Short commentary about the counterintuitive nature of SSA SSDI (& SSI) earned income limits
Note: this post is adapted from a Twitter thread I tossed together on Jan. 12, 2023.
Did you know the SSA considers whether to end your SSDI if you’re working for pay based on an earning limit rather than how much you can work?
You could work 6 hours/month & earn $1,049, or 80 hours/month & earn $1,049, & (loosely) even though it's the same amount of money, SSA judges it the same.
To the SSA it's about the money. Not the time (loosely) worked. Quite confusingly counterintuitive, yeah?
That policy - the one that gauges the continuation of SSDI when it comes to working while disabled by income & not hours worked - isn't about ability to work.
Calculating work ability based on earnings & not hours is about maintaining forced poverty, not ability.
While we’re at it: we know that white, educated folks are more likely to get paid more/hour.
That means that, as the system stands: white, educated folks may labor less for the same amount of $ that racialized, less-educated folks may receive after working more hours. So it's also racist & elitist (& more).
But it's complicated no matter what.
