It may be best for you and your family to leave the day-to-day management of the special needs trust to a professional trustee. A professional trustee will have extensive experience in financial management and will also keep up to date on changes to state and federal laws and regulations governing assistance benefits. A professional trustee will also have the financial resources to post any required bond. This second point can be especially helpful, since any changes to such laws or regulations may leave a family member serving as trustee liable to pay restitution for any benefits that your family member had become ineligible for. However, you or another family member can assume the role of a trust protector, which allows the family to remove a professional trustee if the family becomes dissatisfied with their performance.