CalABLE Quarterly April 2023

The ABLE Age Adjustment Act was passed as part of the Omnibus Spending Bill—read the full bill at congress.gov. This bill increases the age of ABLE eligibility from before age 26 to before age 46 effective January 1, 2026. That means 6 million more Americans with disabilities, including one million veterans, can use an ABLE account to potentially build financial well-being—while protecting eligibility for public benefits.

As you know, CalABLE and disability advocates from across the country support this change. Now, we’ll work together to synchronize state and federal legislation and systems by the effective date.

Thank you for your support of me and my team as we work to ensure every California citizen has an equal opportunity to dream, plan, and succeed. Our next step is to ensure that California law conforms with this change in the federal ABLE Act. AB 339 (Irwin) was introduced to make sure that individuals interested in joining CalABLE will be able to take advantage of the new eligibility rules when they go into effect. If you would like to show your support, we’ve developed a sample letter you can customize and send to your representatives. Download the template support letter.

The CalABLE Partner Toolkit is a one-stop resource to help advocates and partner organizations introduce CalABLE to the people they serve. This toolkit includes a CalABLE overview, FAQs, a promotional guide and templates, social media posts and more!

As a disability advocate and ally, we invite you to share this toolkit with your colleagues and networks to help more people with disabilities plan and save for their futures in a way that wasn’t possible before.

Download your copy today!(PDF)

During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE), Medi-Cal beneficiaries remained enrolled in the program without needing to renew. Beginning April 1, however, everyone registered with Medi-Cal will be contacted by their county Medi-Cal eligibility worker. Your contact information must be updated—otherwise, you could lose your eligibility.

If your contact information or household circumstances have changed since the beginning of the PHE, please update your info by contacting your local county office, calling the Medi-Cal member helpline at 800-541-5555, or logging into your Covered California, BenefitsCal, or MyBenefitsCalWIN account to update your contact information.

If you receive regional center or In-Home Supportive Services, you should also ensure that your contact information is up-to-date to maintain your eligibility for these Medicaid waiver-funded services.

Learn more about renewing your Medi-Cal benefits on the Department of Health Services page at DHCS.CA.gov.

Parents Helping Parents is a Bay Area family resource center that recently launched a statewide initiative called Connections California to help people with developmental disabilities navigate the transition to adulthood and equip their parents and caregivers to best support them.

Connections California provides a variety of resources (e.g., e-learning videos, e-packets, live events and workshops, transition-related community resources, support groups) organized into five main categories:

1. Transition Planning: Teens and Tweens
2. Education and Training
3. Adult Life
4. Self-Advocacy
5. Work Preparation

The Connections California program can help any person with any disability and is available in Spanish and Vietnamese. For questions, email Parents Helping Parents at info@php.com.

Q:   Does the Social Security Administration (SSA) accepted disability onset date determine whether my disability started before the age of 26 and whether I can open an ABLE account?

A:   Not exactly.

If the SSA determines that your disability began before age 26 and awards you a disability-based benefit, you can immediately open an ABLE account. When SSA determines the date disability began, they are required to consider both medical and non-medical factors which could result in a disability onset date later than when the disability began. Various technical factors can result in SSA establishing this date much later than when the onset of the disability occurred (e.g., substantial gainful activity, insured status, savings, parent earnings). If the disability began before age 26, but SSA established a date after age 26, your physician will need to give you a disability certification stating your disability began before age 26 and that you meet the SSA criteria regarding significant functional limitations. Sample Disability Certification(PDF).

SSA staff are not responsible for determining when the disability began for a CalABLE account. Instead, SSA staff direct ABLE eligibility inquiries to the state.

Q:   Which types of disabilities qualify someone for a CalABLE account?

A:   A condition that results in marked and severe functional limitations will qualify an individual to open an ABLE account so long as the disability began before the age of 26. The condition may be physical, developmental, mental, or other condition. There are examples in the Social Security Administration's Blue Book, as well as the SSA's List of Compassionate Allowances Conditions.

Q:   What happens if the account owner medically improves and is no longer eligible for an ABLE account?

A:   If a beneficiary no longer meets eligibility requirements, and they no longer qualify for an ABLE account, their account will remain open and they can continue to use the account until the end of the calendar year. After the end of the year, they stop being eligible, no new contributions are permitted and account withdrawals will be treated as non-qualified withdrawals.

CalABLE Service Center
Account and CalABLE Program Questions
Phone: 833-225-2253
Email: CalABLESupport@calable.ca.gov

CalABLE Act Board and Administrative Staff
Administered by the California State Treasurer's Office
Phone: 916-653-1728
Email: CalABLE@treasurer.ca.gov