Act Now to Break the Cycle of Poverty for SSI Recipients and End the Marriage Penalty!
Millions of low-income people with disabilities and older adults receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) each month. For these recipients, SSI is a vital source of income that pays for rent, food, transportation, and other living expenses. However, people who receive SSI are trapped in a cycle of enforced poverty. To receive SSI, an individual may have no more than $2,000 in savings at any given time. If a person works part-time or sporadically, their income plus SSI benefits may easily put them over the $2,000 asset limit. This disincentivizes working and saving money. If two people who both receive SSI get married, they are not each allowed to have $2,000 in assets; they are only allowed to have $3,000 between them. This is known as the “marriage penalty,” because it prevents many couples who receive SSI from getting married. The extremely low asset limits prevent low-income people with disabilities and older adults from working, saving, and getting married.
The bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act would increase the SSI asset limits from $2,000 to $10,000 for unmarried individuals and eliminates the marriage penalty by allowing two SSI recipients to get married and have up to $20,000 in assets as a couple. The bill also requires asset limits to be adjusted yearly to keep up with the cost of living.
How can you help?
In our efforts to ensure that this bill passes through Congress, please contact your Senators and your Member of the House of Representatives to encourage them to sponsor the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Every call and every voice make a difference!
You can call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 to be connected to your two Senators or Member of the House of Representatives, or you can use the links below to find their contact information.
- Find the name and contact information for your Member of Congress
- Find the name and contact information for your two U.S. Senators
House of Representatives Scripts
Here is a sample script you can use during your call to your Member of the House of Representatives:
“Hi, my name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m calling from CITY, STATE. I’m calling to urge Congressman/Congresswoman LAST NAME OF REPRESNETATIVE to co-sponsor H.R. 5408, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Currently, low-income people with disabilities are not allowed to have more than $2,000 in savings and still receive Supplemental Security Income. This bill would allow them to save up to $10,000, which might help them save enough money for a safety deposit on an apartment or to pay for college classes or to purchase medical equipment. The asset limit discourages low-income people with disabilities from working and saving money. Also, when two people who receive Supplemental Security Income get married, they are only allowed to have $3,000 in savings between them. This bill would allow them to save up to $20,000, which they could use for a down payment on a house or other large expenses that require savings.”
If you want to email your representative, you can use this script:
Dear Rep. LAST NAME OF REPRESENTATIVE,
My name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m writing from CITY, STATE. The reason I’m writing is to urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 5408, the the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Currently, low-income people with disabilities are not allowed to have more than $2,000 in savings and still receive Supplemental Security Income. This bill would allow them to save up to $10,000, which might help them save enough money for a safety deposit on an apartment or to pay for college classes or to purchase medical equipment. The asset limit discourages low-income people with disabilities from working and saving money. Also, when two people who receive Supplemental Security Income get married, they are only allowed to have $3,000 in savings between them. This bill would allow them to save up to $20,000, which they could use for a down payment on a house or other large expenses that require savings.
Sincerely,
FIRST AND LAST NAME
Senate Scripts
Here is a sample script you can use during your call to your Senator:
“Hi, my name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m calling from CITY, STATE. I’m calling to urge Senator LAST NAME OF SENATOR to co-sponsor S. 2767, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Currently, low-income people with disabilities are not allowed to have more than $2,000 in savings and still receive Supplemental Security Income. This bill would allow them to save up to $10,000, which might help them save enough money for a safety deposit on an apartment or to pay for college classes or to purchase medical equipment. The asset limit discourages low-income people with disabilities from working and saving money. Also, when two people who receive Supplemental Security Income get married, they are only allowed to have $3,000 in savings between them. This bill would allow them to save up to $20,000, which they could use for a down payment on a house or other large expenses that require savings.”
Or, if you want to email your Senator, you can use this script:
Dear Senator LAST NAME,
My name is FIRST AND LAST NAME. I’m writing from CITY, STATE. The reason I’m writing is to urge you to co-sponsor S. 2767, the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Currently, low-income people with disabilities are not allowed to have more than $2,000 in savings and still receive Supplemental Security Income. This bill would allow them to save up to $10,000, which might help them save enough money for a safety deposit on an apartment or to pay for college classes or to purchase medical equipment. The asset limit discourages low-income people with disabilities from working and saving money. Also, when two people who receive Supplemental Security Income get married, they are only allowed to have $3,000 in savings between them. This bill would allow them to save up to $20,000, which they could use for a down payment on a house or other large expenses that require savings.
Sincerely,
FIRST AND LAST NAME
