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Tuesday, May 23, 2017

ABLE 2.0

The Politics of Autism includes a discussion of the ABLE Act.

Autism dad Eli Lehrer writes at The Hill:
Many families (mine included) have put money into conventional 529 college savings plans and would now like to move it into the more flexible ABLE Accounts. Under current law, that’s not possible without paying massive tax penalties. Moreover, while one of the law's goals was to help the disabled take jobs and lead more typical lives, the law doesn't raise limits to allow beneficiaries to deposit their own earnings into the accounts. Finally, people who develop severe disabilities later in life from accidents, adult-onset mental illness or conditions like Lou Gehrig’s disease can’t benefit from the ABLE Act at all.
A bipartisan legislative package—styled "ABLE 2.0" and spearheaded by House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.)—would address each of these flaws. It would allow rollovers of 529 plan balances into ABLE accounts; raise the limits for working disabled people with ABLE accounts to deposit more of their own earnings; and increase the eligible age to open an ABLE account to 45. It’s a package of commonsense measures that will make it easier for special-needs families to save for their children and for special-needs adults to have the resources they need to live better and more independent lives.