#able account

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The Social Safety Net for Disabled People Is Broken

The Center for American Progress interviewed disabled people who had been through the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course that is the bureaucratic process of applying for disability benefits. If I may summarize their experience in one sentence, it would be: The dehumanization is the point.

These folks described how they were treated like criminals and frauds; evaluated by unqualified medical professionals; judged by people who had no idea what their disability entailed; and how they spent money they didn’t have on lawyers just to access basic ADA protections.

can yall who do link me resources about it?

my family wants to know if they can help open one for me but are very wary of being scammed

I am eligible to open an ABLE account!!

For those that don't know what it is, an ABLE account allows some disabled individuals (currently the cut off age is 26; they are attempting to raise it to 46) to save money beyond the SSI/Medicaid asset limits for qualifying expenses related to your disability. This could be housing, transportation, even music! You may still be able to get an ABLE account if you are older than 26. This law was put into action in 2014.

SSI/SSDI are benefits that may help you get an account if you are over 26. The onset of disability here is different than the onset of disability SSA determines. My getting multiple disabling autoimmune conditions as a child means I am eligible even though SSA determined me to be disabled only a couple of years ago. You may need to do a "self declaration". Make sure there is a diagnosis, doctor's letter, something so if they ask for proof of the disabling condition you have it's available.

You can contribute whether you work or don't. Family and friends can contribute without it being considered a resource against you the beneficiary. If you somehow get off disability, the account stays open I believe. Money in the account can be used to pay back Medicaid for the resources and services you used while on Medicaid too.

There is a limit on yearly contributions (this year is $15,000) and a limit of $100,000 before it's considered an asset relating to SSI/Medicaid. If you lower the amount in the account, your services will start up again.

Please doublecheck on what I have written. As every circumstance is different, I suggest people call the Governor's Commission on Disability in your state of residence to find out more information. You may get an account in another state than the one you live in (a few years ago my state didn't have ABLE accounts), but you can only have one account.

My first goals? Housing and personal transportation for more independence.

Hope this helps some people! Don't let the system work you, make the system work for you!

The Social Safety Net for Disabled People Is Broken

More than anything else in the personal finance sphere (perhaps save taxes, which I have notoriously, uh… fucked up), the social safety net for disabled people is complicated. The idea of researching it thoroughly enough to provide useful resources for our disabled followers is daunting, to say the least. Even beginning that research has been wildly disheartening. Because it rapidly becomes clear that the social safety net for disabled people is straight-up broken.

But it’s time to rip off the band-aid. Today I’m exploring the brokenness of it all: how it currently works and whether there’s any hope of change. I hope you’ve enjoyed past episodes of Jess Gets Righteously Angry about an Injustice, because you’re about to get more of that!

… A lot more.

Keep reading

The Social Safety Net for Disabled People Is Broken