A pooled trust is a trust established and administered by a non-profit organization. According to Federal and New York State laws a person of any age with a disability can use a pooled trust to protect income or resources that would otherwise disqualify them for government benefits, such as Medicaid. There are 3 different types of trusts. A 1st Party Pooled Trust is funded with income or resources of the person with a disability and can be a “spend down” or lump sum trust. A 3rd Party Pooled Trust is funded with gift from family members, such as an inheritance, and can be placed in the trust during life, by Will, through life insurance or retirement funds. The trusts are set up with subaccounts for each beneficiary in the trust and the trust pools these accounts. The trust not only shelters resources and income to qualify the individual for benefits, but the money can then be turned around to pay certain expenses for the beneficiary.
BalancedCare is a part of Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Rochester, Inc. and provides Medicaid application assistance. In the process of applying for Medicaid a trust may need to be established and BalancedCare can assist in the facilitation of the trust setup during this process. Future Care Planning Services and Center for Disability Rights are 2 local agencies among several different options that offer a Pooled Trust for New York State Residents.