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Before the close of legislative business last Friday, I introduced H.R. 8878, the Blind Americans Return to Work Act. Visually impaired Americans should not be restrained from pursuing career advancement by the fear of losing necessary benefits. Title II of the Social Security Act provides that disability benefits paid to blind beneficiaries are eliminated if the beneficiary exceeds a monthly earnings limit. This “earnings cliff” is essentially a penalty imposed on working blind Americans. The earnings limit in 2024 for a blind person is $2,590 per month. If a blind person earns more than that threshold, they are engaged in substantial gainful activity (SGA). Under the current law, any individual engaged in SGA is not entitled to any Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. This means that if a blind person earns just one dollar over the earnings limit, all benefits are lost. The Blind Americans Return to Work Act instead implements a gradual phase-out of SSDI benefits with earnings above the SGA limit. This model ensures that blind Americans are not penalized by working, encouraging everyone to enter the workforce. You can keep up with the bill here.
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