AY2627 Special Needs Trust & Beneficiary Services Intern - Achieva (Work-Study Required)

AY2627 Special Needs Trust & Beneficiary Services Intern - Achieva (Work-Study Required)

This position is off campus and is paid at $15/hour. 

Position Overview

The Special Needs Trust & Beneficiary Services Intern will gain practical, hands-on experience
supporting the administration of a special needs trust while contributing to initiatives designed to
enhance the quality of life, independence, and long-term well-being of individuals with
disabilities.

This interdisciplinary internship provides an opportunity to explore the intersection of disability
services, healthcare, public benefits, financial administration, community resources, nonprofit
operations, and person-centered service.

The internship is designed for undergraduate students from a variety of academic backgrounds.
No prior experience with special needs trusts is required. Training and guidance will be
provided throughout the internship.

The specific projects and areas of responsibility may be tailored to the student's academic
background, interests, skills, and qualifications.

Areas of Study

The internship is particularly well suited for undergraduate students studying:
• Psychology
• Public Health
• Health Administration
• Sociology
• Business, including Finance, Financial Planning, Management, Business Analytics, or
related fields
• Other related disciplines

Students from different academic backgrounds will have the opportunity to bring their own
perspective to the work while gaining a common foundation in special needs trust administration
and beneficiary services.

About the Internship

A special needs trust can provide financial support to an individual with a disability while
helping preserve access to certain means-tested public benefits. Effective trust administration
involves much more than financial management. It requires an understanding of the beneficiary's
personal circumstances, healthcare needs, community resources, family and caregiving
considerations, and goals for independence and quality of life.

As an intern, you will learn how these different areas intersect and how a trust organization
works with beneficiaries, families, caregivers, attorneys, financial professionals, healthcare
providers, and community organizations.

The internship combines:
• Professional training and mentorship
• Beneficiary and community-resource research
• Administrative and operational projects
• Applied research
• Communication and educational projects
• Process improvement
• A substantive capstone project

Responsibilities

Under appropriate supervision, the intern may:

Beneficiary Support & Quality of Life
• Research resources and services that may benefit individuals with disabilities and their
families.
• Help develop and maintain beneficiary resource guides.
• Research recreational, educational, transportation, housing, employment, and community
opportunities.
• Assist with preparing information for beneficiary and family meetings.
• Observe beneficiary or family meetings when appropriate.
• Help identify questions, resources, or unmet needs that may warrant referral to an
appropriate professional or service provider.
• Assist with projects focused on beneficiary quality of life, independence, and community
participation.

Resource & Benefits Research

The intern will develop an understanding of the broader network of programs and services that
may affect the lives of individuals with disabilities.

Research assignments may include:
• Public benefit programs
• Healthcare and social-service resources
• Disability organizations and services
• Transportation resources
• Housing programs
• Employment services
• Educational opportunities
• Recreational programs
• Assistive technology
• Caregiver resources
• Community organizations and nonprofit agencies

The intern may also contribute to the development of a Special Needs Resource Library that
can become a lasting organizational resource.

Trust Administration & Operations

Under supervision, the intern may:
• Organize trust-related documents and information.
• Assist with tracking requests and distributions.
• Review information for completeness and organization.
• Develop administrative checklists and reference materials.
• Create or maintain spreadsheets, databases, and tracking tools.
• Assist with reports and internal documentation.
• Document administrative workflows and standard operating procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and organization.
• Support other operational projects appropriate to the intern's skills and educational
objectives.

The emphasis is on learning, analysis, and administrative support. The intern will not
independently make fiduciary decisions or determine whether trust distributions should be
approved.

Research & Program Development

Each intern will complete a meaningful research assignment addressing an identified
organizational need or opportunity.

A guiding question may be:
How can our organization better support the quality of life, independence, and well-being
of the individuals whose trusts we administer?

