The Master Trust of California (Master Trust), a pooled Special Needs Trust (SNT), is operated by Inland Counties Regional Center, Inc. (IRC), a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation, to offer trust administration services to persons with developmental disabilities who are consumers of any of the 21 regional centers in California.  All of the trusts administered by Master Trust are SNTs, which allow the disabled beneficiaries to hold assets in trust while retaining eligibility for public benefits such as SSI and Medi-Cal.

Because Master Trust is operated by IRC, it is able to offer very specialized trust administration services to clients of the California Regional Center system.  Some of the special advantages of the program are as follows:

• Master Trust has competitive annual trustee fees which enables Master Trust to accept trusts that are smaller than what banks, trust companies or other pooled trusts would accept thereby providing a needed benefit to many persons who would not otherwise be able to establish a trust.
• Master Trust is a “pooled investment trust” which allows access to a larger, more diverse range of quality investments that may pay a higher rate of return than what is typically available for a small individual trust.
• Master Trust is overseen by the Master Trust Committee (Trust Committee), which is a committee established by IRC’s Board of Trustees. The Trust Committee is comprised of professionals from the community in the legal, financial, business and medical fields who have an interest in persons with developmental disabilities, IRC Board members, IRC staff and family members of individuals with developmental disabilities who have an interest in and an understanding of the unique problems of individuals with developmental disabilities.
• A Trust Associate works with regional center caseworkers, family members, care providers and others to assess the needs of each beneficiary and to submit requests for disbursements from the beneficiary’s SNT to the Trust Administrator and Trust Committee.

In 1977 the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (the Lanterman Act) was enacted to provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities through a network of private nonprofit corporations, called regional centers, pursuant to contracts between each regional center and the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS).

Currently there are 21 regional centers throughout California. Under its contract with DDS, IRC provides certain assessment, counseling and case management services to the residents of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties who have developmental disabilities. The Lanterman Act defines developmental disabilities to include intellectual disability, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and disabling conditions found to be closely related to intellectual disability or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with intellectual disability.

Master Trust was developed in response to a growing concern by the parents and family members of individuals with developmental disabilities about their welfare after the parents or other family members pass away or are no longer able to care for them.  The research and development of Master Trust began in March 1975 and in 1979 Master Trust accepted its first trust. While Master Trust is a committee of IRC’s Board of Trustees, the trust program is separate and distinct from the services provided by IRC pursuant to the Lanterman Act and its contract with DDS.

The Master Trust of California is operated by Inland Counties Regional Center, Inc. to give persons with developmental disabilities the opportunity to benefit from the estate planning of others and assets of their own. In certain circumstances, the assets held in a trust are not considered an asset or as income of the beneficiary in determining eligibility for SSI and Medi-Cal benefits.

In 1969 the Lanterman Mental Retardation Act (now called the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act) was enacted establishing the regional center system for providing services to people with a developmental disability. The Lanterman Act, and related laws, consists of Divisions 4.1, 4.5, and 4.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and Title 14 of the Government Code. Section 4621 of Division 4.1 of the W&I Code provides that the Department of Developmental Services A shall contract with appropriate private nonprofit corporations for the establishment of regional centers.

Currently there are 21 regional centers throughout California. Inland Counties Regional Center, Inc. has held the State contract to operate the Inland Regional Center , which serves the counties of San Bernardino and Riverside , since 1971. Inland Counties Regional Center, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation incorporated in 1971. Under its contract with California's Department of Developmental Services, the Inland Regional Center provides certain case finding, assessment, counseling and case management services, as specified in the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, to the residents of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties who have a developmental disability. As defined by the Lanterman Act, developmental disabilities include mental retardation, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, and autism. Inland Counties Regional Center, Inc. is governed by an all volunteer Board of Trustees who represent both the professionals and consumers of the two county areas served.