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Disability, Employment, and SSI

Everyone needs money to live and buy necessities. However, when you’re on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the income cap can be a significant burden. If you earn some money through self-employment, your SSI check and food stamps benefits will be reduced.

This becomes particularly challenging if you don’t have rental assistance like Section 8 and live paycheck to paycheck, as I do. Last year, I earned $200 each month from making YouTube tutorials 2024. However, the Social Security office reduced my monthly SSI check by $60 this year 2025, and my food stamps benefits were reduced by $45 2025. That’s half of what I earned last year.

I informed the Social Security office about my struggles with paying rent, bills, and food due to the lack of rental assistance. The representative suggested that I contact the office if I faced eviction from my apartment. I responded with skepticism, questioning whether they would provide the same level of support to someone with a disability as they did to veterans who were homeless. In my opinion, whether you have a disability or not, the income cap for disabled individuals is unjust because it forces us(the people with disabilities) to remain impoverished.

The Social Security system perpetuates poverty among disabled individuals by preventing them from improving their lives. This law must be changed, but I doubt that the Trump administration will address this issue. The administration is currently firing government employees under the guise of saving money, making it difficult for us to fight against the removal of this cap. Everyone must fight to remove this criminal cap on the disabled.

Mo Bahjat August 10, 2025

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