The New American Movement for People with Disabilities posted a position statement earlier this year on the importance of SSI in the lives of people with disabilities. For many living with a disability, SSI is their only source of income. Any cuts made to the SSI program have the potential to drastically affect how individuals with disabilities live across the nation.
The monthly SSI checks – as bare as they currently are – are a life line for thousands. Reduction in payments or recipients is simply not viable for people with disabilities. The New American Movement for People with Disabilities stands by the 6.7 million recipients of SSI and urges our supporters to encourage their state of residence to opt IN to provide State Supplement to the federal SSI grant.
As of today, only 1.6 million people of the 6.7 million people receiving SSI receive an additional state supplement. This reveals to The New American Movement team that there are millions of people with disabilities who could benefit from a state supplement. For the most part, the recipients of the state supplements are individuals who living in personal care homes, institutions, Medicaid facilities or other community services and drastically neglect people with disabilities who live independently (i.e., do not receive any kind of third party service).
What does this mean for people with disabilities who live independently as citizens in their community? It means that not only will these individuals continue to receive the bare minimum in terms of support services, but they are also receiving the minimum financial support as well, despite being some of the citizens who need them the most.
Living solely on SSI is a condemnation to live below the federal poverty level ($10,890 annually for a single person and $14,710 for couples) whereas SSI annual sums are equivalent to $8,376 and $13,032 respectively.
Not only is SSI essential to the lives of people with disabilities, but its recipients are in dire need of additional funds from their State Supplement. The New American Movement for People with Disabilities would like all people to live with dignity – living below the federal poverty level is not conducive to that.
We encourage you to contact your state and federal executive branch and urge them to raise SSI or the State Supplement to minimally meet the federal poverty level.