Since I became disabled at age 21 it would benefit me so I contacted my senators to vote for it.
On Tue, Dec 9, 2014 at 11:20 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > *Disability Rights * > > *To:* TWP All Staff > *Subject:* Action alert! Tell your Senators not to gut the ABEL Act! > > *From the National Council on Independent Living, NCIL* > > > > Last Wednesday, the House overwhelmingly passed the Achieving a Better > Life Experience (ABLE) Act, H.R. 647 by a vote of 404-17. The Senate is > expected to take action this week, and with 74 Senate co-sponsors, it is > likely that it will pass. > > > > The ABLE Act allows individuals with disabilities and their families to > save funds in an ABLE Account, a tax-free savings account that can go > towards housing, transportation, home health, and other eligible expenses. > This will allow individuals to accumulate assets without jeopardizing > eligibility for Medicaid or Social Security benefits. > > > > However, NCIL has significant concerns regarding who can access and open > an ABLE Account. The ABLE Act has a lot of potential, but because of recent > changes, only individuals who acquire a disability before the age of 26 are > eligible for an ABLE Account. This means that individuals who acquire a > disability at or after that age will not be helped by the ABLE Act at all. > > > > We need Congress to hear from us and understand that *the ABLE Act is > important for all people with disabilities*, regardless of when we > acquire our disability! Accumulating assets is just as important for people > who acquire a disability at or after the age of 26 to be able to improve > their economic status and earn their way out of poverty. > > > > Because of the advocacy of NCIL members and other disability rights > groups, our concern regarding substantial gainful activity has been > resolved, and individuals who meet the definition of disability are able to > maintain an ABLE Account regardless of engagement in SGA. We need to make > sure our voices are heard on this critical issue as well. The Senate needs > to *hear from you* before they vote on the ABLE Act! Call your Senators > and let them know that this needs to be fixed in the current (or future) > Congress. Let them know that ALL people with disabilities should be > eligible for an ABLE account! > > > > Sen. Blunt: (202) 224-5721 <%28202%29%20224-5721> > > Sen. McCaskill: (202) 224-6154 <%28202%29%20224-6154> > > > > > > *Sheila Styron, ACTCP* > > *Public Policy Specialist* > > > > *The Whole Person* > > 3710 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111 > > direct 816-627-2217 | main 816-561-0304 | mobile 816-896-6552| > fax 816-931-0529 > > mailto: [email protected] | thewholeperson.org > <http://www.thewholeperson.org/> > > Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/TheWholePerson > > > > > >
