Changes are coming to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program this fall that could mean more money for many people who get it. The Social Security Administration (SSA) stated on May 9 a major change that will broaden the definition of a “public assistance household.” This change is expected to have a positive effect on people who receive benefits.
The upcoming changes to the program will make more people eligible and may also raise the amounts that some recipients receive. The new rules are also meant to make it easier for people who live in public assistance homes to report their income, which will make it easier for them to get and keep their benefits.
In a statement, Martin O’Malley, the Commissioner of Social Security, said, “I’m committed to making systemic changes to help people access the critical benefits they need, including SSI.”
He said this to stress how important these changes are. Also, he said that the SSA is trying to remove big problems that people are having getting SSI benefits by streamlining policies and adding new programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
Impact of these SSI changes
These changes could make things better for present and future recipients. The SSA’s new rule will assume that people who live in public assistance households don’t get money from other people in the family.
Before, any help from family or friends would have been counted as income, which could have cut the SSI payment or made the person ineligible for it altogether. By taking this factor out of the equation, more people may be able to get benefits, and people who already get benefits may see their monthly payments go up.
But it’s still not clear what the exact amount of the raise will be. The SSA hasn’t given exact numbers yet, and the effects will be different for each person.
Some people will get more money from their benefits, while others might not see any change. As the date for adoption gets closer, the SSA is likely to give more information. This will make it clear how the new rule will affect different people’s situations.
Along with changing how they figure out income, the SSA is also changing what a public aid household is. New rule says a family is a public assistance household if at least one person applies for or receives SSI and at least one other person in the household receives public income-maintenance payments, like SNAP benefits.
This change is important because before, every person in the household had to get public assistance for the whole household to apply. With this larger definition, households with mixed eligibility statuses will still be able to get these benefits. This could mean that more people get them and they get more money.
The way the SSA handles in-kind help and maintenance has also changed in a big way. The SSA decided earlier this year that it would no longer count food assistance as in-kind support or maintenance. This included help from friends and family or community programs.
With this change, benefits might not be cut as they might have been under the old strategy. The SSA is also spreading its rental subsidy policy across the whole country. This means that people who get discounted rental rates or other forms of rental help will have a lower chance of having those benefits lower their payments.
The last rule will go into force on September 30, 2024. There is a chance that payment raises could start as early as October, but the exact date is still unknown. More announcements from the Administration are likely to come out soon, which will make it clearer for users when these changes will show up in their payments.
The requirements for getting into the school stay the same as they are now. People must be at least 65 years old, blind, or have a disability. They must also live in one of the 50 states, Washington, D.C., or the Northern Mariana Islands and have limited means and income.
They may also be U.S. citizens, nationals, or certain types of non-citizens. Children of military personnel stationed abroad on permanent duty may also be qualified, as may the children of some students studying abroad for a short time.