State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announces IAble is breaking down barriers for individuals opening an IAble account on behalf of someone with a disability. “When we originally launched IAble in 2017, the law required us to collect copies of documentation from the person opening an account on behalf of a person with a disability who was not able to manage the account on their own,” said Fitzgerald, administrator of the Plan. “With changes in federal regulations, we worked with the legislature to allow IAble to implement a certification process, eliminating the need for paperwork in most situations. This makes the enrollment process easier and opens the doors for many who are looking to achieve their version of a better life experience.”
IAble is Iowa’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) plan and allows individuals with disabilities to save up to $16,000 a year while maintaining eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid and other federal assistance programs.* When saving with an ABLE account, individuals with disabilities are protected from the penalty of losing their federal benefits for having over $2,000.
“We’ve seen a 56% increase in accounts opened and 72% increase in assets since 2020,” continued Fitzgerald. “I look forward to seeing the program grow with these updates and will continue supporting individuals with disabilities on their journey to financial freedom.”
Account owners can use the money in their IAble account to pay for qualified disability-related expenses such as assistive technology, support services, groceries, rent and more.** There are also great tax incentives, such as the $3,522 state income tax deduction for any Iowa taxpayer contributing to an IAble account – including the account owner, family members and friends.***
Sign up for the IAble newsletter at IAble.gov/Resources/Newsletter for information on the Plan’s upcoming May 3, 2022 webinar, hosted in conjunction with the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council. Connect with the Treasurer on Facebook and Twitter.
