Action Alert: Let People with Disabilities on SSI Have $10,000 in Assets
Note: Below is an action alert from the ARC, and it's super important for those of us whose children are adults on SSI - Supplemental Security Income. Since 1989, the asset limit has been $2000. There's a bill to increase that to $10,000 so that individuals like my own daughters can have some money set aside for emergencies. No one can live on SSI - certainly not in 2022. And everyone needs an emergency fund. Parents have been supplementing SSI forever. My daughters couldn't live here in Connecticut and pay rent, utilities, food, clothing, etc. even with their COMBINED SSI. They live with me, their unpaid Group Home Manager and 3 shift support staff. Uncle Sam is USING parents to foot the bill. And telling them they CAN NOT save a dime over $2000 for their future needs.
CLICK HERE TO SEND THE ALERT
###
Tell Congress: Support the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act NOW!
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides critical support for millions of people with disabilities to be able to afford necessities like food and rent. But it has many rules that make it hard for people to save money and get out of poverty. SSI has an asset limit that has not been updated since 1989. Assets include money in bank accounts, retirement accounts, and savings. Right now, people who get SSI can only have $2,000 in assets. Married couples can only have $3,000.
These asset limits mean that people cannot save money and force people with disabilities into poverty.
TAKE ACTION: Urge your U.S Senators to support people with disabilities and their families by cosponsoring the bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S.4102) which would raise these asset limits.
It is true,
The SSDI does have a much higher asset limit and exemptions than the SSI system but buyer beware.
If you want to pass a one or two hundred thousand dollar house to your children fine, but any more than that asset limits may apply whether your programs is SSI or SSDI. I payed into the SSDI system and so did my father and he died before retirement which is why I am eligible for SSDI and most with "autism" are not eligible for SSDI.
Posted by: Bill | June 30, 2022 at 08:01 PM
@Still with Trump
Thank you for the clarification. All these years I had thought she only received the $1.5 million from the vaccine court. This according to Sharyl Attkisson at the time:
"The first court award in a vaccine-autism claim is a big one. CBS News has learned the family of Hannah Poling will receive more than $1.5 million dollars for her life care; lost earnings; and pain and suffering for the first year alone.
In addition to the first year, the family will receive more than $500,000 per year to pay for Hannah's care. Those familiar with the case believe the compensation could easily amount to $20 million over the child's lifetime."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/family-to-receive-15m-plus-in-first-ever-vaccine-autism-court-award/
Geeze, all that time and effort I spent on recovering my child who had similar injuries as Hannah after his 15/18 months shots (exact same vaccine schedule as she had) the government thinks is worth $20 million! Too bad my SS check won't reflect all that work. In their eyes, I'm just a stay at home mom who didn't work.
Posted by: Emmaphiladelphia | June 26, 2022 at 03:30 PM
Emmaphiladelphia, I believe the Hannah Poling case was far beyond a million dollars and all the records for the case were sealed forever, because the CDC loves children and the truth.
The Poling father was a neurologist, and the mother a RN with also a law degree which helps. I would guess they are paid to be quiet which is very, very, sad for a few million other children.
Posted by: Still with Trump | June 26, 2022 at 08:21 AM
I am just curious.
Did Hannah Polling's Vaccine Court damages payout ($1 million+) have any strings attached?
If the government does not recognize that your child was vaccine injured, by what law/principal are your children getting government money? For some of you with older adult children, if you added up all the money received from the government for your child (including special ed costs), how much is it?
Would it be cheaper for the government to just give out a flat fee for all children with handicap status?
That way caretakers could budget in their child's best interest. The unpopular truth is that our government is currently bankrupt. Any money you get is just created digitally out of thin air by the Federal Reserve and LOANED to the government WITH INTEREST. Biden just spent TRILLIONS of $'s borrowed from the FED in the name of COVID pandemic. Taxpayers don't have enough to pay the interest on this. We have bankrupted our children already- healthy and disabled. The FED/Globalists solution to this is digital currency and slavery for the masses that survive the clot shots. We currently have no expectations for prosperity for anyone. Pray that God will show mercy on us.
Posted by: Emmaphiladelphia | June 25, 2022 at 07:04 PM
I have just started looking in to SSI . The payments are ridiculously low. The maximum monthly payment is $841 for an individual, but that individual has to be paying their own rent , electricity, food etc. If anyone else helps them with that; say pays 200 towards rent or buys food for them, then that amount is deducted from their SSI.