The student's academic background can determine the perspective used to explore the question.
For example:
• Psychology: Individual development, behavior, communication, and person-centered
needs
• Public Health: Health access, prevention, social determinants, and community resources
• Health Administration: Service coordination, systems, administration, and
organizational processes
• Sociology: Social barriers, families, communities, and access to services
• Business: Operations, financial considerations, data analysis, resource allocation, and
efficiency

Communication & Outreach

The intern may help develop materials that make complex information easier for beneficiaries,
families, and professionals to understand and use, including:
• Beneficiary resource guides
• Family educational materials
• Community-resource directories
• Newsletters
• Educational presentations
• Website content
• Provider information
• Frequently asked questions
• Internal training materials

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the Purpose of a Special Needs Trust
Explain the fundamental purpose of a special needs trust, including how a trust may be used to
provide supplemental support for an individual with a disability while helping preserve access to
certain public benefits.
2. Understand the Role of the Trustee
Describe the general responsibilities of a trustee and recognize the importance of fiduciary
responsibility, appropriate oversight, documentation, confidentiality, and acting in the
beneficiary's best interests.
3. Recognize the Individual Needs of Beneficiaries
Identify the diverse financial, healthcare, social, educational, recreational, housing, employment,
transportation, caregiving, and personal needs that may affect individuals with disabilities.
4. Apply a Person-Centered Perspective
Demonstrate an understanding that beneficiaries have individual goals, preferences, abilities,
circumstances, and definitions of quality of life, and recognize the importance of treating each
beneficiary with dignity, respect, and consideration.
5. Understand the Relationship Between Trusts and Public Benefits
Describe, at a general educational level, how trust distributions may interact with means-tested
public benefits and why appropriate professional review is important when evaluating potential
distributions.
6. Identify and Evaluate Community Resources
Conduct research to identify relevant healthcare, disability, educational, employment, housing,
transportation, recreational, social-service, and community resources.
7. Conduct Applied Research
Formulate a research question, locate credible information, evaluate sources, organize findings,
and translate research into a practical recommendation or organizational resource.
8. Communicate Professionally
Develop the ability to communicate clearly, respectfully, and professionally with beneficiaries,
families, caregivers, staff members, professionals, service providers, and community
organizations.
9. Translate Complex Information
Develop the ability to take complicated or technical information and communicate it in a clear,
accessible format appropriate for beneficiaries, families, caregivers, or other intended audiences.
10. Maintain Confidentiality and Professional Boundaries
Demonstrate an understanding of confidentiality, privacy, professional boundaries, appropriate
handling of sensitive information, and the ethical responsibilities associated with working with
beneficiaries and their families.
11. Develop Administrative Skills
Gain practical experience organizing information, maintaining records, tracking requests,
preparing documentation, developing spreadsheets or databases, and supporting administrative
processes.
12. Understand Organizational Processes
Observe and analyze how administrative workflows operate and identify opportunities to
improve organization, efficiency, communication, documentation, or service delivery.
13. Analyze Information and Make Recommendations
Organize information, identify relevant issues, evaluate potential solutions, and develop
appropriate recommendations while recognizing when an issue should be referred to a qualified
professional.
14. Work Across Disciplines
Recognize how financial, healthcare, social-service, administrative, legal, and community
resource perspectives can intersect in supporting individuals with disabilities.
15. Apply Academic Knowledge to Professional Practice
Connect concepts, skills, and perspectives learned through academic coursework to real-world
issues involving disability services, trust administration, healthcare, public benefits, community
resources, organizational management, or quality of life.
16. Develop Professional Judgment
Learn to distinguish between matters that can appropriately be researched or addressed through
administrative support and matters requiring the involvement of qualified legal, financial,
medical, clinical, or benefits professionals.
17. Develop Project Management Skills
Plan and organize a substantive project, establish objectives and deliverables, manage deadlines,
conduct research, incorporate feedback, and complete a final work product.
18. Demonstrate Professionalism
Develop professional habits including reliability, punctuality, preparation, attention to detail,
responsiveness, accountability, appropriate workplace communication, and willingness to
receive and incorporate feedback.
19. Present Findings Effectively
Develop the ability to summarize research findings, explain recommendations, and present a
completed project to organizational leadership or other appropriate audiences.
20. Produce a Meaningful Organizational Contribution
Complete a substantive project that results in a practical resource, recommendation, research
product, process improvement, educational material, or other work product that provides lasting
value to the organization and/or the individuals it serves.

Any questions? Reach out to Rebecca at [email protected]