OUR NEXT ADULT RESOURCE FAIR

If you've been wondering why you haven't heard about our Adult Resource Fair this fall... it's because it's moving to spring!

JLA Trust's next Adult Resource Fair will be held on May 16th 2027, at Leo Baeck Temple. We're looking forward to welcoming a lot of our friends and neighbors in the Los Angeles disability community to connect one more time.

UPCOMING WEBINAR

Navigating the System: Your Guide to Government Benefits and Special Needs Trusts
Thursday, August 20, 2026, 3:30 - 5 PM


Want to stay up to date about government benefits like SSI, Medicaid/Medi-Cal, and IHSS? This free webinar will give you an overview of all of these programs, including upcoming changes to these programs as well as teach you the basics about financial planning for people with disabilities. We'll also cover Pooled Special Needs Trust basics, Cal-Able, and more. Hope to see you there!

UPCOMING BENEFIT CHANGES

Important changes to Medi-Cal are on the horizon that could affect eligibility for many Californians. The changes are outlined below to help understand what they may mean for you or your loved one.

• New Medi-Cal work requirements begin January 1, 2027. Many adults ages 19–64 who receive Medi-Cal through Medicaid expansion will need to complete 80 hours per month of work, school, volunteering, or other qualifying activities to maintain coverage. Learn more at this link.

• Starting July 1, 2027, California's asset limits for Medi-Cal (which covers seniors and people with disabilities) will be $21,000 for an individual. This represents a big drop from the previous limit of $130,000. Anyone with assets over $21,000 who wants to continue receiving Medi-Cal will need to consider other options, like our Special Needs Trusts.

CLIENT FEATURE

Steve Medina never really perceived himself as disabled, despite being born with a brain injury. He went through vocational training that prepared him to work, and he worked for a few years as a janitor at UC Santa Barbara and for many years in the maintenance department at a local medical center…, where he met his wife, Nora. For 27 years, they built a life together.

Like so many of our clients, Steve's path to us began with an inheritance. It was important to his mother that any assets she had be used to help Steve and Nora live a secure life. While Steve needed a trust to preserve these funds and his benefits, he also needed local support. Steve's brother, Thomas, was able to help with some of the big-picture planning: finding a lawyer, establishing a trust -- but Thomas' life was in Oregon, and Steve had a full life and a rich church community in Lompoc, California.

JLA stood out because of the wealth of information we had about the special needs trust process online and the ease of the intake process. "It was a lot more informative: it was easy to imagine the level of interaction that I could anticipate," said Thomas. And that has held true. Beyond our basic trustee duties, JLA's staff helped connect the Medinas to programs and resources they didn't know existed that could make Steve's life easier through a rocky couple of years. His beloved wife Nora, who had always done a lot of his life management -- paying the bills, coordinating healthcare -- had a stroke in 2024. They had to find a new way to make sure those things got done for both of them. Steve has dealt with a lot of grief and a lot of change. But with JLA and his brother's assistance, he was able to find a new home, start to find a collaborative relationship with his new service coordinator, and make sure the day-to-day issues were taken care of, giving him the stability he needed so he could begin rebuilding his life.

JLA Trust

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