Mr. President. I rise today with my colleague Senator SMrrH to introduce the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act. This is the third year that a bipartisan group of Senators will come together in support of this legislation to serve the individuals in our society who most need our help. Due to shortsighted policy passed in the 1990s. elderly and disabled humanitarian immigrants face a time limit of seven years on eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Refugees and asylees have seven years to become citizensan inadequate amount of time. given the bureaucratic delays and hurdles these individuals face. Thus. thousands have already lost their benefits. and tens of thousands more will lose this important benefit if Congress does not enact our legislation. It is estimated that in the next decade. more than 40.000 elderly or disabled humanitarian immigrants will lose their SSI benefits. This program is a safety net for those who need it: in 2007. the maximum SSI benefit is $623 for an individual and $934 for a couplebarely enough to afford basic necessities. The program is structured to help those with severe barriers to work or elderly individuals with little or no retirement income.
Keywords matched
immigrants Refugees