Yachad’s lobbying mission to Washington, DC – March 2014
It is the American dream to work hard to get ahead. We all want to move up the ladder and do our best. Until recently, those with special needs were unfairly discouraged from saving for the future but, thanks to a new federal law, this is no longer the case. Yachad’s families applaud the passage of the Stephen J. Beck Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE”) law. Yachad, together with the OU Advocacy Center, the non-partisan public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, has been advocating for the passage of this law for several years.
The ABLE Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt accounts for families of individuals with disabilities. Funds from these accounts may be used for expenses such as transportation, education, housing, and employment services.
For the past five years, Yachad and OU Advocacy have actively promoted this legislation by bringing frequent missions to Washington as part of Yachad’s North American Inclusion Month (NAIM) and organizing advocacy campaigns that urged members of Congress to support this bill. “For too long, individuals living with disabilities have faced a ‘Catch-22’: they must rely on government assistance to live, but if they get a job in order to become independent and more self-sufficient they face the risk of becoming ineligible for the very government assistance they need,” said Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, international director of Yachad. “Untold potential has been squandered because medical costs and other expenses have prevented those with disabilities from attending a university or pursuing their professional goals.”
The ABLE Act allows individuals with disabilities to have full-time employment and still qualify for Medicaid and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Up until now, individuals with disabilities could not accumulate more than $2,000 in savings without becoming disqualified from receiving these benefits. Through the ABLE Act, individuals with disabilities can now save up to $100,000 without being
suspended from government support—which, in turn, allows them to take control of their finances and be fully-participating members of the workforce.
The OU and Yachad commend U.S. Senator Robert Casey (D-PA), U.S. Representatives Ander Crenshaw (R-FL), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and the many other sponsors of the bill.
“Too often, those with disabilities are required to focus only on meeting their expenses, rather than achieving their potential, which should not be the case,” said Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center. “The ABLE Act delivers meaningful help to families with special needs members. The passage of this law provides invaluable support to thousands of Americans.”
This article is from the 2015 issue of Belong Magazine. If you would like to receive a hard copy please email belong@ou.org.