Achieving a Better Life Experience: Local Families and Advocates Weigh In

This week, the House passed a great bipartisan bill that will help many local families in the 8^th District and throughout our region, the Achieving a Better Life Experience Act (H.R. 647). 

Also known as the ABLE Act, this bill allows individuals with disabilities to establish savings accounts for both daily and long-term expenses.

As Congressman Boehner said, “The ABLE Act is a simple but powerful idea: give individuals with disabilities the same opportunity to put away money tax-free for things like school, retirement, and job training that any American has.  I’ve heard from a number of families in our local area who agree with this idea, and they fought tirelessly to share their stories and make sure this bill got done.” 

Here’s what families and advocates in our region are saying:

“The ABLE Act is a ‘no-brainer’ for us to embrace in striving to support those with disadvantages to gain their economic and social freedom.  Encouraging families to save for their special needs child through a mechanism such as a 529 plan will improve the financial stability of government programs, such as Medicare.  Promoting those that are developmentally disabled, yet have the ability to work, to save will provide them with the freedom to be contributing members of our society.  This act will empower those who have disabilities to strive harder to earn a living and gain independence.

“As parents with a 20 year old son with Down syndrome, we have been fortunate to save for our son through special needs trust, but we are the exception!  I have spent time with Butler County’s Challenger baseball program and have seen firsthand the challenges of those families that don’t have the resources to prepare for their child’s adult life.  It is our responsibility to do all we can to encourage these families to support their child to be independent contributors to our society.

“America represents opportunity.  Opportunity to achieve more than your parents and more than you would have ever imagined – this is the American dream.  People with disabilities deserve to have the same chance to achieve this dream, and the ABLE Act is a step in the right direction in providing that opportunity.” – Bill McCloy, father, Liberty Twp., OH

“For years, we have treated our daughter Anne like she is no different than anyone else and that a disability does not define who you are,” said Cincinnati father and NDSS board member Chip Gerhardt. “With the passage of the ABLE act, thousands of Ohioans like Anne will have the same kind of financial independence that everyone else has. We cannot thank Speaker Boehner, his staff and the rest of the House of Representatives for getting this done.” – Chip Gerhardt, father and NDSS board member, Cincinnati, OH

“I am so grateful that Speaker Boehner has provided the skilled leadership to get the ABLE Act through the House. This legislation will help families impacted by autism and other disabilities help themselves.” – Marci Ingram, community volunteer and Autism Speaks advocate, Columbus, OH

“The ABLE Act will help to ensure that my son, and many other children with special needs like him, will be taken care of for years to come.  Having the ability to deposit funds that can be used to care for him in the future is a HUGE weight lifted off of our shoulders.  There is presently no alternative plan.  This leaves families desperate.  As parents of special needs kids, we want to provide for our children as long as possible.  The ABLE Act goes a long way into making this a reality.”  – Bryan Osterday, father, Cincinnati, OH

“We are absolutely thrilled to see the passage of the ABLE Act by the House! Our awesome son, Jack, is only four, but we are already advocating so hard for him to assimilate into society in a similar manner to that of his typical brother.  The ABLE Act will allow him to continue along that path by enabling him to earn an ordinary income just as his typical peers without disqualifying him from so many services that are offered to him. 

“I am also a privately practicing attorney, who helps clients with special needs estate planning.  Without the ABLE Act, the only way to protect a parent’s assets is to establish a special needs trust, which is not only expensive to set up but also very expensive to fund. Many parents in the special needs community do not need special needs trusts, because their incomes do not necessitate them, but they still need a place to put the money that is inherited from a parent and earned by the individual with special needs.  The ABLE Act will fill that void very appropriately. Thank you to Representative Boehner for getting this bill to a vote and passed.” –Ashley Meier Barlow, mother, Northern Kentucky

“The ABLE Act will help many families,” says Rep. Boehner, “and I hope we’ll be talking about it as the law of the land soon.”