This guide covers special needs planning from identifying which benefits are at risk through the administration of a funded trust. It begins with the distinction between means-tested and insurance benefits, then sets out the resource, income, in-kind support, and transfer rules that actually cause disqualification. A full part compares first-party, third-party, and pooled trusts and explains the payback obligation that separates them. Separate parts address ABLE accounts, trust drafting requirements, funding through life insurance and retirement accounts, and the coordination of beneficiary designations that defeat even well-drafted plans. Further parts cover settlement structuring and Medicaid liens, trustee administration and permissible distributions, decision-making alternatives to guardianship, employment and work incentives, and agency practice including reporting, redeterminations, overpayments, and appeals. The guide closes with worked problems and a reference section. Authority is cited and linked throughout.