The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program for low-income elderly and disabled people has the strictest savings limits of any federal program. Eligibility is limited to people who have only $2,000 (or $3,000 for couples). This is not enough for beneficiaries to weather an emergency, let alone provide stability or save for the future. A higher limit would encourage — rather than penalize — saving and allow people to retain savings to use when they really need those resources. This brief analyzes several ways to increase SSI’s resource limits.

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