The Social Security Administration is implementing new rules to make it easier for beneficiaries to access benefits and increase payments for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. SSI provides monthly benefit checks for seniors ages 65 and older, as well as adults and children who are disabled or blind and have little to no income or resources. The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit is currently $943 per individual and $1,415 for an individual with an eligible spouse. However, these benefits are considered low, according to Lydia Brown, the director of public policy at the National Disability Institute.
The changes, set to go into effect on Sept. 30, include expanding the definition of a public-assistance household to include households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments and those with not all members receiving public assistance. This change may allow more people to qualify for SSI, increase payments for current beneficiaries, and lessen reporting requirements for individuals living in public-assistance households. Almost 304,000 SSI beneficiaries were living in a public-assistance household as of January 2023.
Furthermore, the updated rule may allow approximately 277,000 federal SSI recipients to receive an increase in monthly payments in fiscal year 2033, with an additional 109,000 individuals becoming eligible for federal SSI payments who would not have been eligible under the current rules. The definition of a public-assistance household has not been updated in a long time, according to Darcy Milburn, director of Social Security and health-care policy at The Arc.
In addition to the changes to the public-assistance household definition, two other rule changes are set to go into effect on Sept. 30. One will expand the SSI rental subsidy policy to reduce the impact of renting at a discounted rate or other rental assistance on a beneficiary’s SSI eligibility or monthly payment amount. Another change will no longer count food assistance toward the support recipients receive from other parties that may reduce their SSI benefit amounts. These changes are aimed at reducing paperwork, providing more accurate monthly payments, and decreasing administrative burdens for SSI beneficiaries.
The purpose of in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) is to reduce SSI benefits if a recipient receives support from family and friends, treating it as unearned income. This support can reduce an individual’s monthly benefit by up to one-third, and the SSA monitors these resources every month. When the new changes go into effect, SSI beneficiaries should experience fewer reporting requirements, more accurate payments, and less administrative burden. These updates aim to promote greater equity in the Social Security programs and make it easier for beneficiaries to access the support they need.
