Your child may qualify for government benefits for people with special needs, including Medicaid and SSI. These programs may not always provide the level of benefit or quality of care that you would want your child to have, but if you provide the funds to supplement your child’s care, that additional income could disqualify him or her from receiving benefits from the government. A Special Needs Trust provides a safety net to pay for expenses not covered by government programs without the risk of losing those benefits.