Harrisburg, PA - Pennsylvania Treasurer Stacy Garrity today recognized National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) by announcing upcoming webinars to help Pennsylvanians with disabilities navigate personal finances, employment and disability benefits including information about the PA ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) Savings Program.

"Every year Treasury works with our partners to bring these valuable presentations to life, empowering Pennsylvanians with disabilities to save for a more financially secure future. We're proud to offer this year's presentations in support of working Pennsylvanians with disabilities and to celebrate the many contributions they make to our great state."

This year's NDEAM webinars include:

Friday, October 2, noon to 1:15 p.m.
Build a System of Financial Self Care: Will Hall, Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation joins Diana Fishlock, PA ABLE Outreach Specialist, to discuss ways to improve financial wellbeing, increase savings, lower anxiety about finances and create a system of financial self-care, health and wellness, including different types of savings and debt and the benefits of PA ABLE accounts and resources from local banks and credit unions.

Tuesday, October 27, noon to 1:00 p.m.
The Neurodiversity Employment Landscape: Laura McAnulty, Executive Director of the Neurodiversity Employment Network of Philadelphia, and Abby Jayroe, Senior Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Operations at NEXT for AUTISM, will discuss the latest information on opportunities and employment resources for neurodivergent individuals. Participants will learn how workplace practices can create more opportunities for neurodivergent people to succeed and thrive at work.

Thursday, October 29, 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Changes Coming to Medicaid: Carl Feldman, Director of the Bureau of Policy for the Office of Income Maintenance at the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services will discuss upcoming changes to Medicaid benefits.

You can register for these webinars and check back for updated programing by visiting paable.gov/webinars. Recorded sessions will also be available following the presentations.

Webinars will have ASL interpreters. If you require other accommodations to participate in a webinar, please email [email protected].

PA ABLE accounts provide a tax-free way to save for disability related expenses without impacting eligibility for important benefits. Pennsylvanians with disabilities that onset prior to their 46th birthday can save with PA ABLE, selecting from a variety of investment options. Account owners can contribute up to $20,000 annually. Employed PA ABLE account owners may be able to save even more through ABLE to Work. Up to $19,000 in contributions is deductible on PA state income taxes.

Savings can be used for a wide variety of disability-related expenses, such as groceries, rent, transportation, healthcare, education, vehicle modifications, assistive technology and more.

PA ABLE recently completed a conversion to a new program manager, Vestwell, providing enhanced features for PA ABLE account owners, including an improved account portal, a mobile app, a customizable prepaid card and more.

Since taking office in 2021, Treasurer Garrity has reduced fees for PA ABLE accounts multiple times. The program has quadrupled in size during her time in office, becoming the fifth largest ABLE program in the country with more than 14,000 accounts, with over $226 million in assets.

Employers who make matching contributions to a person's PA ABLE account are eligible for a 25 percent tax credit on up to $500. Employers can also help employees save with PA ABLE by offering automatic payroll deductions.

To learn more about saving with PA ABLE, visit paable.gov.

To learn more about Pennsylvania Treasury, visit patreasury.gov and be sure to stay up to date with all Pennsylvania Treasury news on Facebook (PA Treasurer Stacy Garrity) and Instagram (@PATreasury).