SSI Restoration act of 2021

[Cthulhu 2020]

A new bill has bee introduced to the House and Senate that will be life-changing for many. The SSI Restoration act of 2021.

Among other things, the SSI Restoration Act of 2021 will:
-Raise the monthly disability income to the poverty level, a 30% increase.
-Change the amount recipients can have saved from $2,000 to $10,000.
-Update outside income restriction to $399/month from work without benefit reductions.
-REMOVE THE MARRIAGE BAN and promote marriage equality.
-Remove penalties and reduction for receive help from friends and family.

So for one, just call your rep and ask them to support it.

Two, I can already foresee all of the conservatives claiming that people will abuse welfare if it doesn't have super tight restrictions on it. Which we know is demonstrably false from basically every other country with loose welfare restrictions. But you know, they'll keep trying.

[Santti]

REMOVE THE MARRIAGE BAN and promote marriage equality.

What's a marriage ban?

[Elegiac]

What's a marriage ban?

It's not a ban, per se - it refers to the fact that disabled people can lose some or all benefits if they marry an able-bodied person. Because as we all know this is still 1950 and single income households are totally the default.

But yeah, this legislative package addresses a lot of the flaws and loopholes in the current federal disability scheme.

[Santti]

It's not a ban, per se - it refers to the fact that disabled people can lose some or all benefits if they marry an able-bodied person. Because as we all know this is still 1950 and single income households are totally the default.

But yeah, this legislative package addresses a lot of the flaws and loopholes in the current federal disability scheme.

Huh. That's kinda fucked up.

[Fuiking]

Huh. That's kinda fucked up.

Something like that law is still in the Netherlands :x

[Hellobolis]

Huh. That's kinda fucked up.

not really. able bodied married people (And often simply if more than 1 adult lives at an address) also routinely lose a lot of benefits.

your rent doesn't double if you are married, so pretty much across the board you get less if you live together regardless of your health/other circumstances.

the real fucked up situation is when it's financially worth it to get married, but not to live together. no clue how a bureaucracy manages to pull that off but it's been in the news a few times here.

[Elegiac]

not really. able bodied married people (And often simply if more than 1 adult lives at an address) also routinely lose a lot of benefits.

The welfare cliff is also a bad thing.

your rent doesn't double if you are married

Cool, you don't magically become un-disabled when you marry either. This is a bad comparison.

[Hellobolis]

Cool, you don't magically become un-disabled when you marry either. This is a bad comparison.

if shared living expenses aren't the reason for this type of law to exist in many places, what is?

i'm going to go on limb here and say if someone on food stamps marries or lives with someone making $60k a year, they lose the foodstamps too.

[Elegiac]

if shared living expenses aren't the reason for this type of law to exist, what is?

The fact society is incredibly discriminatory towards people with disabilities and makes a lot of untrue assumptions? Lol.

i'm going to go on limb here and say if someone on food stamps marries or lives with someone making $60k a year, they lose the foodstamps too.

Such as the assumption that 60k isn't already being eaten up by other expenses meaning the assistance is still actually necessary but absent.

Once again, the only purpose means testing serves is making sure conservatives don't get their fee fees hurt by the idea a poor person might benefit from public money.

[Hellobolis]

The fact society is incredibly discriminatory towards people with disabilities and makes a lot of untrue assumptions? Lol.

i don't see the discrimination in this case. sure i do think disabled people should get assistance regardless of their circumstances, but in this case it really doesn't matter if you are disabled or a housewife: both will lose assistance once they get married.

Such as the assumption that 60k isn't already being eaten up by other expenses meaning the assistance is still actually necessary but absent.

no different from any other medical cost you have to pay out of pocket/that isn't covered by insurance, which sucks big time in general in the US.


honestly this bill doesn't look that much worse than the one where i live. both more or less get you to poverty level. both don't allow for significant savings. different flavor of extra income but both in the "any work you can do improves your life" style.

the big difference is that over here insurance will cover adjustments needed to your house, your medical bills, and your local town can provide some minor benefits to friends/family assisting you.

yeah the US one is slightly worse in every way than ours, but not in any lifechanging way.

[Elegiac]

i don't see the discrimination in this case. sure i do think disabled people should get assistance regardless of their circumstances, but in this case it really doesn't matter if you are disabled or a housewife: both will lose assistance once they get married.

