Thread by @bethanylilly

So big news out of Congress!
bowman.house.gov/_cache/files/b…

Led by @RepBowman @SenSherrodBrown @SenWarren @SenSanders @RonWyden, members of Congress wrote to @JoeBiden, asking for SSI provisions of the Biden Disability plan be included in upcoming legislation! #DemolishDisabledPoverty

For people new to disability policy, SSI is how we support the lowest income people with disabilities and older adults. It's an incredibly important program, but one that hasn't been updated in decades.

It's very, very limited income support of less than $800 a month, but people on SSI get Medicaid and with that the necessary home and community based services that many people with disabilities and older adults need.

Biden proposed a couple things to fix SSI in his disability plan: 1) make sure people get benefits that are at least the federal poverty level, 2) raise the resource rules that haven't changed since 1984, 3) eliminate rules about how families can help out, and...

4) eliminate the penalties for people on SSI who get married. thearc.org/when-people-wi…

The letter also adds something that was implicit in the Biden plan, 5) fixing the income exclusions that haven't been updated _ever_ to reflect today's money.

These changes would mean so much to the 8 million people with disabilities and older adults living on SSI right now, who are majority minority and who have been so hard hit by the pandemic.

I am so, so grateful to the Reps and Senators for asking the White House to prioritize SSI--but if your rep or senator isn't on the signatory list? Give them a call. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

The amazing @mattbc made it nice and easy! Click this link to send a letter to your member of Congress: resist.bot/petitions/PXEX… #DemolishDisabledPoverty