc. This trust is specifically designed to preserve eligibility for state benefits like SSI and MassHealth. The CJP Disabilities Trust I is a trust set up by another person to serve adults with disabilities. Typically this type of trust is set up by a family member for a disabled adult and provides an advocate for the beneficiary.
This trust allows you to put aside your own money to provide for yourself after you are no longer able to care for yourself, which may enhance your eligibility for certain benefits like Social Security or MassHealth.
Anyone who is disabled can fund a self-settled Trust.
A self-settled Trust needs a minimum opening balance of $12,000. You can take up to three years to fully fund a Trust once it has been established.
There is a one-time enrollment fee of $400 to establish the Trust. Once the Trust has been established, there is an annual administration fee of 2% of the fund balance up to $150,000 and a 1.5% fee of funds over $150,000.
The Trust can accept only cash assets. Any assets other than cash must be sold and converted into cash before the Trust can accept it.
This Trust is a legal document. Neither CJP nor JF&CS can provide you with legal advice. Therefore it is highly recommended that you retain a lawyer to work with you and JF&CS and CJP.
Generally the Trust is irrevocable, but in extraordinary circumstances the Trust may be dissolved with the Trustees’ approval. For planning purposes one should assume this is a life long decision.
Invoices are submitted to JF&CS and paid directly and promptly (typically once a week). No funds can be paid directly to the beneficiary. We can reimburse a third party for out-of-pocket expenses by submitting those receipts to JF&CS and including a brief explanation of the expense.
The Trust will cover expenses that public benefits do not cover depending on the size of the account. When establishing the Trust, a Proposed Service Plan and a Service Planning Guide can spell out just what the Trust is intended to pay for.
The Trust will not pay for benefits covered by MassHealth (Medicaid) or other health insurance. Typically the Trust will not pay for items that would affect Social Security eligibility (i.e. rent or food) and for services usually paid by health insurance.
In this Trust 25% of the funds are retained in the CJP and JF&CS Trust to help other beneficiaries in the Trust. The remaining 75% of the funds are used to pay back the Commonwealth for any MassHealth expenses. After the Commonwealth is paid back, if there are remaining funds, they are distributed as chosen by the sponsor.
JF&CS has been providing human services and health care programs since 1864. We design each service with the goal of enhancing independence and quality of life. JF&CS draws upon its various disabilities programs and as a constituent agency of CJP, we can utilize specialized services of other agencies. We work closely with many other organizations that serve children and adults with disabilities. While we are proud of our services, we encourage you to look at all financial plans.