Webinar: What Every Lawyer Should Know About ABLE Accounts: Supporting People with Disabilities, Families, and Caregivers

**Program hosted in (ET) Time Zone**

This CLE will provide an overview on how ABLE accounts can positively impact people with disabilities, their families, and their caregivers. It will also provide statutory background on ABLE accounts and will explain eligibility requirements, account management, contribution limits, qualified expenses, tax rules, and interactions with benefits programs (such as SSI and Medicaid). Finally, the CLE will provide practice pointers for the usage of ABLE accounts, including working in conjunction with special needs trusts.

Register Here!

Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Federal Career Service Division. Co-sponsored by the FBA Civil Rights Law Section, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and District of Columbia Chapter.

About the Presenters

G. Alisa Ferguson, Esq.
Virginia’s ABLEnow Director, Commonwealth Savers Plan formerly Virginia529

Alisa Ferguson serves as the Director for Virginia’s Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) program, ABLEnow, administered by Commonwealth Savers.  In that role, she manages all aspects of the ABLEnow program, giving individuals with disabilities the opportunity to save without impacting necessary benefits. She previously served as Associate General Counsel providing legal support to Commonwealth Savers’ Board of Directors, CEO, General Counsel and the staff for all Commonwealth Savers education and ABLE savings programs.  She joined Commonwealth Savers in 2011.

Prior to joining Commonwealth Savers, Alisa worked in private practice for 3 years as a trusts and estate attorney.  She focused her practice in the areas of estate planning, special needs planning, and estate and trust administration.

Alisa graduated with honors from the University of Richmond School of Law.  Alisa received her B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from James Madison University.  She is a member of the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Bar Association, the Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Virginia Mountain Valley Lawyer’s Alliance.  She serves as an Executive Board member of the ABLE Savings Plans Network (ASPN), Co-chair of the ASPN Strategic Planning Committee, and Co-chair of the ASPN Program Committee. Alisa is a member of the Women for Madison Executive Advisory Council for James Madison University and a past president of the Board of Directors for Medical Home Plus.

Alisa lives in Lexington, Virginia with her husband and four children.

Eric Ochmanek
Program Director, National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE today

Eric Ochmanek leads ABLE today at the National Association of State Treasurers (NAST) which advances financial empowerment for people with disabilities by increasing the awareness of ABLE accounts. ABLE today directly engages the disability community through national outreach, developing resources, and fostering partnerships for all ABLE programs.

Before joining NAST, Eric was a member of the Senior Staff in the Ohio Treasurer’s office, serving as Deputy Chief of Staff. In 2016, Eric worked to launch one of the first ABLE programs. He developed the in-state and national outreach for what would become one of the most utilized ABLE programs. He has traveled throughout the country to connect people with disabilities with ABLE accounts and built partnerships within the disability, financial, legal, and support service communities.

Previously, Eric worked for British Petroleum in the North America Gas division, the White House Office of Presidential Advance, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Office of the Secretary.

Eric is a graduate of Adrian College (Adrian, MI). He and his wife enjoy volunteering at their sons’ school and for their sports teams.

Charles J. “Chuck” Saia, Esq.

Co-Administrator, New Hampshire’s NH ABLE Plan; and the Executive Director, NH Governor’s Commission on Disability

Charles J. “Chuck” Saia is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Governor’s Commission on Disability (GCD), a cross-disability Executive Branch agency within the Governor’s Office. He also serves as the appointed co-administrator of New Hampshire’s ABLE plan, along with the State of New Hampshire’s State Treasurer, a role held since the launch of New Hampshire’s ABLE plan in 2017.  Chuck works closely with the Governor’s Office, State agencies, the public and other stakeholders to improve accessibility for individuals with a disability in all facets throughout the State.

Chuck is licensed to practice law in NH and in years’ past, he has represented clients in various segments of the judicial process.

Chuck received his B.A. from Boston College and J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.

Registration

Register Here!

• Live Broadcast | FBA Member: $0
• Live Broadcast | Nonmember: $95
• On-Demand Broadcast | FBA Member: $50
• On-Demand Broadcast | Nonmember: $95

CLE

Please note: CLE for this webinar has not been pre-approved.

MyLaw and the FBA will seek 1.0 General CLE credit hours in 60-minute states, and 1.2 General CLE credit hours in 50-minute states.

Posted credit hours are estimated and subject to respective state approval and rounding rules. CLE qualifications vary by state/jurisdiction.

For questions regarding this program, please contact MyLaw CLE by email: registration@mylawcle.com or phone: 877-406-8636.