Will an inheritance affect my child's SSI or Medicaid?

Yes — often right away. SSI and Medicaid limit your child to $2,000 in countable assets, so money left directly to your child can push them over the limit and cause benefits to be interrupted within days. A properly drafted special needs trust lets an inheritance help your child without counting against that limit.

Do you work with families outside of Michigan?

Yes. Michele Fuller is licensed in Michigan and works directly with Michigan families; for families in other states, she co-counsels with estate planning and trust attorneys licensed in your state, so you get a Fuller Plan wherever you are. Your plan reflects both the federal SSI rules and your own state's Medicaid specifics.

Do I need a lawyer when my child turns 18?

Usually yes — and often before the birthday. At 18, your child becomes a legal adult, so you lose the automatic authority to make their medical, financial, and educational decisions, and your child may newly qualify for SSI on their own. Fuller Special Needs Law can help you decide whether guardianship, a power of attorney, or a lighter option is right for you — and make sure it's filed on time.

Can another attorney serve as co-counsel on a special needs case with your firm?

Yes. Estate planning and elder law attorneys co-counsel with Michele through the Fuller Framework to handle the special needs trust — so your client stays your client. You keep the relationship and share in the fee, without taking on the malpractice exposure of drafting an SNT in an unfamiliar area.

What Changes at 18

888-691-5132

When a special needs parent dies, their child's plan doesn't.

Michele Fuller sitting closely with her daughter

Turning 18
doesn't change your child.
It changes your rights.

"I know what keeps you up at night. I'm the mother of a special needs child myself. 'What are the best choices to make for them? What happens to my child when I'm gone?' You shouldn't have to figure this all out alone. And you don't have to."— Michele P. Fuller, Esq.

WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS AT AGE 18

You lose automatic decision-making authority.

At 18, the law treats your child as their own legal decision-maker — regardless of their diagnosis. You no longer have automatic access to their medical records, their school records, or their care decisions unless something is in place first.

The $2,000 asset limit goes live.

Even a small gift, an inheritance, or money left in a will can put your child over the limit. Benefits can be lost within days.

The plan you already have now gets tested.

A will built for an ordinary family assumes an ordinary 18th birthday. Your child's doesn't work that way, and the law doesn't pause to check.

See if your child is protected at 18. Takes 3 minutes.

CALL NOW: 888-691-5132

If no one warned you about this,
that's not your fault.

"Most families I meet didn't make a careless decision. They made a loving one — and no one ever told them the way they did it could cost their child everything."

You sat down with an attorney. You signed the documents. You did more than most families ever do. The problem was never you. The problem is that the standard estate plan was built for an ordinary family — parent-focused, money-focused, finished the day it's signed. It plans the money and forgets the life.

A trust protects the money. But at 18, the money isn't the only thing at risk.

A general trust can hold assets perfectly and still leave your child exposed — because it was never designed to protect a person on benefits, and it says nothing about who runs their life when you no longer can.

A trust document without a care plan
is a guess with legal formatting.

And when families come to us worried about an inheritance from a grandparent, a settlement, or their own estate, we tell them the truth: The inheritance isn't the problem. The architecture is. Money left the wrong way disqualifies. The same money, structured correctly, protects your child for life. The difference isn't how much — it's how it's built.

A trust protects the money.
Who protects the life?

That's the question a general estate plan never asks. It's the only question we're built to answer.

I'm Michele Fuller.
I do one thing — and I live it.

I've practiced law in Michigan since 1997, and I've chosen to do only one thing: special needs planning. Not general estate planning with a special needs "add-on." This is all I do.

I'm also a mom of four, including a child with special needs. So I know the fear underneath your question. What happens to my child when I'm gone? That isn't something I studied. It's something I've felt at my own kitchen table.

That's why I don't hand families a stack of documents and wish them luck. I help you build a plan for your child's life, make sure it works, and keep it working.

THREE THINGS THAT MAKE A FULLER PLAN DIFFERENT.

