ABLE accounts are the result of a decade-long, cross-disability advocacy effort. The idea originated with a group of Virginia parents who recognized the inequity of not being able to save in their child’s name for fear of losing essential services and supports.
The Stephen Beck Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act, better known as the ABLE Act, received strong political support across party lines when it passed in 2014. This federal legislation opened the door for ABLE programs, which must be set up and administered by a state.
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.
