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Five Years of ABLEnow

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In just five years, more than 12,000 Americans with disabilities have opened an ABLEnow account. These customers, representing all 50 states, have collectively contributed $120 million to their accounts – building assets for today’s needs and investing for tomorrow.

The fifth anniversary of the ABLEnow program coincides with the seventh anniversary of the federal Stephen Beck Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE”) Act. Signed into law in December 2014, the ABLE Act allows states to create tax-advantaged ABLE savings programs for people with disabilities.

In 2015, Virginia became the first state in the country to pass ABLE legislation following the federal ABLE statute. The state legislation authorized development of the Virginia-sponsored ABLE program, ABLEnow. And thanks to a 2015 amendment of the ABLE Act eliminating a state residency requirement, ABLEnow opened for national enrollment in December 2016. It’s grown to be the country’s largest independent ABLE program.

During 2021, ABLEnow introduced several enhancements to help customers manage their accounts and improve their financial footing:

  • New Enrollment Options – ABLEnow expanded the categories of family members who can open an ABLEnow account for an eligible individual. In addition to parents, grandparents, siblings and spouses can open and manage their eligible family member’s ABLEnow account as the Authorized Representative.
     
  • Direct Deposit – Account owners can have their paycheck, Social Security income or other recurring electronic payment automatically deposited into their ABLEnow account.
     
  • Assign a Designed Survivor – Account owners can name a Designated Survivor to receive the ABLEnow account assets in the event of the account owner’s death, following the payment of any outstanding qualified disability expenses, Medicaid claims and estate taxes of the deceased.
     
  • Mobile App – Launched in November 2020, the top-rated ABLEnow app received several enhancements in 2021 to improve the convenience and experience of managing an ABLEnow account on a mobile device.

Need to open an account? There’s never been a better time to save for health, independence and quality of life. Open an ABLEnow account today.

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