Thread by @rebeccavallas

Welp, the @SenateFinance Committee is about to hold the first Senate hearing on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in nearly a quarter-century.

The subtext: SSI’s been forgotten for so long, even the Senate holding a damn hearing on it is historic.

*settles in to live-tweet*

A little more on the history while we’re waiting for the hearing to start:

—The last Senate hearing on SSI was in 1998.

—And the last Senate hearing on the need to update SSI’s eligibility criteria was in 1987—in a hearing that even then was titled “The Forgotten Safety Net.”

.@SenSherrodBrown opening the hearing by making exactly that point: “‘The Forgotten Safety Net’ was a fitting title then, and even a more fitting title now given the decades of neglect.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “When the SSI program was created by Congress in 1972, its purpose was clear: to ensure ‘the Nation's aged, blind, and disabled people would no longer have to subsist on below-poverty-level incomes.’ But now the opposite is true.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “Make no mistake: poverty in America is a policy choice. And it’s up to this Committee and this Congress to finally make a different choice. There are millions of people with disabilities and seniors relying on us to act.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “That’s why I introduced the SSI Restoration Act with over 20 cosponsors in the Senate. The reforms in the bill would bring 3.3 million people out of poverty and cut poverty among SSI beneficiaries in half.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “The bill is supported by more than 100 national organizations including AARP and the disability community… when you even get JP Morgan Chase in agreement with the AFL-CIO, you know you’re onto something.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “Now is the time for Congress to finally do right by the 8 million SSI beneficiaries we’ve forgotten for far too long. Now is the time to finally restore this critical part of our Social Security system to its original intent.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “I am working with @RonWyden and @SenSchumer to ensure that long-overdue updates to SSI are included in the #BuildBackBetter reconciliation package we’re putting together, and I thank them for their support on that.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown: “I want to thank the hundreds of SSI beneficiaries that are following this hearing. You’ve shared your stories on Twitter with #DemolishDisabledPoverty, and you’ve written to this subcommittee about what improving SSI would mean to you and your families…

.@SenSherrodBrown: “… I thank you for sharing your stories with us, and I want you to know -- I’m listening. I’m only sorry it’s taken this long for your voices to be heard here in Washington. That will change.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

< Sen. Young (R-Indiana) predictably spoke about concerns re: taxpayer dollars and improper payments, but at least acknowledged how important SSI is for seniors and people with disabilities…>

(More on why updating SSI’s outdated rules will reduce improper payments shortly…)

Next, Senate Finance Chair @RonWyden jumps in with his opening remarks, noting how egregious it is how long SSI has been forgotten and that no Senate committee has held a hearing on SSI in nearly a quarter-century… #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@RonWyden: “I agree that the #BuildBackBetter package is a very opportune moment… I hope we’ll be able to enact some of the SSI improvements in @SenSherrodBrown’s bill in the reconciliation bill. It’s not a close call—it’s time to update SSI.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next up is @USGAO’s Elizabeth Curda, the first Republican witness. Naturally, committee Rs asked her to speak about overpayments.

(IMHO they really should have allowed the one witness who‘s actually got lived experience receiving SSI to testify first…) #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Ms. Curda says “SSA faces longstanding challenges in administering SSI.” Yup! That’s the other side of the coin here — SSI’s outdated & complex program rules aren’t just confusing for beneficiaries… they’re also a huge burden on SSA to administer. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Fun fact: SSI’s rules are so needlessly complex, a whopping *35%* of @SocialSecurity’s administrative budget is spent running SSI — despite the fact that it’s a tin program compared with the other programs the agency runs (e.g. Social Security). #DemolishDisabledPoverty

But here’s the thing: Nearly every provision in the SSI Restoration Act would simplify the program and/or make it easier for SSA to administer. So if restoring SSI for the sake of beneficiaries’ dignity isn’t reason enough for everyone on this Committee…#DemolishDisabledPoverty

