Disability Benefit Cuts

When a governing institution wants to stop you from doing something, one of its most effective strategies is making that thing more difficult to accomplish. Making something illegal takes a lot of work and red tape, but making something more difficult is an easier regulatory process. If they make it difficult enough, almost no one will do it, even if it’s legal or technically possible.

This strategy is frequently tapped in regard to abortion.  Tactics including mandatory waiting periods, high costs caused by lack of insurance coverage, and invasive transvaginal ultrasounds make abortions so inconvenient, expensive, and stressful that many women are discouraged from making that choice. Anti-abortion activists therefore get what they want (fewer abortions), without having to go through all the work to make abortion illegal.

We are seeing the Trump administration apply this same strategy to disabled people living in the community. It would be nearly impossible to mandate that all people with disabilities go into institutions – however, by chipping away at the supports that allow us to remain at home, the administration is able to nudge people towards institutionalization.

The fallout from the Big Not-So-Beautiful Bill includes work requirements and increased reporting for people receiving Medicaid. Technically, people with disabilities are supposed to be exempt from these requirements, but the burden of paperwork needed as proof of disability Is a perfect example of government creating a roadblock. Now, every six months people will have to re-prove that they qualify for Medicaid by supplying even more paperwork. Many people will lose Medicaid coverage, since getting (and keeping) all of the proper paperwork in order is becoming more and more of an ordeal. We know this because several states already tried using work requirements for Medicaid, and a lot of people lost their enrollment by not responding to requests for more documentation. A recent study by the Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts Foundation and The Urban Institute found that these changes will likely result in approximately 200,000 MassHealth members losing their healthcare coverage.

The government knows that increasing pressure towards institutionalization requires a multi-pronged attack. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that the Trump administration is trying to change a rule that makes life easier for people with disabilities who live in poverty. As it stands, people with disabilities can have their SSI benefits reduced if they receive significant support from family, including a place to live, or income from a spouse or parents. However, if their family receives “public assistance” because their income is too low, the disabled person’s benefits won’t be cut. This administration is trying to reclassify SNAP (food assistance) as not “public assistance.” Many families rely on SNAP, but don’t use other public benefits. Now, all disabled people living with those low-income families could have their SSI cut.

These examples show how important it is to keep doing the paperwork, no matter how frustrating it is. The federal government can’t actually make it illegal for us to live in the community, so they’ll just continue making it harder and harder. We have to rise to the occasion and fight back – and not be afraid to ask one another for help. We are strongest together, and we need to help one another navigate these antagonistic systems.

If you are struggling with paperwork and documentation, reach out to peers, family, friends, and local organizations like Stavros, who can help. Let’s keep living in the communities where we belong.

Rachael Cowan
Systems Change Advocate, Stavros CIL