MetDESK: Planning for the Future

By Joan Leotta

For parents of special needs children, planning for their future can often be complicated by the need to understand and navigate various government benefit programs and issues of guardianship even after the child's chronological adulthood. Nadine Vogel entered this maze of when her daughter, Gretchen, was born in 1991 with special needs. She quickly filled two file cabinets full of information. As a financial services representative with MetLife Financial Services, she still found the experience daunting and determined to share her findings with others. Based on her experience to understand benefits, plan for Gretchen's future and participate in federal programs, she became known as an expert and speaking requests poured in. By 1997 she realized that the needs of parents of special needs children were hungry for information on estate planning far exceeded what one person could handle. Vogel approached Stuart Nagler, MetLife Vice Chairman of the Board and Chief Financial Officer, with a business plan to establish a division for helping families with special needs children or dependents within the firm. In 1998, Nadine was named to head up MetDESK, MetLife's Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids, with nine planners on staff. By 2002, more than 200 trained MetDESK Specialists were serving with the division, offering estate planning all over the country to parents of special needs children.

Program Components

"Parents of children with special needs are not a small niche market. One out of every five U.S. households has a person with a disability and one out of every nine children across the nation are receiving special education services. This is a huge number of people," says Vogel. The MetDESK program offers a comprehensive approach to the entire spectrum of services that a parent of a special needs child might use.

The MetDESK section of the MetLife web site receives the most 'hits' according to Vogel. Special needs families are great users of the Internet. The information on the site describes the program and provides a contact point for parents at www.metlife.com/desk, or through the toll-free number 877-638-3375 that families can use to start the process by making an appointment to meet with a MetDESK Specialist or to participate in one of the company's educational workshops.

There are four critical areas addressed through the MetDESK program:

Government benefit eligibility requirements for SSI and Medicare
Types of special needs trusts and knowing what is right for each family
Guardianship, conservatorship, client self-determination and empowerment issues
Appropriate funding vehicles including life insurance to guarantee each child's quality of life.

The basic program is only part of what MetDESK provides for parents. One example of extensive attention to detail by the Specialists is the form provided to draft a Letter of Intent. The Letter is the basic guideline for care of a special needs child after a parent is no longer alive to participate in care. "We have developed a form that helps guide parents through this process, making sure that they do not forget a major item—such as finances—or the small things such as the child's favorite activities," says Vogel.

Vogel notes, "The initial planning session with MetDESK is free and the subsequent sessions are free—our Specialists receive a commission on the financial products, but not for the many referrals that they give to help the family handle other specialized parts of their plan."

Staff

Vogel is firm in her conviction that the program's growth, awards, and constant stream of positive comments are reflective of the sensitivity and ability of the Specialists who deliver the program. Notes Vogel, "Our Specialists are an extremely dedicated group of individuals. The professionals in this program are experienced financial services representatives and seventy percent of them either have a special needs child in their immediate family or a close relative or friend with special needs. They receive specific training in this area of estate planning and must not have more than two customer complaints on their record—ever. In addition, each MetDESK Specialist participates in a stringent training program (which is paid for by the Specialists). They also must participate in a minimum of 9 out of 12 annual conference-call training sessions. MetLife has defined criteria for the rapidity with which they respond to inquiries, to requests for information and more."

Partnerships

The program also partners with many disability groups. In October of last year The ARC of the U.S. endorsed the MetDESK program. "We have a link on the ARC's web site," says Vogel. She adds that MetDESK has a similar arrangement with Special Needs Advocate for Parents (SNAP), a California-based program, and the Autism Society. She adds, "We are seeking relationships with three or four other groups. When a non-profit organization endorses a for-profit company for what it can do for that organizations' membership that says to me that we are doing a good job and delivering it in the right way. That's very important."

Future

The MetDESK program is all about the future---making a bright future for families with special needs children. "We've seen the need and want to proactively serve families. Our close relationship to the disability community will keep us attuned to the need for change, if that arises," says Vogel. While MetDESK hopes to extend its reach into the disability community, at present there are no current plans to change what the program offers. "What makes me feel good is that MetDESK is doing the right things in the right way," says Vogel. And that is what is needed, now and in the future.