… updating SSI’s outdated program rules is also the single best way to streamline the program’s administration for SSA (which will free up agency resources for more valuable purposes than, say, chasing every SSI beneficiary with $2,001 in savings). #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next up: Stephen Evangelista of @SocialSecurity (the 2nd GOP witness)—who oversees disability and retirement policy at SSA—walks through SSI’s morass of complex and outdated eligibility rules and highlights how hard it is for SSA to run SSI as a result. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

At the end of his testimony, Mr. Evangelista mentions new SSI applications & awards have been at historic lows during the pandemic—and @SenSherrodBrown jumps in to say how concerning that should be to his colleagues, at a time when there are far more, not fewer, people in need.

Next up (finally!) is @SeeMiaRoll: “I am here to speak on behalf of the almost 7.8 million disabled and older recipients of SSI, who rely on the program to help keep a roof over their heads.… This discussion is very personal to me.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@seemiaroll: “Many SSI beneficiaries continue to struggle with daily living expenses and arduous outdated rules due to the fact that the program has had few updates since its creation in 1972.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Threading got off — continues here:

https://twitter.com/rebeccavallas/status/1440389719787900930?s=20

.@seemiaroll: “Although I am now working at a major nonpartisan policy institute, I used to rely on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to pay for rent, utilities, gas, and food.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@seemiaroll: “SSI benefits were so low, I had to max out credit cards and take out significant loans to cover my expenses (bills that I am still paying off today).” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@seemiaroll: “My time as a rehab counselor showed that I was not alone in my struggles with SSI… the first hurdle is applying. Thousands of people die every year waiting for disability benefits… it’s often said you need a law degree to access disability benefits.”

.@seemiaroll: “For individuals lucky enough to navigate the SSI application process, most find they are unable to afford daily living expenses. The max benefit of $794 per month is just three-quarters of the federal poverty line for an individual...” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SeeMiaRoll: “Current SSI policies are archaic, benefits are too low, which causes real harm. While the program used to be the most successful anti-poverty program for disabled people, it now traps them in poverty.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SeeMiaRoll: “The Biden Admin committed to 5 main changes to the SSI program, including:
-increasing the federal benefit rate
-raising the asset limits
-updating income disregards
-eliminating in-kind assistance penalties
-removing marriage penalties”
#DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@seemiaroll: “Through the leadership of @SenSherrodBrown, the SSI Restoration Act provides guidance to revitalize the program. @amprog supports the bill and has pushed to ensure SSI is not left behind in the #BuildBackBetter reconciliation bill.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SeeMiaRoll: “Long-overdue updates to the SSI program could raise 3.3 million Americans out of poverty. Congress has a monumental opportunity right now to help a community that has seen significantly high death, unemployment, and poverty rates…” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@seemiaroll: “SSI was originally created with the goal of ensuring ‘that the nation’s aged, blind, and disabled people would no longer have to live on below-poverty incomes.’ You have a chance to help millions by revitalizing such a critical program.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next up, @kathleenromig of @CenterOnBudget: “As Congress considers #BuildBackBetter legislation, it should seize the opportunity to update and simplify Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is woefully out of date. Key features of the program haven’t been updated in decades...”

.@kathleenromig: “While the emerging House #BuildBackBetter bill includes important provisions to support the health of seniors & people with disabilities, it does not include any provisions to fill in the income gap left by inadequate SSI benefits...” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig: “There is still time for Congress to update SSI — a critical program for seniors and people with disabilities — in #BuildBackBetter as the package comes together.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig: “SSI’s rules are outdated and overly complicated. Its income disregards have been frozen for nearly 50 years—since the program was established in 1972. So today, beneficiaries can only keep $65 of their earnings from work each month.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig “And the SSI program’s asset limits have been frozen since 1989, allowing beneficiaries to keep just $2000 in savings—far less than people need to weather an emergency, let alone provide stability or invest in their futures.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig: “SSI’s intrusive in-kind support rules also require beneficiaries to report all kinds of assistance they receive—whether food to eat, or a place to sleep. No other federal program counts in-kind support when determining benefit levels.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig: “The SSI Restoration Act would cut poverty among SSI beneficiaries in half, allowing them to work, marry, save, and accept help from loved ones without harsh penalties—and reduce errors caused by overly complex and outdated rules.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig closes by reiterating: “Congress should include long-overdue SSI improvements in the #BuildBackBetter package—even if it cannot accommodate the full SSI Restoration Act.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Now onto questions.…

@SenSherrodBrown asks @kathleenromig to talk about what rigid asset limits like SSI’s mean for economic security.

