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CalABLE seeks staff and budgeting clarity as federal eligibility expansion approaches
Summary
CalABLE briefed Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 4 on a BCP request for an additional AGPA to reach newly eligible adults after federal ABLE eligibility expansion; members probed population estimates, prior cost estimates, and whether ongoing general fund support is appropriate while the program works toward self-sufficiency.
Thomas Martin, executive director of CalABLE, told the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee's Subcommittee No. 4 on May 20 that a federal change expanding ABLE account eligibility will substantially increase the pool of Californians who can open CalABLE accounts and that the department is seeking an additional analyst (an AGPA position) to conduct outreach to newly eligible groups.
Martin said the federal change allows people whose disabilities begin before age 46, rather than age 26, to open an ABLE account; he told the subcommittee this will create an approximately 50% increase in the number of eligible Californians, or "somewhere around 700,000 or so" additional people.
Why it matters: CalABLE accounts let people with qualifying disabilities save money without losing eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Martin said, "CalABLE is exempt from that $2,000 limit. So you can save up to $100,000 in a CalABLE account and still get SSI benefits coming in." Subcommittee members framed the BCP as a near-term outreach and…
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