In the final episode of TSC Now in 2022, host Dan Klein connects with two incredible advocates for individuals with disabilities and learns how families can find support to help them with both everyday and long-term decisions for their loved ones.

First, Dan chats with Kelly Piacenti, Head of Special Care at MassMutual (01:24). Kelly shares how her experience managing care for her son with special needs helps her support other parents as they make legal decisions for their children. She debunks common myths about the cost of financial planning, when to start and the need for a special needs trust. She also talks about the importance of a letter of intent as a first step to making a plan and shares what information should be included in a letter of intent. To learn what SpecialCare at MassMutual can do for your family, visit their website or contact Kelly Piacenti at kpiacenti@massmutual.com. You can get additional resources for estate and financial planning  in the Resources section of the TSC Navigator.

Next, Dan talks to Megan Cortjens, Executive Director of Our Place (27:37). Our Place is an online community where families with disabilities can connect with other families, share their experiences, find resources in their community, and get assistance from experts on a wide range of topics, including taxes, IEPs, travel, waiver applications and more. Megan shares how the site came to be and she is trying to break silos of information by creating a single place where the disability community can find resources on whatever their biggest challenges are. She shares about some of the major features of the site, including the Knowledge Center featuring easy-to-understand videos on various topics, and the Medicaid map where users can find Medicaid providers in their area. You can learn more about Our Place by going to joinourplace.com.

Links and Resources

• Learn more about SpecialCare and MassMutual: https://www.massmutual.com/lp/specialcare
  
• Watch a Lunch & Learn interview with Kelly: https://youtu.be/6lfttMG0L2s
  
• Watch a presentation from Kelly on Guardianship Options, Financial Planning and Government Benefits from our 2021 E-Webinar Series: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18ppVaLQZko&ab_channel=TSCAlliance
  
• Learn more about Our Place: https://www.joinourplace.com/
  
• Review our aging caregiver checklist: https://www.tscalliance.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Aging-Caregiver-Checklist-.pdf
  
• Explore our Navigation Guides to understand what to expect at each stage of life: https://www.tscalliance.org/individuals-families/publicationsandsample-letters/
  
• Learn more about special needs planning from the Special Needs Alliance: https://www.specialneedsalliance.org/
  
• Learn more about special needs trusts: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/understanding-special-needs-trusts
  

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