Disability Life Planning for Individuals, Families & Caregivers
Integrating government, community, and financial supports into a roadmap for the future — for individuals with disabilities and the people who support them.
It’s achievable! Long-Term Disability Planning helps parents, care providers, and the person with special needs set reasonable, attainable goals for the future.
We assess your disability plan options regarding living arrangements, finding a job with or without supports, navigating the federal and state services.
What Is Disability Life Planning?
Most families navigating the world of disability supports face the same reality: the system is fragmented, the rules are complicated, and the stakes are high.
A decision made without full information — about assets, about employment, about housing — can have consequences that ripple through a person’s benefits for years.
Disability life planning is the process of bringing those pieces together.
It means understanding how SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, waivers, Special Needs Trusts, ABLE accounts, employment, and housing all interact — and building a plan that accounts for where a person is today and where they want to be in 5, 15, or 20 years.
At Leahy Life Plan, we specialize in aligning with the right professionals — financial advisors, special needs estate attorneys, special education teams, and government and community agencies — to maximize the benefits and quality of life available to individuals with disabilities and establish the best long-term plan.
Michele and her team serve clients throughout Pennsylvania, the greater New York City metro area, and nationwide via remote consultation.
Real Families. Real Results.
Federal Disability Benefits Planning
Navigating SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, and Medicare requires more than a basic understanding of eligibility — it requires knowing how these programs interact, what documentation is needed, how assets affect eligibility, and what decisions today will mean for benefits years from now.
Leahy Life Plan provides:
- Review of past and current disability documentation
- Asset and resource evaluation for SSA programs
- Plain-language explanation of SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, and Medicare — and how they differ
- Federal benefits eligibility assessment
- Guidance on required and supplemental documentation for federal programs
- Preparation for the federal benefits interview
- Understanding of maximum benefit levels and how they are calculated
- Planning for working while receiving SSA benefits
State Benefits & Medicaid Waiver Planning
For many individuals with disabilities, the supports that most directly affect daily life come from the state — not the federal government. Medicaid waivers fund in-home care, day programs, employment services, and residential options.
Getting on the right waiting list, at the right time, with the right documentation, makes all the difference.
Leahy Life Plan provides:
- Clear explanation of what waivers are and which options are available
- Medicaid eligibility review and spend-down assistance
- Guidance through the waiver application and enrollment process
- Advocacy and preparation for Individualized Support Plan (ISP) meetings
- Person-centered planning integrated into ISP goals
- Housing options for adults with disabilities
- Support for maintaining employment while utilizing waivers
Special Needs Financial & Community Planning
Financial planning for individuals with disabilities is not standard financial planning. Every decision — an inheritance, a savings account, a job offer — interacts with benefits programs in ways that can either protect or jeopardize eligibility. Leahy Life Plan provides:
- Long-term disability life planning strategies
- Special Needs Trust education and coordination
- ABLE account guidance and planning
- Review of strategies for funding a Special Needs Trust
- Assessment of current and potential assets
- Coordination of federal, state, and county benefits
- Power of Attorney vs. Guardianship guidance
- Meaningful referrals to vetted legal, financial, and community professionals
- Preparation for person-centered planning and microboarding
Need help with Special Needs Financial Planning?
Complimentary Webinars & Educational Workshops
Knowledge is the foundation of every good plan. Leahy Life Plan offers complimentary educational webinars on the topics families most frequently face — available to individuals, families, and professionals nationwide. Current webinar topics include:
- SSI / SSDI Eligibility
- Working and Benefits (Medicaid, Waivers, Federal Cash) Eligibility
- Power of Attorney vs. Guardianship
- Special Needs Trusts and Guaranteed Funding Streams
- Blending State and Federal Funding Programs
- Medicaid vs. Medicare — Understanding the Differences
- Planning for Different Life Phases
- Understanding the ABLE Act
Ask About Upcoming Webinars
Business to Business — Disability Planning for Employers
Individuals with disabilities have a great deal to offer the workplace. Yet many employers are overwhelmed by the factors surrounding hiring and retaining employees with disabilities — what falls within reasonable accommodations, how to ensure disabled employees are properly supported, and how government benefits interact with employer-sponsored benefits like 401(k) plans and pensions.
Michele Leahy saw this gap firsthand while working with families of individuals with disabilities entering the workforce. Leahy Life Plan now offers a full range of employer-focused disability planning services, including:
- Support to accommodate and retain employees with disabilities
- Sensitivity training for workplace teams
- Review and editing of HR policies
- Navigation of workplace and government benefits interactions
- Bridging the divide between employees with disabilities, caregivers, and employers
Helpful Free Downloads
- Falling Off the Disability Cliff
You have dedicated years to evaluations, therapy sessions, and IEP meetings. You have advocated, planned, and fought for the right supports. And then school services end — and the cliff appears.
- Help for the Sibling Caregiver
When a parent can no longer provide primary support, siblings frequently step in — often without a plan, without a roadmap, and without a clear understanding of what benefits, programs, and community supports are available. If you have been left responsible for caring for a sibling with a disability, you are not alone — and you do not have to navigate this alone. - Disability Planning for Employers
Individuals with disabilities have a great deal to offer the workplace. Yet many employers are overwhelmed by the factors surrounding hiring and retaining employees with disabilities — what falls within reasonable accommodations, how to ensure disabled employees are properly supported, and how government benefits interact with employer-sponsored benefits like 401(k) plans and pensions.
