The following quote is from congress in 1972 upon the creation of social security income (SSI): “Building on the present social security program, [the Social Security Amendments of 1972] would create a new Federal program administered by the Social Security Administration, designed to provide a positive assurance that the Nation’s aged, blind, and disabled people would no longer have to subsist on below-poverty-level incomes.” Through SSI older adults and people with disabilities are provided a basic income for living expenses. It has been a necessary program for Americans of which millions have benefitted from.
Prior to SSI, there was a loose patchwork of state grants and resources for people who did not have incomes due to advanced age or disability. Because the grants were state administered there was great variation between resource amounts and who was eligible for assistance. The creation of SSI was born from advocacy going all the way back to the civil war and caring for aging veterans with disabilities. In 1972 SSI became law and in 1974 the first benefit checks were made available to those who qualified. Over fifty years have passed since the inception of SSI. In 2024, does SSI keep older adults and people with disabilities out of poverty as it was intended? Some advocates are saying it doesn’t and some legislators are listening.
The problem with the current rules that govern SSI are largely about the capped asset limits being outdated and some rules being too restrictive. The current asset limits are $2,000 for single people and $3,000 for couples. Exceeding these limits even by a dollar could mean termination or at least suspension of benefits. It is also very difficult to get SSI back once this happens. These limits were set in 1989 and did not include future adjustments for inflation. In 1989 these limits were modest, but each year since, the value of the dollar has deteriorated and doesn’t go as far to pay bills.
Under the current cap people cannot save for emergency home and vehicle repairs, are hesitant to find employment and even get married for fear of losing SSI among other benefits. Speaking of marriage, the cap is $3,000 for couples. It is often referred to as the “marriage penalty” because the cap in assets is ¾ the benefit between two married people vs if the couple remained single. Some people with disabilities forgo, or even hide their marriage because of this rule. To know more about this, the link provided below tells an interesting real-life story about the marriage penalty and the asset caps.
The House of Representatives have submitted HR 5408. It intends to increase the asset limits to reasonable levels as does its identical companion bill S. 2767 in the senate. These bills increase limits to $10,000 for single people and $20,000 for married couples. The bills also include yearly inflation adjustments.
What does this mean to advocacy? Rules, policies, and laws that are in place to protect people stay the same. The world around us changes in rapid fashion. What works in 1972 may not work as intended decades later. Advocates must be diligent in protecting gains made and go back to active advocacy for needed changes.
For further reading please use this link: Couples say they can’t get married because of the outdated rules of Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income program. : NPR
Scott Bartlett
Advocacy Specialist