“You Can’t Build a Future With $2,000”: Lived Experiences from People Navigating SSI and SSDI in Pennsylvania
By Christina Hasaan
For decades, the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program has enforced a monthly asset limitof $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for married couples. These outdated limits, which have not changed since 1989, may have initially been intended to ensure strict eligibility. But now they act as a savings penalty, trapping individuals living with disabilities into cycles of poverty, instability, and financial fear.
SSI is a needs-based program for individuals with disabilities who have limited income and assets, and should not be confused with Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which provides benefits to individuals with disabilities who have worked and paid into the Social Security system. Although SSDI does not include the same asset limits as SSI, recipients face income and work restrictions that can similarly limit financial security.
Two companion bills introduced in the 119th Congress—H.R. 25403 and S. 1234,the SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act—would raise these asset limits to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples. If passed, these bills would finally modernize a policy that shapes the lives of more than 7 million recipients nationwide and over 300,000 residents in my home state, Pennsylvania.
This report centers the lived experiences of people whose stories illustrate the system’s failures and the urgent need for reform. Their perspectives provide insight into the unique challenges with navigating disability, stigma, financial insecurity, and restrictive policy requirements.