Petition summary:

Want to know a little more about what the proposal for“Lori’s Law” is all about? The current Social Security Administration (SSA) law states that a disabled person receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) on a parent’s work record can only marry another disabled person and keep their benefits. It further states that marrying an able bodied individual mandates forfeiture of aforementioned insurance and loss of healthcare coverage via Medicare. Basically, the current law goes on to state that if someone receives SSDI on their own work record, they can marry an able bodied or disabled person and keep their benefits and healthcare. While allowing for that scenario, there is no provision under the current law for me (Lori) or others like me to keep necessary benefits already granted us or to transfer to a spouse’s work record.

Can you imagine the outrage, if all of the civil rights laws passed since the 1960’s allowing interracial marriage and or recent laws regarding same sex marriage were conditional upon one person losing their financial wellbeing and their healthcare? It’s very hard to believe our country would stand for that. However, we are in a situation where we are being told exactly that. Stay single or marry within your same class as disabled to keep your healthcare--there is no real choice. It is life threatening for me (Lori) to lose my disability insurance and healthcare. Therefore, Mark and I cannot enjoy our love within the sanctity of marriage because he is able bodied, or because I am not, depending on how you look at it. Sound crazy? Yes it does, but it is true. Congressman Jimmy Pannetta’s staff recently launched a Congressional Inquiry into this matter, on our behalf. To their surprise, the current law has been confirmed as still standing. It’s time this law be successfully challenged. Please help us put an end to this discriminatory, obsolete, and hurtful policy. See our story. https://youtu.be/SnShoFelNvA

IF YOU ARE IN A SIMILAR SITUATION - PLEASE EMAIL US - Lorieslaw@gmail.com

Please fill this out to share YOUR story, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QCVQL8K

Thank you,

Lori Long and Mark Contreras (Hopefully soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Contreras)

Action petitioned for:

We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to please help us put an end to discrimination and pass what is currently nicknamed “Lori’s Law.” It simply states that a disabled person (specifically someone disabled before the age of 22 thus receiving SSDI on a parent’s work record) shall be allowed to marry an able bodied individual and keep their disability benefits including Medicare.