Round here, you would be pushing it to find a studio to rent in a dodgy area for that amount., and you would still have to pay first months rent, deposit etc. Never buy clothes, go to the foodbank for your food, and then you would still be evicted anyway when you could not pay the electricity. About the only way you might be able to do it is if someone bought you a house, (which is an allowed exemption.), and then you ate at the foodbank. But how would you save to pay the rates? You would loose the house then anyway. No point in buying a car, since you would never be able to afford gas .
Limiting assets to 2000 is extra ridiculous, so you can't even save for basic payments.
The ABLE savings exists, but has limits and many rules.
https://www.ablenow.com/learn/qualified-expenses/
Has anyone looked into SSDI? It seems like their is no means cap, the payments can be larger, and the adult children can get half of one of their parents SSDI?
https://www.disability-benefits-help.org/blog/dependent-benefits
This needs to be changed. Increasing the assets is a good first step. Thank you for working to make it happen.
Posted by: Hera | June 25, 2022 at 12:17 PM
My response to my 2 (useless) senators:
I am the parent to two autistic children, both of whom receive SSI. I also work full time as a RN as the sole provider of our household so that my wife can provide the necessary supports at home that our children require. Not being able to have higher asset limits prevents us from setting aside monies for emergencies (and they do happen with increased frequency in developmentally delayed settings, unfortunately) without penalties, or with caps which restrict monies gifted, donated, or fundraised, is a hardship families such as ours should not have to bear.
Furthermore, restricting the amount of money someone can save simply because they are on government assistance comes across as discriminatory, regardless of the good intent. Please support the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S.4102) and restore dignity to this severely underserved population of people.
Posted by: Tom | June 25, 2022 at 07:40 AM
Autism Mom:
Probably take the home when an almost dependent adult does not, can not pay property taxes.
Posted by: Benedetta | June 24, 2022 at 06:31 PM
ABLE ACCOUNT can help disabled families and their children as they are exempted from up to $100,000 from counting against a disabled person when figuring in Medicaid,Medicare,Food stamps SSI, and SSDI assets limits. Most states have these ABLE ACCOUNTS so look into these accounts. Your child must have been disabled before age 21. Most special need trust are also exmpt for a similar amounts and the value of a home below 200,000 does not count in most states. I do not know all the asset rules bit this is the jest of it.
Posted by: Bill | June 24, 2022 at 05:28 PM
Autism Mom, the state can take assets from the deceased person's estate to cover THEIR Medicaid. So if you are on Medicaid and own a home, and pass, the state can prevent you from passing the home onto your children. I can not see where the state could take a parent's home to cover the adult child's Medicaid.
Posted by: Kim Rossi | June 24, 2022 at 05:03 PM
Autism Mom-WHAT? What state do you live in? I have never heard of this. I would suggest that you make sure your Will and your son's special needs trust is iron clad. In your case is there money designated in the Will to pay off the house so your son can continue to live in it with siblings or paid caregivers? The Wills and special needs trusts are very complex and many attorneys (even many run of the mill estate planning attorneys) do not do a good job in writing them up. It is a lot of money to have a comprehensive Will and special needs trust drawn up by a very experienced estate planning attorney who is very schooled in these trusts but it is essential there is one in place.
Posted by: LL | June 24, 2022 at 03:30 PM
My understanding is when we die and our children inherit the home they live in, the government forces the sale of the house to "recover Medicaid dollars" and the disabled adult children are moved to a "less expensive neighborhood" group home. In my county the "walkability score" in "affordable neighborhoods is very low. So there is little hope of independence - like walking to get groceries. I used to hope my son's siblings would take over where my husband and I leave off, but I am beginning to see that may not be a better fate - they don't necessarily choose kind significant others. Would my son or daughter choose to stick by their disabled brother if their spouse became sick and tired of their brother's misbehavior? So now I think I must find a property where all the other group homes are located and pray the management team is kind and capable of caring. It pisses my off my son can't live next door to a vaccine profiteer. They should have to see and hear him every day!
Posted by: Autism Mom | June 24, 2022 at 02:23 PM
called both senators. thanks for posting this alert.
Posted by: greyone | June 24, 2022 at 01:55 PM
Marianna, yes. But that requires parents who have thousands to spend with an attorney. The assumption that parents can AFFORD to create trusts and other legal documents is an example of how FAMILIES have been thrown to the wolves and expected to create a life for their adult children AND fund it. Kim
Posted by: Kim Rossi | June 24, 2022 at 10:12 AM
FYI - meanwhile, one can also reach out to a local estate planning, elder care or special needs attorney to ask about creating a Supplemental Needs Trust to hold, use and protect the extra funds. Although it never should’ve been necessary to do so in the first place …
Posted by: Marianna | June 24, 2022 at 09:15 AM