Norfolk Community Trust & Exempt Fund

Norfolk Community Trust

The Norfolk Community Trust (NCT) was established in 1992 as an instrument for family members to financially provide for their loved ones with an intellectual disability or mental health disorder after the family member could no longer assist.

Description of Services

The Norfolk Community Trust partners with the Norfolk CSB to create a way for individuals to provide supplemental financial support for loved ones diagnosed with an intellectual disability and/or mental health disorder without negatively affecting the individuals’ governmental benefits. The Trust allows a settlor (the person providing the funds) to provide money or other assets for the use and benefit of a person (the beneficiary, who is a NCSB client), not under the control of the beneficiary, but administered by Trustees. Most Trusts are funded at the death of the settlor by proceeds from the settlor’s life insurance and/or estate.

The Trust Limits & Benefits

The Trust is limited in function to provide supplemental benefits to beneficiaries above those provided under federal and state Medicaid programs. Thus, the Trustees have the authority and discretion to provide for the needs of the beneficiary over and above basic maintenance, support, educational, medical, dental, and other services and resources paid for by any local, state, or federal government or agency.

The individual Trust document also provides for a residual beneficiary, who would receive the balance of the Trust following the death of the beneficiary.

The Trust, which can be funded for as little as ten dollars ($10), is individual-specific and all monies are solely used for the beneficiary named in the Trust document.

Services Provided

Family members have the opportunity to pool their resources with others for the benefit of a loved one with an intellectual disability and/or mental health disorder.

  • The Norfolk Community Trust is operated with no administrative costs to settlors (just the $10 needed to establish the Trust account).
  • The Trust works with NCSB through a NCSB staff liaison.
  • Monies deposited in the Norfolk Community Trust do not count as a resource to beneficiaries and therefore protect their governmental benefits from being reduced or discontinued.

Norfolk Community Trust Exempt Fund

The Norfolk Community Trust Exempt Fund is a §501(c)(3) charitable organization. It differs from the Norfolk Community Trust in that the funds are not designated for the use of a particular individual. The Norfolk Community Trust Exempt Fund therefore functions as the charitable arm of the Norfolk Community Trust.

The Norfolk Community Trust Exempt Fund, a charitable organization, provides an opportunity for interested parties to protect or enhance the quality of life for individuals with an intellectual disability and/or mental health disorder. The Exempt Fund operates under the same essential structure as the Norfolk Community Trust, except that it has no specifically named beneficiaries (with separate sub accounts).

Exempt Fund

Exempt Fund monies are distributed at the discretion of a volunteer Board of Trustees as follows:

  • to benefit a Norfolk resident who would be eligible to be a Norfolk Community Trust beneficiary, but is not;
  • to benefit a named Norfolk Community Trust beneficiary who has additional needs which cannot be met by his/her Trust funds;
  • to benefit NCSB educational programs.

Services Provided

Disbursing from the Exempt Fund for the benefit of persons in Norfolk who have a diagnosed intellectual disability and/or mental health disorder, and who are in need of care, comfort, or treatments. Additionally:

  • Operating the Exempt Fund exclusively for charitable and educational purposes including, for such purposes, the making of distributions to organizations that qualify as exempt organizations under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
  • Serving as a liaison between the individual requesting disbursement and the Norfolk Community Trust Exempt Fund.

Contact Us

757-756-5600.
Office of Consumer Relations