Financial Assistance and Support Services for People with Disabilities
Explore a wide range of programs and tools to help with housing, taxes, medical bills, service and emotional support animals, and more.
How Do I Get Help With My Medical Bills?
Learn how to find help from the government with medical bills and insurance options.
Medicaid and CHIP (Health Care for Children)
What help is available?
Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides help with paying medical costs for children of families who cannot afford health insurance or don't get it through their work. Learn more about eligibility and how to sign up for Medicaid and CHIP.
Social Security and Medicare
What help is available?
Local Social Security Administration (SSA) offices help those on Social Security and Medicare find help. People over 65, people with disabilities under 65, and people with end-stage kidney disease are eligible for Medicare. Learn more about how to apply for Medicare.
Medicaid for Adults
What help is available?
You may qualify for Medicaid, a joint federal and state program that helps with medical costs for some people with limited income from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).
Am I eligible?
Each state has different rules about eligibility and applying for Medicaid for adults. Learn more about eligibility.
How do I apply?
Each state has different application requirements for Medicaid for adults. Call your state Medicaid program to see if you qualify and to learn how to apply.
Health Insurance Through the Health Insurance Marketplace
What help is available?
HealthCare.gov helps you find insurance options, compare care, learn about preventive services, and more. If your employer does not offer insurance, you are self-employed, or you prefer to purchase your own insurance, you and your family can get health, dental, and vision insurance through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
Am I eligible?
Everyone is eligible for health insurance through the Marketplace. You may also qualify for subsidies to help pay your premiums. 2019 Open Enrollment runs from November 1, 2018, to December 15, 2018. If you’ve experienced certain life changes, like loss of a job or childbirth, you may be eligible to make changes to your health insurance in a Special Enrollment Period.
How do I apply?
How you apply for a plan in the Health Insurance Marketplace depends on what plan you choose. Learn more about applying.
How do I complain or where do I call for extra help?
Visit the Health Insurance Marketplace's top questions section for additional help with finding or applying for health care. To file a complaint, call 1-800-318-2596 (TTY: 1-855-889-4325).
Is there anything else I need to know?
If you need more help getting or paying for medical care, try these resources:
If you are uninsured or underinsured and must seek emergency medical treatment:
Under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), you're guaranteed access to an emergency medical evaluation, even if you can't pay. The act requires hospitals that receive Medicare funding and that provide emergency services to evaluate anyone who comes to their emergency room and requests treatment. If the evaluation confirms that you have an emergency medical condition, including active labor, they are then required to provide stabilizing treatment for you regardless of your ability to pay.
Housing Resources for People with Disabilities
A variety of federal, state, and local housing programs can help you:
Find and afford a place to live
Modify an existing home for disabilities, or
Help you develop skills to live independently
Each program has its own eligibility rules and application process.
Rental Housing
People with disabilities are eligible for all:
Learn about eligibility, how to apply, and more for each of these programs.
Homeownership
Independent Living Skills
Contact your state to find out how its department of human services or disability office may be able to assist with:
How do I complain?
You may need things like ramps, grab bars, or service animals. Housing providers cannot deny someone housing because of a disability. And they cannot refuse to make reasonable accommodations for a tenant with a disability. Learn more about disability rights in housing and how to file a complaint if you feel that you’ve been a victim of housing discrimination.
Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
Service animals are trained to complete work and tasks for the specific, individual needs of people with disabilities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), dogs may qualify as service animals. In some cases, the ADA also recognizes miniature horses as service animals.
Unlike service animals, emotional support animals do not typically perform specific tasks. Instead, they serve as companions to people with disabilities. They are not considered service animals under the ADA, but some state and local governments permit people to take them into public places.
Apply for a Service Animal
If you are thinking about getting a service animal, first contact your medical provider. Find out if your disability is covered under the ADA and whether you need a service animal. Your doctor can help provide medical documentation and find a training program. You can also explore a list of service animal programs online. Before deciding on a program, make sure you research each organization carefully.
Learn What Service Animals Do
Common tasks include:
Guiding a person who is blind
Alerting someone who is deaf
Aiding and protecting a person who is having a seizure
Alerting a person with diabetes of high or low blood sugar
Assisting someone in a wheelchair
Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack
Learn Your Rights with Service and Emotional Support Animals
Housing - By law, housing providers must allow the use of service or emotional support animals by people with disabilities. This ruling was enacted as part of the Fair Housing Act. Find out the housing requirements related to service and emotional support animals.
Public Spaces and Businesses - According to the ADA, service animals may go with people with disabilities in places where the public can go. This law applies to state and local governments, businesses, and nonprofits that serve the public. Under certain state and local government laws, you may bring emotional support animals into public places. Learn what questions about your service animal a business is legally allowed to ask. These questions involve rules about dealing with service animals, their handlers, and more.
Travel - The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) allows people with disabilities to travel with a service animal or emotional support animal. You may need documentation to travel with an emotional support animal or service animal for a mental disability.
Learn About Service and Emotional Support Animals for Veterans
The VA provides guide dogs for blind or visually impaired veterans. It also offers service dogs for veterans with other disabilities. Benefits include veterinary care and equipment through VA Prosthetics and Sensory Aids. Learn more about guide and service dogs for veterans.
Currently, the VA does not provide service dogs for veterans with mental disorders, such as PTSD. However, research is underway to see if dogs can help treat PTSD and its symptoms. Get information on service dogs, emotional support dogs, and issues related to PTSD.
ABLE Savings Accounts for People with Disabilities
If you have a significant disability, you may be eligible to open a tax-free Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) savings account. It can help you pay for education, housing, health, and other qualified disability expenses.
Who Is Eligible for an ABLE Account?
To be the designated beneficiary (owner) of the account, you must be blind or have a medical disability which occurred before the age of 26.
You may open only one ABLE account.
You don’t have to open an account in the state where you live. ABLE accounts are not currently available in every state. However, you can open one in any state with an active ABLE program. Find out which state has the best program for you.
Contributing Funds Toward an ABLE Account
Find out who can contribute to or benefit from an ABLE account. Or, learn about how recently enacted tax laws and regulations apply to ABLE Savings accounts.
The maximum annual contribution limit for your account is $15,000.
You can exclude taxes on earnings and distributions (withdrawals) from the account. These deductions can help you pay for qualified disability expenses.
Keep in mind, the new tax law has made several changes to ABLE accounts:
If you work, you can contribute your compensation toward your account along with the $15,000 limit. But, this additional contribution cannot be above the income poverty line for a one-person household.
You may claim the Saver’s Credit for your contributions to your ABLE account.
Families can transfer or rollover funds from a 529 plan to an ABLE account. The account can benefit the account holder or another family member. This counts toward the $15,000 annual contribution limit.
More Important ABLE Account Information
Find out more important things to know about ABLE accounts, including:
Where you can open an ABLE account
Who can contribute to your account
Examples of qualified disability expenses
How other federal programs, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid, can affect your account.
Do you have a question?
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Last Updated:
November 30, 2020
