ACTION ALERT: PASS THE ABLE AGE ADJUSTMENT ACT IN THIS CONGRESS!

ABLE accounts are helping people with disabilities across the country to save money without jeopardizing their benefits ...but there are more than 6 million people with disabilities who are not eligible to take advantage of this important savings tool because they became disabled after age 26. At the same time, the pool of potential ABLE account holders should be expanded to strengthen the market for state ABLE programs. (See below for more background info.)
 
Please take a few minutes to call or email your legislators to ask them to support the ABLE Age Adjustment Act (S.817/HR 1874), which would amend Section 529A(e) of the Internal Revenue Code to increase the eligibility for Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) accounts for onset of disability from prior to age 26 to prior to age 46. Together we can advocate to #ExpandABLE and pass the #ABLEAgeAdjustment Act.

Background
 
First introduced in the 114th Congress, the bipartisan ABLE Age Adjustment Act was re-introduced in the 115th Congress by Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Richard Burr (R-NC), and Representatives Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Pete Sessions (R-TX), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Jim Langevin (D-RI). The limitation on eligibility based on the age of onset of disability did not exist in the original ABLE legislation, but was added at the end of the ABLE Act's nearly ten-year legislative history to reduce the bill's score and get it over the finish line.  This concession resulted in otherwise-eligible individuals with disabilities  - many of whom fought for years to get the ABLE Act passed - being prevented from realizing the benefits associated with the ABLE Act based solely on the age at which they became disabled. NDSC, along with nearly 160 other organizations from across the country, believes that ABLE should be expanded to include more people with disabilities, and has signed onto a letter (http://www.c-c-d.org/fichiers/CCD-Fin-Sec-TF-and-Allies-Sign-On-Letter-for-ABLE-Age-Adjustment-Act-H.R.1874-S.817-June-22-2018.pdf) urging Congress to pass this bill this session.
 
Beyond the fairness/equity argument for increasing the age of onset, it has now become a financial imperative to pass the ABLE Age Adjustment Act. There are currently thirty-nine states with ABLE programs, yet data collected by the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) shows that the number of ABLE accounts being opened is much lower than anticipated. The long-term sustainability, availability, and affordability of some ABLE programs for individuals with disabilities may be in doubt without this expansion of eligibility (See https://nast.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ABLE_Sustainability-Report_FINAL_04-09-18.pdf_ for the NAST Sustainability Report).
 
For more information about ABLE accounts, please visit the ABLE National Resource Center at www.ablenrc.org.
 
Thank you for your advocacy efforts!
The NDSC Policy & Advocacy Team
  
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