Kansas ABLE Savings Program Empowerment Grants

Kansas ABLE Savings Program Empowerment Grants is sponsored by Kansas State Treasurer / Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD) / Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS). Designed to assist individuals with qualifying disabilities (including severe mental health conditions and developmental disabilities impacting major life activities) to save and invest personal funds for disability-related expenses—such as housing, transportation, healthcare, a…

Kansas State Treasurer: ABLE Savings Page NDSS Financial Wellness Guide $100 ABLE Empowerment Grant There's no limit to what people with disabilities can do. Now, that includes saving money, too. The Savings Program allows Kansans living with a disability the opportunity to save for their future.

the Kansas ABLE Savings Plan, you can save for qualified disability expenses without losing your eligibility for certain assistance programs, like SSI and Medicaid. Signing up for ABLE is quick and easy at savewithable. com/ks/home.

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Kansas State Treasurer Steven Johnson talks with the first Kansas ABLE Account owner, Rachel Mast, and her mother, Jawanda, about their experience with her ABLE account since she opened it in Benefits of an ABLE account In general, individuals with disabilities can only have $2,000 in countable assets at any given time in order to remain eligible for many federal means-tested benefits programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Under ABLE, eligible individuals or their caregivers may establish an ABLE savings account that is not a countable asset, so it will not affect their eligibility for SSI (up to $100,000), Medicaid and other public benefits. ABLE accounts provide individuals with disabilities and their families the ability to save money for their future and to improve their quality of life. An ABLE account also has tax advantages.

Contributions to ABLE accounts are made on an after-tax basis. Earnings from ABLE funds grow tax-deferred and are tax-free if used for qualified disability expenses. Contributions to the account may be made by any person.

Funds in the account may be used for “Qualified Disability Expenses” which include: Education, Housing, Transportation, Employment training and support, Assistive technology and related services, Health, Prevention and wellness, Financial management and administrative services, Legal fees, Expenses for ABLE account oversight and monitoring, Funeral and burial, and Basic living expenses.

There are two requirements to be eligible for an ABLE account: an age requirement and a severity of disability determination. The person’s disability must have occurred before age 46. Additionally, the disabled individual must have “marked and severe functional limitations” (Social Security definition of disability).

An individual whose disability occurred prior to age 46 and is already receiving SSI and/or SSDI is automatically eligible to establish an ABLE account. Those who are not recipients of SSI and/or SSDI but still meet the age of onset disability requirement will be eligible to open an ABLE account upon obtaining a disability certification from their physician.

Note that the age-of-onset requirement will be changing, expanding eligibility for an ABLE account. Under federal law effective January 1, 2026, to be eligible for an ABLE account, the person’s disability must have occurred before the age of 46. Pursuant to federal law, the basic annual contribution limit for an ABLE account is $20,000 (for 2026).

This basic annual limit is the sum of any contributions by beneficiary, family and/or friends. However, if the account owner is working but not participating in an employer-sponsored retirement plan, the account owner can contribute an additional amount each year. The basic annual contribution limit is subject to change from year to year.

See the Plan Disclosure Booklet for more information on contribution limits. The aggregate contribution limit for each account (for all years) is currently $501,000. If an account balance reaches $501,000 new contributions into the ABLE account will not be accepted until the balance is reduced through one or more withdrawals.

Signing up for an ABLE account is quick and easy! Signing up for an ABLE account is quick and easy! Our goal is to provide programs to Kansas families to help them plan and prepare for the future.

Contact us to find out $100 Kansas ABLE Empowerment Grant In 2025, staff from the Office of the Kansas State Treasurer will offer both in-person seminars and small-group webinars aimed at helping individuals living with a disability to save, invest and grow personal wealth by utilizing the benefits of a Kansas ABLE Savings Account.

We are proud to be partnering with the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD), the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), Kansas Community Developmental Disability Organizations (CDDOs), and other disability support organizations to make this statewide tour Notice: As of August 14, 2024, the eligibility for the $100 ABLE has been expanded from individuals on the IDD waitlist to all ABLE eligible Kansans.

For ABLE account eligible individuals residing in Kansas, we are offering an empowerment grant of $100 for those who establish a new ABLE account in 2026 To qualify for this incentive, the individual and/or their caregiver(s) must: Submit the name of the Kansas ABLE eligible individual funding. Please note: grant funding is prioritized based on the date name is submitted. Click here or visit treasurer.

ks. gov/grant Attend one in-person or virtual ABLE educational event. List of virtual classes can be found in the drop box below.

Establish a new Kansas ABLE savings account before December 31, 2026. Please note that opening an ABLE account is subject to certain restrictions. In general, an individual is eligible for an ABLE account she has been diagnosed with a qualifying disability, and the disability before the age of 46.

For more details on qualifying disabilities and eligibility requirements, please see treasurer. ks. gov/able and the Plan Upon completion and verification that a qualified individual has completed the above three steps, grant dollars will be funded into the newly established Kansas ABLE savings account.

Empowerment grant funds will be disbursed from the Kansas Financial Empowerment Foundation. Email ABLEgrant@treasurer. ks.

gov or call 785. 296. 3342 for additional questions.

Thanks to our partnerships, no taxpayer funds from the Office of the State Treasurer are used to fund the $100 ABLE empowerment grant. kansascash. ks.

gov/able --> Join a Virtual ABLE Educational Event Can’t join us in person? You can take advantage of one of our small-group virtual Kansas ABLE presentations.

Virtual ABLE Presentations IDD – intellectual or developmental disability ABLE – Achieving a Better Life Experience KCDD – Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities STO - State Treasurer’s Office KDADS – Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services CDDO – Community Developmental Disability Organization 2025 Kansas ABLE Empowerment Grant