A device for controlling levels of light output by a solid state lighting load at low dimming levels includes a bleed circuit connected in parallel with the solid state lighting load. The bleed circuit includes a resistor and a transistor connected in series, the transistor being configured to turn on and off in accordance with a duty cycle of a digital control signal when a dimming level set by a dimmer is less than a predetermined first threshold, decreasing an effective resistance of the bleed circuit as the dimming level decreases.