’2 brothers, 2 different sets of rights’

From the Reno [NV] Gazette-Journal:

Six-year-old Alexander Grant has a tax-free bank account that lets his parents save for his college education. Nothing comparable is available for his 11-year-old brother, Elliott, who has Down syndrome.

“Elliott doesn’t have the same account because the government seemingly thinks disabled people should live in poverty.”

Adults with disabilities can’t earn more than $750 a month or they lose their federally guaranteed Medicaid health coverage; nor can they have more than $2,000 in a savings account.

The boys’ mom, Theresa Grant, is among advocates who are pushing for changes. The Achieving Better Life Experience Act (ABLE) of 2009 would allow parents of kids with disabilities to open tax-deferred savings plans similar to tuition plans. Grant says she’s baffled by government policies that treat her sons differently.

“I don’t understand it because the more we can help Elliott, the more he will be self-sufficient from government help,” she said.

See also video of Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) explaining the ABLE bill on theHill.com‘s Congress blog.

Earlier story here.

(Detail from Gazette-Journal photo)

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 at 12:25 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, Medicaid/Medicare, advocacy, families, law, parents, personal finances. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.