Beginning in October, three new changes will be made to a program run by the Social Security Administration (SSA). Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will be affected by these changes.
The SSI program currently sends payments to more than 7 million low-income Americans who depend on these payments to cover their living costs.
SSI is a very important source of income for many people, including seniors over 65, disabled adults and children, and blind adults and children. Keep in mind that the SSA says a person’s monthly income can not be more than $1,971 in order to qualify for SSI payments.
Understanding the 3 new Social Security changes effective in October
People who file as individuals can get an average of $943 a month, and people who file as a couple can get up to $1,415 a month. However, once the new rules are in place, the requirements for getting SSI might change.
This could make more people eligible and increase payments for those who already get it. The SSA has put in place three new rules that will become effective on September 30, 2024.
These rules are meant to make SSI benefits more available to people who need them and to cover a wider range of needs.
The public assistance household is to be redefined
The idea of a “public assistance household” is one of the most important changes. For a household to get SSI payments, every member must already be getting public aid.
Under the new rule, there must be at least one person in the household who gets SSI and at least one other person who receives some kind of public assistance that is subject to verification of resources.
The Supplemental Nutrition aid Program (SNAP) will also now be seen as part of the household’s public aid.
One of the people in charge of Social Security, Martin O’Malley, recently said, “We are removing significant barriers to SSI access by streamlining our laws and adding an extra program geared toward low-income families, such as SNAP benefits.”
Besides that, he stressed that these new changes will make all Social Security systems more fair. This change will probably increase payments for about 277,000 current SSI recipients. It will also make 109,000 more people qualified for SSI benefits.
SSI Benefits will implement modifications to its food assistance calculations
Another big change from the SSA is how food-based in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) is treated when figuring out who is eligible for SSI.
In the past, the Social Security Administration thought that any kind of food or housing help was unearned income, which meant that the person could not get SSI benefits.
Many people have said that this rule is too complicated and hurts people who need help. However, people who are receiving benefits will now be able to accept food aid from friends and family without worrying that their benefits will be taken away.
Milburn, who is in charge of Social Security and Health Policy at The Arc, said in a CNBC interview, “It is a really meaningful step to address one of the most complex, burdensome, and inhumane policies affecting people with disabilities who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.”
Supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities is what The Arc does as a non-profit group.
Rent Subsidy Policy will be expanded
The last big change will have an effect on how the Social Security Administration handles rent subsidies.
Before, people who got SSI and also got reduced rent or other kinds of rental aid were not affected by their ability to get SSI or their monthly payment amount in states like Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, New York, Texas, Vermont, and Wisconsin.
This rule will now be put into place across the whole country to make sure that rental help does not hurt people getting SSI benefits.