And once again; that is a bad thing because it's contingent on a whole lot of assumptions. Namely that single income households are still viable, which they mostly are not these days.

no different from any other medical cost you have to pay out of pocket/that isn't covered by insurance, which sucks big time in general in the US.

Yes, and again - this is a bad thing and should be changed.

honestly this bill doesn't look that much worse than the one where i live. both more or less get you to poverty level.

The fact you don't see an issue in public assistance getting people to poverty level and no further is pretty telling. Lol.

[Beefhammer]

A new bill has bee introduced to the House and Senate that will be life-changing for many. The SSI Restoration act of 2021.

Among other things, the SSI Restoration Act of 2021 will:
-Raise the monthly disability income to the poverty level, a 30% increase.
-Change the amount recipients can have saved from $2,000 to $10,000.
-Update outside income restriction to $399/month from work without benefit reductions.
-REMOVE THE MARRIAGE BAN and promote marriage equality.
-Remove penalties and reduction for receive help from friends and family.

So for one, just call your rep and ask them to support it.

Two, I can already foresee all of the conservatives claiming that people will abuse welfare if it doesn't have super tight restrictions on it. Which we know is demonstrably false from basically every other country with loose welfare restrictions. But you know, they'll keep trying.

Honestly it's worthless unless they remove the income cap for contributions and make capital gains earners pay in as well.

Well that's a bit harsh. It's a good step, but unless funding is secured there's no point.

[Blur4stuff]

Disabled people are in a rather shitty situation. They aren't given enough support to live anywhere but rural areas unless they already have financial support some other way. Those areas don't usually have good job opportunities that they might be capable of doing to some degree. And even if they do get some kind of job, most won't be capable of doing it full time and it's likely to not pay a lot or give good benefits, if any. But, since they would be earning something, they'll get reduced government benefits or lose benefits altogether. On top of potentially losing their health insurance if they get medicaid.

[beanman12345]

Honestly it's worthless unless they remove the income cap for contributions and make capital gains earners pay in as well.

Well that's a bit harsh. It's a good step, but unless funding is secured there's no point.

SSI isn't funded the same way as SSDI or SSA is.

[Bakis]

Raise the monthly disability income to the poverty level

Explain this part please, to an outsider like me. You are fucked up as poor and disability was even more fucked up?

[Cthulhu 2020]

Explain this part please, to an outsider like me. You are fucked up as poor and disability was even more fucked up?

The monthly income given to disabled people who can't physically work is 30% below the poverty line. This bill will bring that pay up to the poverty line.

A lot of systems in the US were made decades ago and have not been updated for a long time. Disability, the minimum wage, etc. And for nearly a hundred years, the government was pretty good about keeping things "updated", but with the modern conservative party, things like minimum wage and disability have stagnated due to their hatred of poor people, disabled people, and minorities.

[Bakis]

The monthly income given to disabled people who can't physically work is 30% below the poverty line. This bill will bring that pay up to the poverty line.

A lot of systems in the US were made decades ago and have not been updated for a long time. Disability, the minimum wage, etc. And for nearly a hundred years, the government was pretty good about keeping things "updated", but with the modern conservative party, things like minimum wage and disability have stagnated due to their hatred of poor people, disabled people, and minorities.

Which kinda fuck up vets having a disability? Or am I wrong.
They go under another table being military vets?

I need to add, I dont care about vets per se. I just zoomed in towards the depreciation of being a disabled person meant that one was worth shit.

[Masark]

They go under another table being military vets?

Yes. Disabled veterans (if the disability is service related) would receive their compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (specifically, the Veterans Benefits Administration) rather than the Social Security Administration.

Though that department has it's own problems, which Fugus could tell you all about.

[Glorious Leader]

The fact society is incredibly discriminatory towards people with disabilities and makes a lot of untrue assumptions? Lol.



Such as the assumption that 60k isn't already being eaten up by other expenses meaning the assistance is still actually necessary but absent.

Once again, the only purpose means testing serves is making sure conservatives don't get their fee fees hurt by the idea a poor person might benefit from public money.

Thats not the only purpose means testing serves. It leaves a built in vulnerability so those social programs can be attacked. Universality is much harder to get rid of.