Estate of Denial:  Deciding how to leave your assets to your kids is tricky enough. If your adult child has a chronic disability, the task is much more complicated.

The issue affects many families: According to U.S. Census data, 12% of the population has a severe mental or physical disability.

Strapped state and local governments are tightening income restrictions for medical benefits and supportive services, which are typically paid for by Social Security and Medicaid. Those services are tough to find—or afford—in the private sector for many adults with disabilities so severe that they can’t live alone, parents and advocates say.

As a result, it’s increasingly important to structure an inheritance in a way that won’t disqualify a child for such benefits down the road.