The House of Representatives passed by a vote of 382 to 22 the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, a bill that would allow people with disabilities to create their own first-party special needs trusts without having to rely on others.  

The Fairness Act corrects a decades-old error in federal law that presumes that all persons with disabilities lack the mental capacity to handle their own affairs.  Under current law, if a person with special needs wants to place her own property or money into a special needs trust in order to preserve it and maintain access to government benefits, she must have a parent, grandparent, guardian or court create the trust for her; she can't create the trust on her own.  This process makes it unnecessarily difficult for people with few close relatives or limited access to the courts to preserve their assets.

The Special Needs Trust Fairness Act would allow a person with special needs to create a special needs trust on her own, without having to rely on family members.

October 1st - Residents' Rights Month was designated by the Consumer Voice to honor residents living in all long-term care facilities to raise awareness of dignity, respect and the value of each individual resident. The theme for Residents' Rights Month 2016 is, "My Vote Matters" with the goal of highlighting residents' right to vote and participate in the political process. 

October 1st - In 1990, the UN determined the day as

International Day of Older Persons to recognize the vital contributions of older people to the global community. This year, the theme is, " take a stand against ageism" in order to draw attention to and challenge negative stereotypes and misconceptions about older persons and aging.