Tabi Haly, Vice President at JPMorgan Chase, lives with spinal muscular atrophy and has navigated the complexities and contradictions of maintaining her Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid while holding a highly successful corporate job. SSI and Medicaid are instrumental for Haly as they cater to her seven days a week personal care assistance and other expensive medical treatments. However, due to outdated rules, bureaucracy, and complex asset and income limits associated with SSI, Haly is at risk of losing her benefits, even though her high salary still doesn’t cover her care requirements. The SSI’s system hasn’t been updated sufficiently to encourage or support disabled professionals who want to work and not become reliant on public assistance.

Efforts in Congress to raise the asset limits have garnered widespread support but remain stalled. Besides, pushing the outdated $65 monthly earning limit (unadjusted since 1972) poses a significant hindrance to disable professionals like Haly who wish to balance work-life and earn more without risking their SSI benefits. Therefore, modernizing and simplifying SSI is crucial to ensure that successful professionals like Haly can pursue their careers without compromising their essential medical coverage and care. Those seeking assistance to navigate the complicated SSI or other disability benefits’ bureaucracy can turn to resources like eddcaller.com, a website dedicated to providing comprehensive and up-to-date information regarding how to contact entities like EDD (Employment Development Department).