ABLE Accounts

                One of things that bugs the living hell outta me is the usually unrecognized fact that many disabled are oftentimes simply expected into poverty. Our schools do not usually properly educate the disabled.  Colleges rarely recruit them. Insurance companies damn well allow them to be forced into poverty to further their own profits.  Same with many sheltered workshops. Nursing Homes and group homes are often the only available housing for people who need long term care. It's an infuriating passive bigotry.  The idea is that somehow the disabled are just "poor dears" who would never be able to function in the world independently so why should we all have to deal with them, or acknowledge them, or, shudders, worst of all, pay them a living wage or even be educated in the first place. It makes me grow fangs and start howling at the moon.

                 Thankfully, that is slowly changing.  (way too slowly for my druthers...)   The Affordable Care Act for all its faults, got rid of pre-existing conditions, which is a godsend for feisty ones like my kid.  (Seriously, she would have simply been doomed to poverty or winning the lottery- nothing in between- without that because she was automatically ineligible for most health insurance.)  In home care is becoming more doable as people demand it more.  Sheltered workshops cannot automatically pay slave level wages.  And now we have ABLE accounts. 

                 Able Accounts are saving accounts set up to help people with disabilities save for essential expenses.  That means things such housing, in home care, medical and dental care, community supports, medical equipment, housing modifications, transportation and the like.  This is a big deal because until now people who were on SSI or SSD or had certain public health coverage such as medicaid or medicare had a very small limit ($2000) that could saved in any type of bank account.  Which meant they could not save for things like a stair glide (way more than $2000) or a modified van (also way more than $2000 ) or tuition (don't make me laugh).   Things that would allow them to stay at home, get to work, or get an education and a good job. You know, be a normal grown up and pay taxes and the like.   Able accounts are specially held for these type of expenses (no hookers and blow allowed, thank you) and anyone can add to it (mom, dad, great uncle moneybags, whoever) . They are not considered a resource for government programs (meaning they cannot be counted against the person who has one) and are tax deferred.  The exact rules and dates of when they can be started vary from state to state. (In New York, it was signed into law by Governor Cuomo on 12/22/15 and takes effect 180 days from that date). If you are interested, simply google  "ABLE account + your state" for all the pertinent information.