If you are an adult with disabilities, you are not allowed to have more than $2000 or you surrender your government benefits. I’ve known this fact for years, after I went to a rather depressing seminar about the future of benefits in our state. But there’s legislation in the works that would allow people with disabilities (and their families) to save up to $100,000 to pay for health care, education, transportation and other expenses, without losing Medicaid coverage. The act is called Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE), and a U.S. Senate hearing last week kicked off the bill’s progression through Congress.
Reports say that the bill is likely to pass in September, with hundreds of sponsors from both houses of Congress. Sara Wolff, 31, who has Down syndrome, testified before the Senate panel, noting how the ABLE Act could improve her life; per current laws, she is only allowed to earn up to $700 a month.
As she’s said, “Just because I have Down syndrome, that shouldn’t hold me back from achieving my full potential in life. I can work a full-time job, be a productive member of society, and pay taxes—but because of these outdated laws placed on individuals with disabilities, we hold people like me back in life.”
You can add your signature to the online petition to pass the ABLE Act.
From my other blog:
The shocking realities of raising children with disabilities, and why society needs to know
What I think when I watch my child with special needs sleep
Let It Go, like you’ve never heard it sung
Image of piggybank via Shutterstock