The PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program in Pennsylvania allows residents with qualified disabilities to save up to $18,000 a year tax-free. The program, which has grown significantly since its inception with assets now surpassing $110 million, allows users to withdraw their savings for anything considered a ‘Qualified Disability Expense’ without being taxed.

Among the many uses of ‘Qualified Disability Expenses’ is therapeutic treatment, as explained by Senator Lisa Baker and Treasurer Stacy Garrity at a celebration event held at the Serendipity Therapeutic Riding Center. The PA ABLE program provides flexibility to its users, allowing them to use their account money to pay for services such as therapy, groceries, and rent.

Enabled through legislative changes in 2017, Pennsylvanians with disabilities were given the opportunity to open accounts. The age of onset for a qualified disability is due to increase from 26 to 46 years old in 2026, making six million more Americans, including one million veterans, eligible for ABLE.

Applicants are required to prove eligibility through entitlement to Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), or by self-certification of a similarly severe disability.

Additional benefits are available for working Pennsylvanians through the federal ABLE to Work Act, which allows some users to save up to $30,590 a year tax-free, based on the federal poverty level.

These types of programs like PA ABLE grant financial agency to disabled Pennsylvanians and their families. As Senator Baker said, prior to 2017, their economic options were limited due to federal policy that discouraged families from helping individuals with disabilities plan for their future.

However, the program still takes into account an ABLE user’s monthly income when determining their social security benefits. As of Jan. 2024, the Social Security Administration’s monthly income limits are at $2,590 for the statutorily blind, and $1,550 for the non-blind.