We believe that no senior should have to choose between food and medicine, become homeless, or lack heat in the winter. We’ve been working with members of Congress to garner support for the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019. Justice in Aging is the leading advocacy organization focused on updating the cornerstone poverty program for low-income seniors and people with disabilities.
When SSI was signed into law in 1972, it promised to serve as a safety net for those who (through disability or age) were unable to work and had little to no pension, savings, or Social Security benefits. But, because important aspects of the program have not been updated in more than 40 years, some of our country’s most vulnerable citizens are deeper in poverty today than they were then. With over 7 million seniors living in poverty today and income inequality on the rise, senior poverty is a huge and growing problem. The Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2019 would update the income and asset limits to better reflect reasonable assistance in today’s dollars. Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) introduced the bill in September along with House co-sponsors. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) introduced the bill in the Senate in October 2019, with co-sponsors Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Robert Casey (D-PA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)