Our Purpose
The Camphill Resident's Trust (CRT) is a pooled supplemental needs trust for individuals with special needs. The CRT invests, manages and disburses funds for the benefit of these individuals. Family members or friends who initially establish and fund a trust account are called sponsors.
Each account can be used to enhance the beneficiary’s care, comfort, welfare, education, enrichment or training without causing loss of government benefits under the law.
Because this irrevocable, discretionary trust provides directly for the needs of an individual, it is NOT a charitable trust. Contributions to a CRT account are not tax deductible.
Protection of Government Benefits
Paramount in creating financial supports for those with disabilities is protecting the government benefits they rely on for residential settings, day programs and healthcare.
Financial instruments created with good intention for disabled individuals can sometimes unintentionally adversely affect public benefits. Opening a savings account in their name or listing the disabled individual as beneficiary of a bequest, life insurance policy or retirement account can unexpectedly increase the individual’s income and cause the loss of healthcare or other government supports. Creating a supplemental or special needs trust account with an entity like the Camphill Resident’s Trust assures protection of these benefits.
Extensive legal research and court rulings in New York, Minnesota and Pennsylvania (where the Camphill Resident’s Trust is located) confirm that under current law, Camphill Resident’s Trust accounts do not impact the beneficiary’s entitlement to or funding level of government benefits. A statement issued by the Social Security Administration also confirms this. Further, should laws change in the future, Trustees have the power to amend the Trust Agreement in an effort to preserve the beneficiary’s entitlement to government benefits.
We recommend consulting with a certified estate planner knowledgeable about financial planning for the disabled as you plan for your loved one’s future.
Financial instruments created with good intention for disabled individuals can sometimes unintentionally adversely affect public benefits. Opening a savings account in their name or listing the disabled individual as beneficiary of a bequest, life insurance policy or retirement account can unexpectedly increase the individual’s income and cause the loss of healthcare or other government supports. Creating a supplemental or special needs trust account with an entity like the Camphill Resident’s Trust assures protection of these benefits.
Extensive legal research and court rulings in New York, Minnesota and Pennsylvania (where the Camphill Resident’s Trust is located) confirm that under current law, Camphill Resident’s Trust accounts do not impact the beneficiary’s entitlement to or funding level of government benefits. A statement issued by the Social Security Administration also confirms this. Further, should laws change in the future, Trustees have the power to amend the Trust Agreement in an effort to preserve the beneficiary’s entitlement to government benefits.
We recommend consulting with a certified estate planner knowledgeable about financial planning for the disabled as you plan for your loved one’s future.
Other Unique Circumstances
Most CRT trust accounts are Supplemental Needs Trusts which are funded by family or friends. However, the CRT also is a qualified Special Needs Trust under federal law [42 U.S.C.A. Section 1396p (d) (4) (C)]. To the extent that a beneficiary has a vested entitlement to assets such as an inheritance or personal injury settlement, the funds, upon review and approval by the CRT Board of Trustees, can be placed in a Special Needs Trust account with the CRT. As is the case with all federally qualified Special Needs Trust accounts, federal law requires that, at the beneficiary’s death, the balance in the trust account must be used to repay Medical Assistance that has been expended on behalf of the beneficiary.