Public Benefits

ABLE accounts are a game-changer for families with special needs, but there has been confusion about how they work. Here are answers to basic questions about what ABLE accounts can and can't accomplish.

The Department of Health and Human Services will now give states the option to obtain a portion of their federal Medicaid funding via so-called "block grants," although beneficiaries with disabilities should not be directly affected.

Congress has temporarily extended the federal government’s largest grant program that helps states transfer people with disabilities from institutions into independent living arrangements.

This year's cost-of-living increase for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance recipients is just 1.6 percent, a sharp drop from last year's 2.8 percent increase. ...

While crowdfunding through such outlets as GoFundMe or Kickstarter can be a quick and effective way of raising money for a person with specials needs, it could also have a negative impact on the beneficiary’s access to government benefits.

Advocates are warning that a little-noticed proposed rule change could result in hundreds of thousands of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients, many of them children, losing benefits.

If an ABLE account has been set up for a person with special needs, what happens to the account if the beneficiary no longer qualifies as “disabled” according to IRS regulations due to medical improvement or inaccurate diagnosis?...

In a new report, the Government Accountability Office calls for better oversight of organizations that handle the Social Security benefits of recipients who cannot manage their own benefits and lack a family member or friend to do so.  ...

Due to recent tax law changes, families with special needs children may be thinking about rolling existing 529 funds into ABLE accounts. But before you do, make sure you understand how these two accounts work and how they differ.