Practice Areas
Estate Planning
Practice Areas
If someone in your North Hollywood family has a disability, the way you leave them money matters as much as how much you leave. A well-meant inheritance can cut off the benefits they rely on. Alice A. Salvo, a State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law, helps parents, grandparents, and siblings plan so the gift helps instead of hurts. Her office is in Woodland Hills, west on the 101. Call 818-676-9572.
Supplemental Security Income has a resource limit of $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple (20 CFR section 416.1205). Leave $50,000 directly to an adult child on SSI, and the benefit can stop until the money is spent down. Medi-Cal coverage can be affected as well; see Medi-Cal eligibility for how California counts assets.
The same problem shows up in places families don’t expect: a life insurance policy, a 401(k), or a bank account that names the person directly as beneficiary. Each of those forms needs to point to the right place.
A third-party special needs trust holds money you leave for your family member. A trustee you choose spends it on things that add to their life, such as therapy, a phone, travel, or a better wheelchair, without the money counting as theirs. Whatever is left when they die can go to your other children or grandchildren.
The trust can be built into your living trust or stand on its own so grandparents and others can leave gifts to it too. Then update beneficiary forms so insurance and retirement accounts pay the trust, not the person. Our page on estate planning for children with disabilities covers the planning steps in more detail.
An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account the person with a disability can use directly. Starting in 2026, people whose disability began before age 46 can open one, up from age 26, and total contributions are generally limited to $20,000 a year (IRS, ABLE Accounts). California’s program is CalABLE.
Many families use both. The ABLE account covers everyday costs the person manages, and the trust holds the larger inheritance under a trustee’s care.
At 18, parents lose legal authority to make decisions for their child, even about medical care. If your son or daughter can understand and sign them, a durable power of attorney and an advance healthcare directive may be enough.
If not, a limited conservatorship may be the answer for an adult with a developmental disability. The judge must consider each of seven areas of life one by one and grant only the powers the person needs, because a conservatorship has to be the least restrictive help that works (California Courts Self-Help). The conservatorships page explains the court process.
Name a trustee and a backup who will still be around in 30 years, and who gets along with your family member. Many parents also write a letter of intent: daily routines, doctors, what calms them, what they love. It isn’t a legal document, but it’s often the most-read page in the file.
Alice Salvo holds an LL.M. in Estate Planning from the University of Miami and has received Martindale-Hubbell’s AV rating. Associate attorney Levon Gevorgyan works with her on estate planning and trust matters. North Hollywood families can meet in Woodland Hills, by phone, or by video. The firm also serves Studio City, Valley Village, and Van Nuys.
It can. SSI has a $2,000 resource limit for an individual, so a direct inheritance above that can stop benefits until it’s spent. A special needs trust avoids that.
It’s a trust that holds money for a person with a disability. A trustee spends it on extras that improve their life, and it isn’t counted as the person’s own resources.
Starting in 2026, a person whose disability began before age 46 may be eligible. Total contributions are generally limited to $20,000 a year.
Bring your current will or trust, beneficiary forms, and a list of the benefits your family member receives. Call 818-676-9572 or send a message to set up a planning meeting.
Last updated November 13, 2026. Meet Alice A. Salvo, State Bar Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law.