ABLE accounts encourage and assist individuals with disabilities and their families in saving private funds to help maintain health, independence, and quality of life and provide secure funding for disability-related expenses.
United Spinal played an important part in helping to pass the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act. In late 2014, President Obama signed the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act bill into law. As of May 2017, 48 states, plus the District of Columbia, have passed ABLE Act legislation and 23 states have launched ABLE programs.
These accounts are tax-exempt and a qualified ABLE program established and maintained by a state, or by an agency of a state, pays for the following type of expenses: expenses for education, housing, transportation, employment training and support, assistive technology and personal support services, health, prevention and wellness, financial management and administrative services, legal fees, and other expenses. Your Medicaid and Supplemental Security Benefits are not cut due to your opening an ABLE account, except for certain distributions related to some housing expenses under the Supplemental Security Income program and for amounts in an ABLE account exceeding $100,000.
Please check out the ABLE website for more information: ABLE National Resource Center Initiative and take a short survey to tell us your thoughts about ABLE.
United Spinal is a partner of the #ABLEtoSave campaign which will take place from July 30 to September 2. This campaign will work to increase awareness and education about ABLE accounts and to increase the amount of ABLE accounts opened across the country. The campaign will consist of informational videos, webinars, social media messages and other resources to spread the word about ABLE accounts.
Themes to be addressed include:
(1) Basic overview of ABLE (what are the basic rules regarding ABLE accounts);
(2) Eligibility (who can open an ABLE account and control the funds in an account);
(3) Qualified disability expenses (what funds in ABLE accounts may be used for);
(4) Financial literacy (educating potential ABLE account holders on key financial concepts); and
(5) Enrollment (factors to consider when choosing an ABLE program and how to enroll).