Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts

Posted February 17, 2017 by Premier Disability Services, LLC® In late 2014, after nearly a decade of lobbying from disability advocacy groups, Congress passed the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, creating a tax-advantaged account for people with disabilities. Money in an ABLE account grows and can be spent tax-free on qualified expenses such as medical treatment, transportation, housing, education and assistive technology.

Prior to the ABLE Act of 2014, Americans with disabilities who had more $2,000 in their name would lose eligibility for government benefits such as Medicaid coverage or Supplemental Security Income. The total annual contribution limit for an ABLE Account is $14,000, in keeping with the federal gift tax exclusion limit.

Last year, Ohio became the first state to offer ABLE accounts. Currently, the states of Florida, Kentucky, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee and Virginia offer ABLE accounts, with programs launching in several states later this year. A consortium of nine states, including Alaska, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, are working together to make ABLE accounts available to the public.

To qualify, the beneficiary of an ABLE account must have become blind or disabled before age 26 and meet other criteria for documenting a severe disability. The required age of onset may change in the future, however. “There’s lot of activity and support that would take it from [age] 26 to 46,” says Mary Morris, CEO of Virginia529 College Savings Plan, which launched Virginia’s ABLE plan last month.

Additionally, fees on ABLE accounts may vary by state. For instance, Ohio charges a $2.50 per month maintenance fee to Ohio residents and $5 to residents of other states. In contrast, Virginia’s monthly fee is $3.25 per month regardless of residency, and that fee is waived if you keep an average daily balance of $10,000 in your account. The maintenance fees cover the cost of administering the program, and fees for the underlying investments are an additional cost.

While ABLE accounts have the potential to help millions of Americans with disabilities, some people may still choose to set up a special needs trust, sometimes called a supplemental needs trust, or take other planning steps as well.

Source: http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2017-01-11/what-to-know-before-opening-an-able-account

The Decline in Earnings Prior to Filing a Disability Application

Posted February 10, 2017 by Premier Disability Services, LLC® Jackson Costa of the Office of Program Development, Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration performed a study published in the Social Security Bulletin on the decline in earnings prior to claims for Disability Insurance benefits.

Data from the 2014 Disability Research File show that the earnings of individuals who apply for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits decline rapidly in the years prior to application. Mr. Costa’s article presents statistics on the average “decline period”—the time from the year of maximum earnings to the year of application—by the general and specific primary diagnosis, sex, and age of individuals who filed applications during 2004–2013. On average, denied-claim applicants experience a longer decline period than do allowed-claim applicants, and those with mental impairments experience a shorter decline period than do those with physical impairments. Differences across general diagnosis groups are typically small; differences between certain specific diagnosis subgroups are greater. Men experienced longer decline periods than did women, and older applicants experienced longer decline periods than did younger ones.

The study demonstrates something that’s obvious at ground level — for most disabled people, disability isn’t something that happens all at once. It comes on over the course of years. Often it’s more than one thing that disables a person. People try hard to fight off disability. Often they wait a considerable period of time after stopping work altogether before filing a claim. People don’t like to have to concede that they’re disabled.

Full study: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v77n1/v77n1p1.html

By: Tom Klint of Premier Disability Services, LLC^®

It’s Super Bowl Sunday!

Posted February 3, 2017 by Premier Disability Services, LLC®
This weekend is Super Bowl LI – on February 5th, the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons will go head-to-head at the NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas with pop icon Lady Gaga performing at half time.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas has completed a review of the accessibility of NRG Stadium to disabled fans planning to attend Super Bowl LI. The review finds the NFL’s plans for accessible seating, parking and related services at the stadium to be in line with its obligations under the Title III of the American’s with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities by private places of public accommodations.

The review stemmed from a pre-existing investigation that is unrelated to the NFL or its use of NRG Stadium for Super Bowl LI. The NFL cooperated with the review and demonstrated that its plans for Super Bowl LI provide for accessible seating and parking in numbers that substantially exceed those required under the ADA. Among other accommodations, the NFL plans to provide accessible seating on all levels of the stadium and will maintain a dedicated parking lot for the provision of handicap accessible parking. That lot is located just to the south of the stadium’s usual handicap accessible lot and immediately outside of the stadium’s security perimeter.

The NFL also plans to have personnel on hand to accommodate the needs of disabled attendees of Super Bowl LI. Members of the NFL’s Mobility Assistance Team will be stationed in areas inside and outside of the stadium’s secured perimeter in order to provide assistance to disabled fans seeking to enter the stadium and get to their seats from the designated handicap accessible lot, Taxi/UBER drop-off area and METRORail train stop.

Once inside the stadium, disabled attendees will be advised of guest services locations where they may store mobility assistance equipment. Disabled attendees may also schedule a pick-up with the Mobility Assistance Team, which will help them travel from their seats back to their vehicles when they leave the game. Moreover, there will be guest services staff available inside and outside the stadium to assist fans during the game if a need arises.

We at Premier Disability Services wish everyone a fun and safe Super Bowl Sunday!

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/us-attorney-s-office-conducts-ada-review-nrg-stadium-prior-super-bowl-li

By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Disability Services, LLC^®