ABLE Act Program in Washington Requesting Enrollees

Millions of individuals with disabilities and their families depend on a wide variety of public benefits for income, health care, and food and housing assistance. Eligibility for these public benefits (SSI, SNAP, Medicaid) require meeting a means/resource test that restricts eligibility to individuals who report less than $2,000 in cash savings, retirement funds, and other items of significant value. To remain eligible for these public benefits, an individual must remain poor. For the first time in public policy, the ABLE Act, which Congress passed in 2014, recognizes the extra and significant costs of living with a disability and allows people with disabilities (and their families) a way to save their money without losing their benefits.

Washington State’s ABLE Program opened in July 2018, and there are over 1,000 enrollees. However, Skamania County is one of the few counties which has no enrolless. Please help us share information about this valuable program and encourage those eligible to enroll.

Please check this fact sheet for the basics on the program including eligibility requirements and qualified expenses. Additional information is available on the ABLE National Resource Center website and on the Washington State ABLE Saving Plan page.