News

Article by Amy Dolan Strano, Esq., President, Achieva Family Trust

On January 1, 2026 there will be many more people with disabilities eligible to open ABLE Accounts. This is because the ABLE Age Adjustment Act, passed in 2023, expands eligibility requirements. Importantly, the age for the onset of the disability increases from the current age of 26 to 46.  

The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act, signed into law in 2014, has provided an important mechanism for people with disabilities to save for their future without jeopardizing essential government benefits like Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. However, a limitation of the original ABLE Act was the requirement that the onset of disability occur before the age of 26. This provision excluded many people who became disabled later in life, such as veterans and those with conditions like multiple sclerosis or spinal cord injuries.
 

The change in the law will now allow anyone whose disability began before age 46 to:

• Save in a tax-advantaged account: Earnings are tax-free, and withdrawals for qualified disability expenses (QDE) do not count as income for means-tested benefit programs.

• Maintain eligibility for government benefits: ABLE accounts allow funds to grow without impacting SSI and Medicaid eligibility.

• Increase financial independence: Funds can cover various qualified disability expenses (QDEs), including technology, education, and housing.

The most recent information about the aggregate number of ABLE accounts in the US provides that there are more than 187,000 ABLE accounts, with over $2 billion of assets. That translates to an average account size of $10,695.

Achieva Family Trust is hosting a webinar on these upcoming changes to ABLE accounts on October 30, 2025.  Pennsylvania’s ABLE Savings Program, administered by the Treasury Department’s Bureau of Consumer Programs will lead the presentation (www.paable.gov).

For more information and to register for this webinar, please click here.

Meet Achieva Family Trust Staff: Amy Conroy, Trust Attorney

Amy Conroy joined Achieva Family Trust as the Trust Attorney in June 2025. Before working for Achieva Family Trust, Amy was a Senior Associate in the tax consulting practice at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, a multi-national professional services firm. Amy also has experience working with non-profits as a Volunteer Coordinator and Employment Case Manager in refugee resettlement services, as well as assisting with various other refugee resettlement services such as assistance accessing public benefits.

She is a member of the Bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the Allegheny County Bar Probate and Trust Section.

Amy graduated magna cum laude with a Juris Doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was on the Executive Board of the Pittsburgh Tax Review.   She graduated with School and University Honors with a Bachelor’s of Fine Art from Carnegie Mellon University. Amy’s interests include arts and crafts, reading, gardening, and hiking with her dog.

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