Sen. Lesser Leads Passage of Bill Expanding Access to ABLE Act

On Wednesday, State Senator Matt Lesser, Senate Chair of the Human Services Committee, led passage of legislation that will expand access to the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, a program that allows people with disabilities to maintain their independence, pay for qualifying expenses and preserve their eligibility for income-dependent public benefits.

The ABLE Act was an Obama-era law that allows states to create tax-advantaged savings programs for eligible people with disabilities or a designated beneficiary. Funds in these accounts can help account owners pay for qualifying disability expenses, and distributions are tax-free if used for qualifying expenses. Importantly, funds in these accounts do not count toward an individual’s income when determining eligibility for public services like Medicaid.

The law passed today makes conforming changes in compliance with federal law, allows people to disregard certain public assistance programs from income standards and provides protections from financial exploitation and abuse.

“This bill is an important step forward for families of children with disabilities,” said Sen. Lesser. “I am glad to work with the State Treasurer to strengthen the ABLE program, a vital tool that allows families to undertake financial planning to cover life and health care expenses. In addition we have added important protections to safeguard people with disabilities from financial exploitation and abuse.”

The bill passed unanimously and now heads to the House floor.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Garnet McLaughlin | Garnet.McLaughlin@cga.ct.gov