Changes to Supplemental Security Income For Those With Disabilities
The Social Security Administration (SSA) pays Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits to those who are retired or have a disability. Over 68 million Americans receive a monthly Social Security payment based on factors such as your income, living situation, things you own, etc. Recently, the SSA announced a major change in the way it calculates the program for seniors and those with disabilities.
Currently, if someone else regularly provides meals or groceries to a beneficiary, SSI benefits can be reduced by as much as a third. However, the new change omits food aid payments from being reduced to specific beneficiaries, no longer factoring food when determining In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM).
Historically, in-kind receipt of food was included in ISM calculations because food assistance helps people meet their basic needs. The complexities of current food ISM policies outweigh their utility. Thus, why the policy is being revised for several purposes, including to make policies simpler (consequently easier to comprehend and use), and to promote equity both by treating food assistance equally regardless of the source and by not disadvantaging an already vulnerable population when they receive food assistance.
The federal agency confirmed the new law will only apply to Supplemental Security Income recipients, not retirement programs, survivor benefits or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI).
SSI New Rule Begins September 30th
The Daily Journal of the United States Government Federal Register published the new SSI calculation change will be effective as of September 30, 2024. The register states “these changes simplify our rules by making them less cumbersome to administer and easier for the public to understand and follow, and they improve the equitable treatment of food assistance within the SSI program. This final rule also includes other minor revisions to our regulations related to income, including clarifying our longstanding position that income may be received “constructively.”
Officials report that the amount of information that SSI beneficiaries must report will now be limited, rules will be easier for everyone to understand and reduce variability in SSI payments from one month to the next once the change goes into effect. Additionally, Social Security predicts that administrative resources will be freed up since the agency will no longer have to record when a beneficiary receives free meals and subsequently reduce that person’s monthly income.
“A vital part of our mission is helping people access crucial benefits, including SSI,” said Martin O’Malley, commissioner of Social Security. “Simplifying our policies is a common-sense solution that reduces the burden on the public and agency staff and helps promote equity by removing barriers to accessing payments.”
The Good News for those with Disabilities
Darcy Milburn, director of Social Security and health care policy at The Arc—a nonprofit organization serving people with developmental and intellectual disabilities—told La Grada that thanks to the new rule, SSI recipients will not have to worry about their monthly benefits being reduced by the groceries or meals they receive from friends or relatives. The Director of The Arc explained that addressing one of the most intricate and cruel rules affecting SSI recipients who are disabled is a truly significant step.
The Social Security Administration said it reduced the benefits of 793,000 recipients as of January 2022 because they received help with food or shelter.
“In-kind support and maintenance calculations are often ridiculous and cruel, causing SSI recipients to lose benefits over things like sleeping on someone’s couch or getting help paying for groceries,” said Zoe Gross, director of advocacy at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network told Disability Scoop. “No one should lose needed benefits because of things like this. By exempting food from ISM, the Social Security Administration will make it easier for people receiving SSI to get help with food and nutrition. This especially impacts people who live with friends and family, as many autistic people receiving SSI do.”
Social Security notes the rule modification is one of “several updates” in the works for SSI regulations, all aimed at helping people receiving and applying for benefits under the program.
In conclusion, the Federal Register explains how this final rule promotes equity by: providing increased financial security to affected beneficiaries; providing consistent treatment of food support regardless of source; reducing reporting requirements and the effects of reporting on applicants and recipients; and facilitating improved food security among certain beneficiaries.
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