In September, the Social Security Administration will make big changes to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program that will affect about 7 million people who get it. SSI is not like retirement benefits, which get most of the press. Its purpose is to help low-income people over 65, people with disabilities, and children who are having a hard time financially.
The planned changes, which include new definitions and tweaks to rules about who can get these benefits, are meant to make them more available to more people. The new rules, on the other hand, will change this requirement: only one person in the household will need to be on SSI, and at least one other person in the household will need to be on some other form of means-tested public aid.
How the new rules will affect people who get Social Security
One of the most important changes to the SSI program is a new definition of what a public aid household is. Before, all members of a household had to get some kind of public assistance for the whole family to qualify for SSI benefits.
As part of this new definition, the Supplemental Nutrition Aid Program (SNAP) will also be considered public aid in the home. With this change, more families should be able to get SSI benefits, especially those where not everyone in the household gets public aid.
A look at what is happening with food stamps
One more important change is how food stamps are counted in the SSI program. Food stamps used to be called “in-kind support and maintenance” (ISM), which meant they were considered unearned income. Individuals who were labeled as having this condition often had their SSI payments cut because food stamps were seen as an extra source of income.
The new rules say that food stamps will no longer be used by the Social Security Administration to decide who is eligible for SSI. This may result in more money being sent to people who were getting less before because food stamps were seen as income.
The policy change was made because people were worried that the old policy made families less likely to help their relatives. After all, it could mean fewer SSI payments.
Increasing the size of the rental aid policy
The third big change the Social Security Administration is making will be to the policy on housing subsidies in September. In the past, getting help with rent, like renting at a lower rate, could affect your status for SSI and lower the amount of money you get each month. But this rule was only in effect in Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin, among other states.
With the new rules, the government policy on rental subsidies will be made more broad. This means that all fifty states will use the same standards. This could make more people qualified for SSI and possibly raise the amounts that people already getting it get. The goal of the expansion is to make sure that all SSI recipients, no matter where they live, get fair care.
Getting ready for the changes to Social Security
Since these changes are about to happen, people who are currently getting SSI or who might become qualified should look over their situation to see how it will affect them. Under the new rules, some people who weren’t qualified before may now be able to get benefits, and people who are already getting benefits may see their monthly payments go up.
Since the rules have changed, if you think you might be able to get SSI, you should call the Social Security Administration right away to find out more. Also, if you are already getting SSI, you should look over any changes in your life that might affect your benefits, like if your income or the people living in your home change.