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Witness traces ABLE Act’s roots, urges Vermont to lift age limit and explore housing uses for accounts
Summary
Phil, a program manager and parent of a son with Down syndrome, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development that the federal ABLE Act grew from grassroots advocacy. He urged the state to pursue tax incentives, data collection, and ways to let ABLE funds support housing and self‑management; he also criticized the $100,000 cap and age restrictions as limiting.
Phil, a program manager and parent of a 27‑year‑old with Down syndrome, told the Vermont House Committee on Commerce & Economic Development on Jan. 13 that the federal ABLE Act began as a grassroots effort and needs further change for people with disabilities to benefit fully.
Phil recounted recruiting congressional sponsors and building a bipartisan coalition to get the ABLE concept enacted, and he described why the final law adopted a 529‑style vehicle rather than an IRA‑style account. He said early design ambitions (transferability, no Medicaid payback) were pared back in negotiation and that successive compromises left the program less flexible than advocates hoped.
Why it matters: Phil argued that current rules—most notably the federal $100,000 cap on account balances and age‑at‑eligibility limits—reduce the ABLE accounts’ usefulness for covering housing and other high‑cost needs. He told…
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