Office of the Kansas State Treasurer
The Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities (KCDD), in partnership with the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), the Office of State Treasurer Steven Johnson, and Kansas Council on Economic Education proudly announces the launch of a new statewide educational campaign designed to increase awareness and enrollment in the Kansas ABLE savings program for youth with disabilities in the foster care system.
This innovative initiative is made possible through a new grant awarded by KCDD to the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office and the Kansas ABLE Savings Program. The campaign will specifically focus on foster youth with disabilities, their caregivers and support networks, with the goal of equipping them with tools to build financial independence and plan for their future.
In the first year, it is estimated that this initiative will impact the lives of at least 700 Kansans in our foster care system.
“Far too many youth with disabilities in foster care age out of the system without access to the financial education or tools they need to thrive independently,” said Sara Hart Weir, Executive Director of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities. “Through this new partnership with the Kansas State Treasurer’s Office and the Kansas Department for Children and Families, we are taking a major step forward in closing that gap and ensuring that these young people know about and can access the benefits of an ABLE account.”
The Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act allows individuals with disabilities to save money in a tax-advantaged account without jeopardizing their eligibility for public benefits like Medicaid or Supplemental Security Income. The Kansas ABLE program enables Kansans with disabilities to save for future expenses such as education, housing, and health care — now with a special focus on those transitioning out of foster care.
In January 2025, Governor Laura Kelly signed Executive Order 25-01, a first of its kind executive order to reform the allocation of federal benefits to children in foster care.
Under this executive order, DCF has stopped using foster youths’ benefits to reimburse itself for the cost of providing their basic needs. Instead, the agency is preserving federal benefits on behalf of the youth in care and providing youth access to financial literacy education.
Youth who meet the eligibility requirements have their benefits placed in an ABLE account. For youth who do not qualify for an ABLE account, their federal benefits are preserved in a personal needs account. While in foster care, a young person may access their funds for expenses such as extracurricular activities, school trips or to make purchases like a laptop or vehicle. The young person may also save their funds for future expenditures when they’re no longer in foster care.
“Having the education and tools needed to save and invest starting at an early age will be life changing for these young people and put them on a path for success when they leave foster care,” said DCF Secretary Laura Howard.
The grant funding will be used to develop specialized outreach materials, host educational workshops and create partnerships with foster care agencies, case managers and advocates across the state to ensure ABLE account resources reach those who need them most.
“The ABLE account can be an empowering tool for an individual living with a disability,” said Treasurer Johnson. “Thanks to the hard work of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities and Kansas Council on Economic Education, our foster youth will have access to resources designed to help them step into a more financially secure future.”
The Kansas ABLE Foster Youth campaign will begin rolling out this fall, with resources becoming available statewide through schools, child welfare agencies, and community partners.
For more information about Kansas ABLE accounts, visit https://savewithable.com/ks/home.html.