Focus area 04 · Live

Financial security through the ABLE Act

The ABLE Act lets people with disabilities save without losing SSI, SSDI, or Medicaid. Median state take-up is only 0.41 percent. Well-designed state policy can move that number, and moving it changes life trajectories.

A family reviewing financial paperwork at a kitchen table
Financial planning that keeps benefits intact

Take-up rate: ABLE accounts opened as % of eligible adults with disabilities.

Take-up (median)
0.41%
Median across states
Source: Yin (2026), RISEI Lab WP 2026-05
Top state · Nebraska
3.04%
7.4× median
Source: ABLE NRC state comparison · Yin (2026)
Effect on employment
+0.73pp
Causal estimate
Source: Yin (2026), WP 2026-05
Effect on wages
+8.11%
Causal estimate
Source: Yin (2026), WP 2026-05

The policy problem

The ABLE Act of 2014 created tax-advantaged savings accounts for people with disabilities. Adults with disabilities can save without triggering the $2,000 asset limit that blocks SSI. As of 2026, eligibility extended to those with disability onset before age 46 (previously 26). Yet median state take-up sits at 0.41 percent of eligible people. Nebraska Enable reaches 3.04 percent. The gap is a policy design problem — awareness, enrollment friction, employer engagement, benefits counselor training — not a demand problem.

Why we point to a live product here

ReachABLE (joinreachable.com) is our consumer-facing app for ABLE. It handles eligibility, benefits-cliff modeling across 25 welfare programs, wealth trajectory, homeownership pathway, debt reduction, and retirement sequencing — all benefits-safe. State partners can white-label ReachABLE, integrate it with their benefits counselor training, or feature it in outreach campaigns.

Open the live product · joinreachable.com

Quick check. This is a preview of ReachABLE's full eligibility flow.

18

ABLE Age Adjustment Act (2026): eligibility now covers onset before age 46 (was 26).

$18,000

Results

✓ Eligible
Eligible to open an ABLE account
Onset before age 46 · SSI recipient — you qualify. State ABLE programs open to any state resident.
✓ Contribution room
Up to $34,830 per year
$19,000 base + $15,830 ABLE-to-Work (work earnings up to federal poverty line).
✓ Benefits preserved
SSI + Medicaid keep working
First $100,000 in ABLE excluded from SSI asset test. Balances above only affect SSI, not Medicaid.

See how ABLE lets you save without hitting the $2,000 SSI asset cliff.

$200
10

Assumes 4% average annual growth.

Balance after saving

✕ Without ABLE (regular savings)
Blocked at $2,000
Balance above $2,000 disqualifies SSI. Effective savings ceiling: $2,000.
SSI cliff100% blocked
✓ With ABLE
$28,976
SSI + Medicaid preserved throughout. First $100,000 fully excluded.
Toward $100K SSI cap29%

Click a card to reveal.