This impacts all disabled Americans who had their social security benefits counted as unearned income for the department of human services and had their food stamps cut or cut off.

OAC: 340: 10-3-39 and Title II of the SSA, and all other state laws in all the states that counts ssi/ssdi as unearned income. We want changed. Let me tell you my story:

I am a 44 year old who became disabled with peripheral neuropathy,  copd, emphysema, ptsd,  scoliosis, disc degenerative disease and a few others. 

I applied for my social security disability benefits. After 2 years of fighting these people to prove my disability.  I was granted disability. 

I was on food stamps already due to me not able to work. And because I had applied for my disability I had broad based eligibility for food stamps without work requirement.

When I received my approval, I got notice that dhs wanted to recertify my case for food stamps. Come to find out, they counted my disability benefit as (unearned income). However, it is a benefit we pay into for many years and receive when we become disabled or retire. We get from the US government reluctantly. 

Per oklahoma and federal law, it states they have to count disability as unearned income. And in which they do not count ALL household expenses either. 

The purpose of this petition is to tell our federal and state governments that people on disability feel discriminated against and getting penalized on one benefit for receiving another benefit that just barely covers living costs.

This will serve as a notice for our federal and state governments to remove or change legislation that allows a benefit such as ssi/ssdi to be counted as income (unearned or otherwise).

Our own federal government labels social security as benefits when they speak of these, not income. It should not lower Americans ability to live. 

I was cut down on my food stamps from 291 to 23. And Liheap cut the benefit they pay on utilities because of said "Unearned income".

They only consider 48.00 for phone, and only 50% of rent and utility expenses for food stamps. 

The removal of these from the law requiring the department of human services in each state to count ssi/ssdi as unearned income would also remove discrimination against disabled Americans for becoming disabled.

Let our federal and state governments know we want this to change. $23 is never enough to feed a person for a whole month.

We work years and are forced to pay into the social security administration for future use of disability benefits or retirement,  etc. Then when file for those benefits, you have to fight hard to even get them, when it's money you were forced to pay them. Well, now it's our time to force the government to pay us what is rightfully ours without it counting against us and discriminating against us.  Remove ssi/and ssdi  from being counted as unearned income. And stop making it soo difficult for people to get the benefits they deserve after being forced for years to pay for the right to get them when they need them.

But, if the ssi/ssdi benefit is only covering your basic living expenses and you got food stamps cut, please sign this petition and let our federal and state governments know that we are not going to allow them to discriminate disabled Americans.

Laws we want changed are below. We want them to not consider ssi/ssdi as income per OAC 340:10-3-39 section 7. And a revision to title II of the SSA to remove disability and ssi from being counted as unearned income. 

We want these things changed and we want the department of human services in each state to stop their discrimination against disabled Americans.