Aligning Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Thresholds with State Minimum Wages
Aligning Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) Thresholds with State Minimum Wages
The Issue
Every American deserves the chance to work, grow, and contribute — including people with disabilities. Yet the very system designed to protect them often traps them in poverty.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a single national income threshold, called the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, to decide if a person with a disability is earning too much income to keep their benefits. In 2024, that limit is only $1,550 per month for non-blind individuals across all 50 states.
That might have worked decades ago. But today, it’s outdated and unfair. In states like California, where the minimum wage is about $16.50 an hour, someone can only work 23–25 hours a week before crossing that line. The moment they do, they risk losing essential supports like SSDI, healthcare, or housing subsidies.
It’s a devastating choice: stay poor to stay safe or risk everything for one extra shift.
We’re calling on Congress and the SSA to modernize this policy.
The fix is simple and fair:
Index the SGA threshold to each state’s minimum wage × 30 hours per week × 4.33 weeks per month.
This one change could transform lives and strengthen our economy.
When people are allowed to work more without punishment:
- They move toward financial independence, not lifelong dependency.
- They pay more in taxes — potentially billions in new revenue nationally.
- They spend more locally, fueling small business growth.
- They gain stability, confidence, and purpose which is the foundation of true inclusion.
Research and real-world data show that when disability programs remove income cliffs, participants work longer, earn more, and rely less on public assistance. By updating SGA, we turn a broken safety net into a launchpad for opportunity.
This is more than a policy update - it’s a modern civil rights issue.
People with disabilities want to contribute. They want to work. They deserve a system that supports, not punishes, their ambition.
Work should be a path forward, not a trap. Join us in urging policymakers to adopt a state-adjusted SGA policy that rewards work, promotes independence, and drives inclusive economic growth.
To read the full policy click here
Sign and share this petition today!
— The MEI Association
506
The Issue
Every American deserves the chance to work, grow, and contribute — including people with disabilities. Yet the very system designed to protect them often traps them in poverty.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a single national income threshold, called the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, to decide if a person with a disability is earning too much income to keep their benefits. In 2024, that limit is only $1,550 per month for non-blind individuals across all 50 states.
That might have worked decades ago. But today, it’s outdated and unfair. In states like California, where the minimum wage is about $16.50 an hour, someone can only work 23–25 hours a week before crossing that line. The moment they do, they risk losing essential supports like SSDI, healthcare, or housing subsidies.
It’s a devastating choice: stay poor to stay safe or risk everything for one extra shift.
We’re calling on Congress and the SSA to modernize this policy.
The fix is simple and fair:
Index the SGA threshold to each state’s minimum wage × 30 hours per week × 4.33 weeks per month.
This one change could transform lives and strengthen our economy.
When people are allowed to work more without punishment:
- They move toward financial independence, not lifelong dependency.
- They pay more in taxes — potentially billions in new revenue nationally.
- They spend more locally, fueling small business growth.
- They gain stability, confidence, and purpose which is the foundation of true inclusion.
Research and real-world data show that when disability programs remove income cliffs, participants work longer, earn more, and rely less on public assistance. By updating SGA, we turn a broken safety net into a launchpad for opportunity.
This is more than a policy update - it’s a modern civil rights issue.
People with disabilities want to contribute. They want to work. They deserve a system that supports, not punishes, their ambition.
Work should be a path forward, not a trap. Join us in urging policymakers to adopt a state-adjusted SGA policy that rewards work, promotes independence, and drives inclusive economic growth.
To read the full policy click here
Sign and share this petition today!
— The MEI Association
506
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Petition created on October 14, 2025