Action Needed TODAY to Oppose New SSDI/UI Benefit Cut Proposal

Friends –

From:  The National Disability Rights Network
Sent:  Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Subject:  Action Needed NOW to Oppose New SSDI/UI Benefit Cut Proposal

If you have the ability to make some calls or share this alert with others in your state to make calls to the following offices it would be great.  The Senators on the Senate Finance Committee are from OR, UT, WV, NY, MI, WA, FL, NJ, DE, MD, OH, CO, VA, IA, ID, KS, WY, TX, SD, NC, GA and in Pennsylvania, Senators Casey and Toomey.

Easiest thing is to call 202-224-3121 and ask to be transferred to the appropriate Senator’s office.

More info on the issue:

Cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) On the Table to Pay for Highway Trust Fund Shortfall

Emails & Calls to Senate Finance Committee Needed TODAY 6/25/14

Today, Thursday, 6/26/14 at 10 AM, the Senate Finance Committee plans to mark up legislation to address a shortfall in the Highway Trust Fund. It is our understanding that Senator Portman plans to introduce an amendment to partially pay for the Highway Trust Fund fix by cutting benefits for people who receive SSDI and Unemployment Insurance (UI) concurrently.

Today, please take this important action: (1) call all members of the Senate Finance Committee and ask them to reject any amendment that proposes to pay for the Highway Trust Fund by cutting concurrent SSDI / UI benefits:

• Don’t cut Social Security to pay for the Highway Trust Fund. Both are vital, but Social Security must not become a piggybank.
• Cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance for people who concurrently receive Unemployment Insurance (UI) would erode the financial security of people with significant disabilities and their families.
• Social Security Disability Insurance beneficiaries who try to work should not be treated differently from other American workers. Unemployment Insurance should be there for them in their time of need. It’s fair and it’s right.
• Cuts to Social Security Disability Insurance for beneficiaries who also receive UI because they have attempted to work – as encouraged by law – would reduce economic opportunities and could create harmful work disincentives.

Earlier this year, Senator Portman and others offered similar amendments to legislation to extend Emergency Unemployment Compensation, but these harmful amendments were kept out of the Senate agreement approved in April. Please take action today to oppose this harmful pay-for!

Get the facts at:
http://www.c-c-d.org/fichiers/DI_UI_FactSheet-1-12-14.pdf (these talking points were developed when this SSDI benefit cut was proposed as a partial pay-for for EUC extension, but are relevant for the Highway Trust Fund proposal)

Read a letter from members of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities from January at:
http://www.c-c-d.org/fichiers/CCD_Letter-DI-UI-01-11-14.pdf

Read an article by Michael Hiltzik of the LA Times about what happened earlier this year at:
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-disabled-20140110,0,7129696.story#axzz2qHurqpMy

Thank you,

Disability Rights Network of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Harrisburg
1-800-692-7443
www.drnpa.org