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ABLE Age Adjustment Act
On Wednesday June 22, 2022, the Senate Finance Committee met to mark-up the Enhancing American Retirement Now Act (EARN Act), which is a part of the larger retirement reform bill (SECURE 2.0). The ABLE Age Adjustment Act was included in the EARN Act as part of the mark-up. The ABLE Age Adjustment Act will increase the age eligibility for ABLE accounts from 26 to 46, giving millions of people with disabilities the chance to save money without losing eligibility for federal benefits. ABLE accounts are tax-free savings accounts for people with disabilities to save money, while not disqualifying them from federal benefits like Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid. AUCD signed on to this Statement for the Record from the Consortium for Constituents with Disabilities.
Plain Language
The Senate Finance Committee met to discuss the EARN Act. The Committee included the ABLE Age Adjustment Act in the EARN Act. ABLE accounts are savings accounts for people who develop their disability before the age of 26, and they allow people to save money without risking losing federal benefits such as Supplemental Security Income or Medicaid. The Able Age Adjustment Act would increase the age of eligibility to 46, giving more people access to these accounts.
What It Means For You
If you acquired a disability between the ages of 26 and 46, the ABLE Age Adjustment Act will make you eligible for ABLE accounts. This will allow you to save money without risking losing access to federal benefits. Please help to increase the number of co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.
Action Steps
Learn more about ABLE accounts at the ABLE National Resource Center. Please help to increase the number of co-sponsors in the House of Representatives. Call your Representatives and educate them about the importance of ABLE accounts for those ages 26-46. You can reach your Members of Congress by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121.
U.S. Department of Labor, Centers for Disease Control and US Surgeon General Seek Public Input on Impact of Long COVID
The U.S. Department of Labor, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the U.S. Surgeon General have invited the public to join a national online dialogue to better understand the impact of Long-COVID in the workplace. The goal of this initiative is to gather ideas on how to support employees with long-lasting symptoms of COVID-19, their co-workers, and their employers.
It is estimated that one in five people infected with COVID-19 in the U.S. may experience symptoms that last more than three months. These symptoms may include shortness of breath, fatigue, brain fog, heart palpitations, headaches and more.
Plain Language
The U.S. Department of Labor, Centers of Disease Control, and the U.S. Surgeon General have invited the public to submit comments on the impact of Long-COVID. Long-COVID is when somebody contracts COVID-19 and experiences symptoms for weeks and months after their positive test. The goal of this project is to help make the workplace more accessible for people experiencing Long-COVID. Submit comments.
What It Means For You
If you are somebody who has or is currently experiencing Long-COVID symptoms, the results of dialogue will hopefully help make the workplace more accessible.
Action Steps
Read this news release from the U.S. Department of Labor and submit comments.
U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights
The U.S. Department of Transportation released a Bill of Rights for airline passengers with disabilities, outlining the rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act. This living documents applies to all flights of U.S. airlines, and flights to and from the U.S. from foreign airlines.
Plain Language
The U.S. Department of Transportation outlined a Bill of Rights with 10 rights for all airline passengers with disabilities.
What It Means For You
This living document (document that will be continually edited and updated) will help airlines comply with federal law, making it easier to travel if you are a person with a disability.
Action Steps
Read the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights and familiarize yourself with the language.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Provides States with Additional Resources to Improve Oversight for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs.
On July 6th, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) unveiled new resources to improve oversight of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP). The new resources include tools, templates, and updates on tactics to improve reporting on these programs. These new resources will provide more transparency for the millions of people accessing care under Medicaid and CHIP. Additionally, CMS issued a toolkit to support program monitoring of Medicaid enrollees that are utilizing long term services and supports.
Plain Language
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services put out tools for states to track their Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs. These tools will help improve healthcare for millions of people across the country.
What It Means For You
These new resources will improve the quality of Medicaid and CHIP for people across the country. Increased transparency and improved delivery means better care for you and your family.
Action Steps
Read the report.
Reconciliation
Senate Democrats continue to try to put together a reconciliation package before the November midterms. The press has reported that Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) has stated that he would not support the climate and tax elements of a proposed package and would only support a package that would reduce prescription drug prices and extend subsidies as a part of the Affordable Care Act. For this package to pass, 50 Senators will need to vote in favor of it.
Plain Language
Discussions continue amongst Senators regarding a budget package that can pass the Senate using a process called reconciliation. Reconciliation is a way for Senators to pass budget related items with only 50 votes.
Tuesdays with Liz: Did you know that Liz has a YouTube Channel?
'Tuesdays with Liz' is a weekly video series highlighting current issues in disability policy. It is hosted by Liz Weintraub, a long-time disability advocate, and produced by AUCD.
You can help spread her message by:
- Subscribing to the Tuesdays with Liz YouTube Channel!
- Liking videos on the channel
- Making comments on the channel
 
For more from AUCD, follow @AUCDNews and like AUCD on Facebook
For definitions of terms, please see AUCD's List of Policy Definitions
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