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The Arc Master Trust I and Trust II

How It Works

HOW DOES THE TRUST OPERATE ONCE FUNDED?

What happens once you fund the trust? How does the Beneficiary access his or her account? It's actually quite simple. Just give us a call. In most cases, this is all that is required. We are committed to doing everything in our power to use the Beneficiary's account to provide him or her the best possible quality of life without jeopardizing valuable public benefits. We say yes to disbursement requests whenever possible, so long as the disbursement would not jeopardize public benefits and is otherwise in the Beneficiary's best interest. We are committed to seeing that Arc Trust Beneficiaries are able to access their Arc Trust accounts with dignity and with as little difficulty as possible.

Here is how it works:

• The trust is funded.
  
• Normally, within 48 to 72 hours, the trust is processed and disbursements are ready to be made.
  
• The Key Person (or, in some cases, the Beneficiary) calls, writes or e-mails us with a request. The Key Person tells us what is desired, why, and at what expense.
  
• The Trust Director determines whether the disbursement request can be honored based on multiple factors, such as state and federal regulations affecting the type of disbursement requested, the balance in the account, and the annual targeted spending amount, if applicable.
  
• The Trust Director, with the support of The Arc Trust staff, then works directly with the Key Person and/or vendor to make payment. Beneficiaries and Key Persons will do the leg work, but The Arc Trust will make the payments and do all the reporting associated with the disbursement request. It takes about two days for the disbursement request to be processed. Checks are prepared on Tuesdays and Thursdays for requests made by 4:00 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. We then mail the check either to the vendor, which is preferred, or to the requesting Key Person. In some situations, the Key Person may be able to pay for the good or service in advance and then submit the receipts to The Arc Trust for reimbursement.
  
• Under no circumstances can we give cash directly to the Beneficiary or deposit money into a Beneficiary's bank account.
  
• All disbursement requests must be approved in advance (with some exceptions). The Arc Trust cannot make a reimbursement to a Key Person without a receipt.
  
• A receipt is required to be submitted for all disbursements made.

Some Arc Trust beneficiaries and Key Persons are often surprised to learn just how easy it is to access their accounts. Despite our size and the complexity of the law governing the use of Special Needs Trusts, we try to keep things as simple and informal as possible.