A plain-language definition, not a conclusion about a document or case. Read the term in its full legal context.
Plain-English meaning
Special Needs Trust
A trust designed to hold and administer assets for a person with a disability while addressing public-benefit and supplemental-support rules.
Why the term matters
Drafting, funding source, trustee discretion, repayment provisions, and benefit-program rules can change the result.
Do not confuse it with
First-party, third-party, and pooled trusts have different funding and repayment features and should not be treated as one product.