A key congressional committee this week examined a Cure SMA-supported proposal to modernize the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program to promote work, economic independence, and the ability for individuals with SMA and other disabilities to marry without financial penalty. 

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on June 18 to discuss challenges and opportunities related to work and Social Security disability benefits such as SSI. In advance of the hearing, Cure SMA urged Committee Members to consider and advance the bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act (S. 2767), a top SMA community priority that would increase the asset limits and end the marriage penalty within SSI. “Imagine having to keep your savings at $2,000 or be at risk of being cut off from essential needs,” said an adult with SMA quoted in Cure SMA’s letter to the committee. The SMA community and its supporters recently sent more than 600,000 messages to Congress in support of this bipartisan legislation.

Several Finance Committee Members, including the Chairman, pointed to the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act as a commonsense solution for breaking down the work barriers in current policy. 

• “I am proud to join Senators Brown, Cassidy, Lankford and Casey and several of our other colleagues in taking the first step to bring SSI into the 21st century with the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act.” Chairman Ron Wyden of Oregon (00:28:24 mark)
• “Individuals who receive Social Security disability benefits and want to work should be afforded that opportunity. Unfortunately, that is not always the case, and these individuals face multiple challenges when attempting to rejoin the workforce … Proposals to modify disability program rules to reduce barriers to work also merit serious review.”  Ranking Member Mike Crapo of Idaho (00:31:32 mark)
• “One of the disincentives for recipients of SSI to work is the asset limits. The $2,000 asset limit today has a purchasing power of only $630 and it is a barrier that keeps people who want to work and save out of the labor market.” Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania (01:19:30 mark)
• “Outdated eligibility rules punish Americans for working, saving, and even getting married. We have developed a broad bipartisan coalition to change that. There is now a bipartisan agreement that we should remove these barriers and update the rules. The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act increases the asset limit for the first time in 40 years.”  Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio (01:26:48 mark)

Cure SMA will continue to work in Congress to help grow support for the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act and to urge its passage in 2024.