It wasn't until after Amber and Devon Weise married that they learned Supplemental Security Income, the federal benefits program Amber relies upon, penalizes couples who marry. Amber lost her monthly SSI income check and, even more vital, her access to health insurance. Narayan Mahon for NPR/NPR hide caption Amber and Devin Weise lived in distant states when they met in an online social media group for Christian singles.
They quickly became a couple, spending hours texting or talking on video chat. After several months of long-distance dating Devin wanted to propose, but thought it was proper and more romantic to do it in person. Amber hinted she’d be OK with a proposal on a video call.
Devin proposed and sent the ring in the mail. It wasn’t until after they married that they learned the federal disability benefits program Amber relied upon penalizes couples who marry. Amber lost her monthly income check and the health care that came with it.
Amber is one of 7.4 million people who rely upon Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, a federal program that provides monthly cash assistance to disabled and older people with little income and resources. And for Amber and others, being on SSI is also the way they get health insurance.
To qualify for SSI, recipients are required to do something that few couples could manage: keep their savings and assets under $3,000. An NPR investigation of SSI — a program run by the Social Security Administration — found that many disabled peo.