She answers: “requiring people to remain below a certain level of savings literally traps them in poverty.”

#DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@SenSherrodBrown asks if we should be excluding retirement accounts from SSI’s asset limits (answer: YES!) — and @kathleenromig says absolutely yes we should, to enable people w/disabilities & seniors to save for the future & plan for their retirement. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next @SenSherrodBrown asks @SeeMiaRoll about the consequences of keeping SSI’s benefits well below the poverty level.

@SeeMiaRoll reiterates that no one can live on $794—“the max SSI benefit won’t even cover average rent in any state in the U.S.”

#DemolishDisabledPoverty

< I’m skipping Sen. Young (the GOP ranking member on the subcommittee) putting himself through verbal gymnastics to try to make it sound like SSI provides plenty for beneficiaries to live on…🤦‍♀️>

*Fixing threading:

https://twitter.com/rebeccavallas/status/1440404157194592257?s=20

Next up, @SenBobCasey brings up ABLE Accounts, asks @SeeMiaRoll how to remove barriers to work and saving for disabled people.

@SeeMiaRoll: ABLE Accounts are beneficial but not enough, and not available to lots of PWD. Must raise SSI’s asset limits too. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next up: @SenatorLankford (R-OK) who jumps in with some bipartisan love for at least parts of the SSI Restoration Act (!)—noting he doesn’t think the federal government should be in the business of penalizing work, savings, or marriage (amen to that!) #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig jumps in to agree, noting “it’s important to think about goals. Do we want to encourage work? Then we shouldn’t have SSI rules that penalize work. Do we want to encourage savings? We shouldn’t have rules that penalize savings.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Side note: It would be great to see actual bipartisan support for updating SSI (and as Sen. Lankford notes, there’s a lot for Rs to like about it!) — but so far no Rs in the House or Senate have joined @SenSherrodBrown & his Dem colleagues on the bill… #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Next, @SenSherrodBrown lifts up a critical part of @kathleenromig’s testimony—noting how concerned he is that SSI applications & awards have hit historic lows during the pandemic, and even pre-COVID, nearly half of eligible folks aren’t receiving SSI. #DemolishDisabledPoverty

.@kathleenromig hits the nail on the head, noting SSI “underpayments are just as much of a problem—if not more of a problem—than overpayments.”

Fun fact: GAO routinely looks at SSI overpayments but has never looked at underpayments!

#DemolishDisabledPoverty

Side note: An idea that would be really valuable to improve access to SSI—and which @SenSherrodBrown & other Dem Senators have floated—is the idea of a navigators program to help people make it through the labyrinthine application process… #DemolishDisabledPoverty

Finally, @SenSherrodBrown closes the hearing w/key takeaways he thinks “everyone is in agreement on”:

—He cites @SeeMiaRoll who said “SSI beneficiaries are living on the cusp of homelessness or institutionalization.” “This is shameful, underscores Congress’s urgency to act.”

—Next, @sensherrodbrown continues: “Because SSI’s rules haven’t been updated in 30 to 50 years, they now discourage work, savings, and even marriage… and SSA even has difficulty administering the program.” #DemolishDisabledPoverty

—And lastly, @SenSherrodBrown closes by declaring: “It’s long past time we restored the SSI program to its original intent, and dignity to the lives of the beneficiaries who rely on it.”

<Hearing adjourns>

#DemolishDisabledPoverty