THREAD: As news rolls out about the next round of economic recovery measures—here’s a plea for the Biden team not to forget a critical program for low-income seniors & disabled people that’s been left to wither on the vine for decades:
Supplemental Security Income, aka SSI.
Supplemental Security Income, aka SSI.
Nearly 8 million low-income seniors and people with disabilities rely on SSI for subsistence income.
The income support SSI provides is critical—but benefits are so meager, they consign people to abject poverty.
The max SSI benefit for 2021 is $794/mo, about $26 a day.
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The income support SSI provides is critical—but benefits are so meager, they consign people to abject poverty.
The max SSI benefit for 2021 is $794/mo, about $26 a day.
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Putting SSI's sub-poverty benefit levels in context:
They’re not enough to afford rent in any state in the U.S.—even spending 100% of your monthly benefit on rent.
Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,063/mo—128% of an SSI recipient’s monthly income.
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They’re not enough to afford rent in any state in the U.S.—even spending 100% of your monthly benefit on rent.
Average rent for a 1-bedroom apartment: $1,063/mo—128% of an SSI recipient’s monthly income.
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Meanwhile, under current law, SSI beneficiaries are legally prohibited from having even modest emergency savings.
The program’s outdated and absurdly low asset limits have been stuck at $2,000 for an individual/$3,000 for a couple for more than THREE DECADES—since 1989.
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The program’s outdated and absurdly low asset limits have been stuck at $2,000 for an individual/$3,000 for a couple for more than THREE DECADES—since 1989.
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Setting aside how counterproductive asset limits are to economic security… if SSI's asset limits had at least been updated for inflation over the years, they’d be $9,500 for an individual and $12,675 for a couple today.
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Here are the (long-overdue) SSI improvements President Biden promised to make—at least some, if not all of which, need to be in the mix for the next round of economic recovery:
1: Increase the sub-poverty level SSI federal benefit rate to 100% FPL and index it to inflation
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1: Increase the sub-poverty level SSI federal benefit rate to 100% FPL and index it to inflation
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2: Raise SSI’s absurdly low asset limits (at least to update them for inflation)
3: Eliminate SSI’s marriage penalty—so marriage equality finally extends to disabled people
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3: Eliminate SSI’s marriage penalty—so marriage equality finally extends to disabled people
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4: Eliminate SSI’s archaic and mean-spirited “in-kind support and maintenance” rule—which slashes already-inadequate benefits by *one-third* for folks who get even a little help (even a bag of food!) from friends or family so they can make it through the month.
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BONUS: All of this can be done through reconciliation—i.e. without any Republican votes.
(While Title II of the Social Security Act can’t be changed in reconciliation under the Byrd Rule, Title XVI, which authorizes SSI, can.)
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(While Title II of the Social Security Act can’t be changed in reconciliation under the Byrd Rule, Title XVI, which authorizes SSI, can.)
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SSI beneficiaries are by definition some of the lowest-income, most economically vulnerable seniors and disabled people in the U.S.
It’s downright shameful how long they’ve been deprioritized and forgotten by federal policymakers.
Let's not leave them behind again.
/fin
It’s downright shameful how long they’ve been deprioritized and forgotten by federal policymakers.
Let's not leave them behind again.
/fin
cc: #CripTheVote
This thread wasn’t meant to be exhaustive, but 💯 another urgently needed reform that warrants lifting up is updating SSI’s archaic earned/unearned income disregards which have hugely lost value, frozen at $65 & $20/mo respectively *since the ‘70s*
https://twitter.com/renejoywrites/status/1377366653013352449?s=20
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