Start at the End
When reading a book, you don’t usually read the last page first. However, a representative should take care of that last page as soon as a special needs trust is established for an elderly loved one (a life beneficiary).
Why?
Because by law, a special needs trust is frozen as soon as a life beneficiary dies – not after the funeral. That means that funeral expenses can ONLY be funded through the Special Needs Trust IF the expenses are handled IN ADVANCE of the life beneficiary’s death. And funerals can cost a lot with embalming or cremation, casket or urn, burial plot and marker, grave opening and closing, and transport.
Alabama Family Trust strongly recommends that representatives handle pre-need funeral arrangements as soon as possible so that trust funds can be used. Otherwise, the expenses will likely be left to family members to cover.
Where Do You Start?
Meet with the funeral home director to discuss any preferences the life beneficiary may have as well as costs. You can preview the Pre-need Funeral Disbursement Form on our Documents page at any time and then use it to submit expenses to Alabama Family Trust once the pre-need funeral plan is in place.