The SSI Resource Limit is More Than $100,000 With ABLE Accounts – 2026 Spring National Conference – Track I (Presented by National Organization of Social Security Claimants’ Representatives)

Debora Wagner, Work Incentives Training & Technical Assistance Specialist | Cornell University Yang-Tan Institute

Debora Wagner is a nationally recognized specialist in Social Security work incentives, benefits planning, and return-to-work issues, with a career spanning 25 years in legal services and law school clinical programs. Throughout her career, she has presented on benefits issues — including post-entitlement and return-to-work matters — for attorneys, vocational rehabilitation professionals, agency staff, individuals with disabilities, and their families. From 2016 to 2022, she led the statewide network of work incentives training and technical assistance for benefits planners in Ohio. Since joining Cornell University’s Yang-Tan Institute in December 2021, she has continued that work at a national level while also designing and teaching credential courses on Work Incentive Planning for Veterans and on Leadership of Work Incentives Planning Projects. She serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Benefits and Work Incentives Specialists, on the SSA’s Standing Committee of Medical and Vocational Experts for Disability Programs, and is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance.

• Education & Credentials

Debora’s credentials are grounded in 25 years of practice at the intersection of legal services, clinical legal education, and disability benefits advocacy, with deep specialization in Social Security work incentives and post-entitlement issues. She has designed and teaches two credential courses at Cornell University’s Yang-Tan Institute: one on Work Incentive Planning for Veterans and one — co-taught with Aleyda Toruno — for Leaders of Work Incentives Planning Projects. Her membership on the SSA’s Standing Committee of Medical and Vocational Experts for Disability Programs and her election to the National Academy of Social Insurance further reflect the professional recognition she has earned in this specialized field. (Specific academic credentials are not included in the provided biography.)

• Recognition & Leadership

Debora serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Benefits and Work Incentives Specialists (NABWIS) and on the Social Security Administration’s Standing Committee of Medical and Vocational Experts for Disability Programs — two positions that place her among the leading voices shaping work incentives policy and practice at the national level. She is also a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance. Her design and instruction of credential-level courses at Cornell’s Yang-Tan Institute reflects recognition of her expertise as a curriculum developer and educator, and her six-year leadership of Ohio’s statewide work incentives planning network demonstrates the institutional trust she has earned throughout her career.

• Professional Involvement

Debora’s professional engagement spans training, technical assistance, curriculum development, board leadership, and federal advisory work. At Cornell’s Yang-Tan Institute, she provides work incentives training and technical assistance through the Work Incentive Support Center while also teaching two credential-level courses. Her board service at NABWIS and her committee role at SSA reflect sustained involvement at the national policy level, and her presentations to attorneys, vocational rehabilitation professionals, agency staff, and individuals with disabilities demonstrate an ability to communicate complex benefits law to diverse audiences across professional and community settings.

• Experience

Debora’s 25-year career in legal services and law school clinical programs has been defined by a consistent focus on Social Security benefits, work incentives, and the post-entitlement issues that affect individuals with disabilities who are navigating the intersection of benefits and employment. From 2016 to 2022, she led Ohio’s statewide work incentives training and technical assistance network for benefits planners. Since joining Cornell’s Yang-Tan Institute in December 2021, she has expanded that work to a national platform, providing training and technical assistance through the Work Incentive Support Center and designing credential courses that build capacity among benefits planners and program leaders. Her combined experience as a practitioner, trainer, educator, board member, and federal committee participant makes her one of the most comprehensively engaged professionals in the work incentives and disability benefits field.

Bette Ann Mobley, Director | Maryland ABLE Program

Bette Ann Mobley is the Director of the Maryland ABLE Program, a position she has held since launching the program seven years ago. Under her leadership, Maryland ABLE has grown to serve more than 7,300 account holders with over $108.6 million saved and invested — a testament to her vision, outreach, and commitment to financial empowerment for people with disabilities. With more than 45 years of experience in the disability field, Bette Ann brings an unmatched depth of perspective to her work, having moved from direct support of individuals with disabilities and their families to statewide and national program leadership. She currently serves as Chair of the National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE Savings Plan Network.

• Education & Credentials

Bette Ann attended the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio, where she earned both a bachelor’s degree in music therapy and a master’s degree in education and counseling. Her interdisciplinary academic background — spanning therapeutic practice, education, and counseling — laid the foundation for a career dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities across direct service, training, quality systems development, and organizational consultation. She is also Chair of the National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE Savings Plan Network, reflecting her recognized leadership at the national level.

• Recognition & Leadership

Bette Ann’s leadership accomplishments are among the most tangible in the disability financial empowerment space. She launched the Maryland ABLE Program seven years ago and has grown it to more than 7,300 account holders with over $108.6 million in savings and investments — concrete outcomes that reflect her effectiveness as a program builder and community outreach leader. She serves as Chair of the National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE Savings Plan Network, a national leadership role that amplifies Maryland’s model and her expertise across the country. Her more than 45 years in the disability field have established her as a trusted authority on the financial and systemic challenges facing people with disabilities and their families.

• Professional Involvement

Bette Ann is actively engaged with state and national organizations focused on disability policy and financial empowerment. As Chair of the National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE Savings Plan Network, she partners with organizations across the country to expand awareness and access to ABLE accounts. Her outreach work is driven by firsthand knowledge of the financial barriers facing people with disabilities — particularly the growing population of aging parents with adult children with disabilities living at home — and by a conviction that ABLE accounts represent a critical tool for independence and long-term security. She continues to present widely on the program and its benefits for individuals, families, and caregivers.

• Experience

Bette Ann’s more than 45 years in the disability field encompass direct support services, family advocacy, training and mentorship, quality systems development, and organizational consultation. She has served in numerous leadership roles with state and national disability organizations, building a career defined by both hands-on service and systemic impact. Seven years ago, she launched the Maryland ABLE Program — a tax-advantaged savings and investment program for individuals with disabilities — and has grown it into one of the country’s notable state ABLE programs, with more than $108.6 million saved by over 7,300 account holders. As Director of Maryland ABLE and Chair of the National Association of State Treasurers’ ABLE Savings Plan Network, she continues to champion financial empowerment and independence for people with disabilities, their families, and caregivers.

I. The SSI Resource Limit is More Than $100,000 With ABLE Accounts | 9:45am – 11:00am

Discover the power of ABLE accounts! Not sure who qualifies or how to open one? Curious how they can protect resources and help navigate some of SSI’s toughest rules? Join us to learn how ABLE accounts work, who can benefit, and how they can make a real difference for individuals applying for or already receiving SSI.