In addition to the fact that SSI policy currently discourages recipients from actively seeking work, it also sets an unrealistically low personal savings limit of only $2,000 per recipient. This limit has not been adjusted since 1989, and even that early adjustment only partially compensated for the effects of inflation over the program's first decade and a half. This problem is not unrecognized, even by the Federal Government; in 2003, the Senate Finance Committee noted that raising the SSI asset limit to make up for some of this lost ground, and indexing the limit in the future, would "allow SSI beneficiaries to save more of their resources to cover costs of an urgent nature or of a significant size- such as health emergencies, storm damages, home repairs, or winter utility bills- that because of their size or immediacy could not be covered by the monthly benefit payment that the recipient uses to pay for ongoing basic needs such as food, clothing, and shelter." It is now widely recognized among policymakers and analysts that savings and assets play an important role in economic security; it is time for this critically important program to reflect that fact. Thank you for your time and consideration.

My brother has cerebal palsy and has been discrimainated against, on top of being Hispanic. Very sad.

Social Security is dying away anyway, so to view it as anything other than supplimentary is potentially detrimental to the disabled community, especially considering the fact that the disabled community is marginalized and not likely to have proportional income to their expenses even if gainfully employed.

My Mother is on SS and can not make it on $700 a month in California. This would allow her to do something that she can do, just a little part-time something to suppliment her income without losing her benefits.

Helping those who want to help themselves. Wishing you the best Joe!

This is an outrage! Here is an individual that should remain a burden to society for life because of physical disabilities and yet is actively seeking to be productive, contribute to society, and lessen the burden on others. And for this he gets penalized. The SSA administrators need to walk a mile in your shoes before they deny your benefits. Give them hell Bro! Love you, Sal

The Social Security Administration should be encouraging individuals with disabilities to obtain gainful employment and removing the barriers that prevent us from pushing that goal.

My mother has been struggling with this issue for several years. SHe lost her benefits because she was told in order to get full benefits she would still need to complete 1 quarter. She went back to work and got hurt again, now she has been fighting to get her benefits back and still hasn't won.