Recently, the House of Representatives passed the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act.
Once signed into law, this bill will extend SSI eligibility for elderly and disabled refugees and other humanitarian immigrants from seven to nine years. It also includes provisions to cover those who have already lost their benefits due to the time limit, and to provide those humanitarian immigrants with a naturalization application pending with the Department of Homeland Security with a tenth year of eligibility.

This legislation will help the 30,000 elderly and disabled refugees who have already been cut off and the 19,000 refugees and humanitarian migrants who are projected to lose their benefits in the future. These individuals fled persecution or torture in countries such as Iran, Russia, Iraq, Vietnam and Somalia, and now are too elderly or disabled to support themselves. Some 40% of the refugees affected by the SSI cut-off are from the former Soviet Union and the majority are believed to be Jews.

The Jewish Federation applauds this victory on behalf of our Jewish community partners and our interfaith and immigrant rights colleagues who have worked for many years to ensure that vulnerable refugees are afforded the dignity, security, and peace of mind they so deeply deserve.

For more information about the SSI Bill, please visit www.HIAS.org.

2008
SAVING LIVES GALA
October 30, 2008

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