NCD letter to senators on ABLE legislation

May 5, 2026

The Honorable Jerry Moran
United States Senate
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

The Honorable Chris Van Hollen
United States Senate
730 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510

Re: Legislation pertaining to the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act

Dear Honorable Senators Moran and Van Hollen:

I am writing as Acting Chairman of the National Council on Disability (NCD) – an independent, bipartisan federal agency that advises Congress, the President, and other federal agencies on matters affecting the lives of people with disabilities – to commend your leadership regarding the introduction of the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Tomorrow Act, ABLE MATCH, and the ABLE Direct Deposit Act. The principles of these bills align with NCD advisement to Congress regarding the significant financial barriers experienced by people with disabilities and ways to remove those barriers.

NCD has shown support of ABLE for many years, beginning with an assignment by the House Appropriations Committee, to serve as federal “interagency coordinator” to increase the crossflow of information amongst federal, state and nongovernment agencies, and to encourage greater awareness building activities of ABLE accounts. ¹ To that end, NCD convened interagency meetings and helped educate agencies that were not well-aware of ABLE, which resulted in updates to several agencies’ internal policies, Program Operations Manual Systems (POMS), and public-facing communication campaigns to increase enrollment. NCD also hosted ABLE information sessions for the public in in Jackson, Mississippi; Henderson, Nevada; Humacao, Puerto Rico; and Chicago, Illinois, in conjunction with quarterly meetings of the Council in those locations.

In our policy reports going back to 2017, we have advised Congress to increase the qualifying age limit for an ABLE account; allow employed ABLE account holders to contribute above the annual cap; allow 529 educational savings accounts to transition to qualifying people with disabilities without penalty or taxes; and states and the IRS to implement and actively inform people with disabilities and their caregivers about these important accounts. ²

In more recent time, and in the context of the economic stability of people with disabilities more broadly, NCD has additionally called on Congress to enable higher levels of savings; remove fees and penalties that discourage savings; allow higher employer-match contributions to ABLE accounts, and deferred compensation or donations to retirement plans by employers, comparable to a 403(b) or 401(k) plan; and make 529-to-ABLE rollover provisions permanent. ³

NCD is heartened to see the ongoing bipartisan support of ABLE, which demonstrates an understanding of and commitment to the people with disabilities who the accounts both currently benefit and stand to benefit, whose economic futures can see far more stability and hope because of them.

If NCD can be of assistance in providing greater context to your congressional colleagues or others for the need for these important bills based upon our body of research as referenced herein, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Director of Legislative Affairs and Outreach, Anne Sommers McIntosh, at amcintosh@ncd.gov.

Respectfully,

Neil Romano
Acting Chairman
National Council on Disability