The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2024 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
Title 14A : Trusts
Chapter 014 : Uniform Trust Decanting Act
(Cite as: 14A V.S.A. § 1413)-
§ 1413. Trust for beneficiary with disability
(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Beneficiary with a disability” means a beneficiary of a first trust who the special-needs fiduciary believes may qualify for governmental benefits based on disability, whether or not the beneficiary currently receives those benefits or is an individual who is subject to a guardianship or a protective arrangement.
(2) “Best interests” of a beneficiary with a disability include, without limitation, consideration of the financial impact to the family of the beneficiary who has a disability.
(3) “Governmental benefits” means financial aid or services from a state, federal, or other public agency.
(4) “Special-needs fiduciary” means, with respect to a trust that has a beneficiary with a disability:
(A) a trustee or other fiduciary, other than a settlor, who has discretion to distribute part or all of the principal of a first trust to one or more current beneficiaries;
(B) if no trustee or fiduciary has discretion under subdivision (A) of this subdivision (4), a trustee or other fiduciary, other than a settlor, who has discretion to distribute part or all of the income of the first trust to one or more current beneficiaries; or
(C) if no trustee or fiduciary has discretion under subdivision (A) or (B) of this subdivision (4), a trustee or other fiduciary, other than a settlor, who is required to distribute part or all of the income or principal of the first trust to one or more current beneficiaries.
(5) “Special-needs trust” means a trust the trustee believes would not be considered a resource for purposes of determining whether a beneficiary with a disability is eligible for governmental benefits.
(b) A special-needs fiduciary may exercise the decanting power under section 1411 of this title over the principal of a first trust as if the fiduciary had authority to distribute principal to a beneficiary with a disability subject to expanded distributive discretion if:
(1) a second trust is a special-needs trust that benefits the beneficiary with a disability; and
(2) the special-needs fiduciary determines that exercise of the decanting power will further the purposes of the first trust.
(c) In an exercise of the decanting power under this section, the following rules shall apply:
(1) Notwithstanding subdivision 1411(c)(2) of this title, the interest in the second trust of a beneficiary with a disability may:
(A) be a pooled trust as defined by Medicaid law for the benefit of the beneficiary with a disability under 42 U.S.C. § 1396p(d)(4)(C); or
(B) contain payback provisions complying with reimbursement requirements of Medicaid law under 42 U.S.C. § 1396p(d)(4)(A).
(2) Subdivision 1411(c)(3) of this title shall not apply to the interests of the beneficiary with a disability.
(3) Except as affected by any change to the interests of the beneficiary with a disability, the second trust, or if there are two or more second trusts, the second trusts in the aggregate, shall grant each other beneficiary of the first trust beneficial interests in the second trusts that are substantially similar to the beneficiary’s beneficial interests in the first trust. (Added 2023, No. 177 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. July 1, 2024.)