A plan for the life, not just the money.

Most plans stop at the trust. We start by learning your child's world — their care, their routines, the people who matter — and build the plan around the actual life you're protecting.

We draft it and help run it — under one roof.

A plan is only as good as what happens after you sign it. We don't disappear at the signing table. We help the plan operate, so it's still doing its job long after the paperwork is done.

We test it while you're still here.

You shouldn't have to hope the plan works someday. We pressure-test it now, while you're still here to see it — and to change anything that isn't right.

GETTING CLEAR IS SIMPLE. HERE'S HOW IT WORKS.

Start your free plan check.

Tell us a little about your child and the plan you have now. It takes a few minutes, on your phone.

We call you within one business day.

A real conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll tell you what we see and what the options are.

Meet in a virtual Fuller Life Plan session.

From your own home — no travel, no office visit. You'll meet with the special needs legal team Michele oversees, and leave with a clear picture of what it actually takes to protect your child.

See if your child is protected at 18. Takes 3 minutes.

CALL NOW: 888-691-5132

Picture it handled

You know exactly who steps in at 18 — and how. Your child's benefits are protected, not accidentally lost. There's a written plan for their care, not just their money, and a team who knows how to run it. And the fear that used to keep you up at night finally has an answer you can point to.

When a special needs parent dies,
their child's plan doesn't.

FAMILIES TRUST MICHELE WITH THE ONE THING THAT MATTERS MOST.

Testimonial — placeholder

To be replaced with an approved, Michigan-Bar-compliant client testimonial. Suggested angle: a parent who thought their existing plan was complete and discovered the "18" gap in time. No result claims.

Michele is licensed in Michigan. For families outside Michigan, she works alongside trusted local attorneys so your child gets the same Fuller Life protection, wherever you live.

Turning 18 is not a birthday.
It's a deadline.

The good news: everything above is fixable when you start early. The plan check is free, it's on your phone, and it's the fastest way to find out whether your child is actually protected.

See if your child is protected at 18. Takes 3 minutes.

CALL NOW: 888-691-5132

A plan check does not create an attorney-client relationship.

Questions parents ask us

Does my child really need guardianship at 18?

Not always. Guardianship is one option — but it's not the only one, and it isn't always the right one. There are lighter legal alternatives that keep your child involved without going to court, and many families are never told they exist. In your plan check, we'll walk through which path fits your family.

I already have a will and a trust. Isn't my child protected?

Not necessarily — a will and trust built for an ordinary family can still miss the specific rules that apply once your child turns 18. That's exactly what a plan check is for.

Will my child lose their benefits?

It depends on how any money or assets in your child's name are structured. A plan check tells you whether your current setup puts benefits at risk.

What does it cost?

The plan check itself is free and doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. We'll walk you through costs for any next steps before you decide anything.

Who will I actually meet with?

You'll meet with the special needs legal team Michele Fuller oversees — not a call center or a generalist.

Do I have to come to an office?

No. Everything happens virtually, from your own home — no travel and no office visit required.

See if your child is protected at 18.

Takes 3 minutes. Free.

You lose automatic decision-making authority.

The $2,000 asset limit goes live.

The plan you already have now gets tested.

If no one warned you about this, that's not your fault.

A trust protects the money. But at 18, the money isn't the only thing at risk.

A trust document without a care plan is a guess with legal formatting.

A trust protects the money. Who protects the life?

A plan for the life, not just the money.

We draft it and help run it — under one roof.

We test it while you're still here.

Start your free plan check.

We call you within one business day.

Meet in a virtual Fuller Life Plan session.

When a special needs parent dies, their child's plan doesn't.

Turning 18 is not a birthday. It's a deadline.

If no one warned you about this,
that's not your fault.

A trust document without a care plan
is a guess with legal formatting.

A trust protects the money.
Who protects the life?

When a special needs parent dies,
their child's plan doesn't.

Turning 18 is not a birthday.
It's a deadline.