Boston Bar Journal Feature: Kimberly Butler Rainen Leads Landmark Pooled-Trust Reform for Massachusetts Seniors

In the Spring 2025 issue of the Boston Bar Journal (Vol. 69, No. 2), attorney Kimberly Butler Rainen chronicles the decade-long legislative and litigation journey that secured full protection for pooled special-needs trusts in Massachusetts. Drawing on her work as co-chair of the BBA Disability and Elder Law Section and as a board member of Guardian Community Trust, she explains how coordinated advocacy, decisive First Circuit precedent, and the 2024 Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care now guarantee fair-market-value treatment of pooled trusts for beneficiaries of any age. The article cements Kimberly’s reputation as a leading elder-law authority, demonstrating her ability to translate complex Medicaid policy into practical, life-enhancing solutions for vulnerable seniors while saving the Commonwealth millions in public-benefit expenditures.