People who get Social Security benefits are looking forward to the new changes that the Social Security Administration announced earlier this year as the end of the year draws near.
Since its start, the SSA has given monthly benefits to people who are eligible.
This way, they have enough money to pay their bills, enjoy retirement, or sometimes fight poverty, especially for people who are eligible for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.
The federal agency has to change with the times to deal with things like rising prices, changes in the economy, and other problems that may come up.
These are the reasons why we would like to talk about some of the most important changes that will be made for people who get SSI.
3 changes that will affect Social Security benefits in the second half of 2024
The Social Security Administration (SSA) recently announced changes to the way the system works that will make it easier for some households across the country to get important Social Security benefits.
Around 7.5 million Americans who have shown they need financial help get benefits from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. This kind of Social Security help is available to people who are blind, disabled, old, or have children.
Luckily, the SSA has put out a set of new rules that are meant to make things easier for people who need help and remove barriers to that help.
Commissioner Martin O’Malley said that the federal agency is committed to making structural changes that will make it easier for people to get important benefits like SSI.
In addition, he stressed that SSA plans to reduce rules and set up a low-income program to assist the weakest Americans in getting Social Security benefits that can make the difference between living and becoming poor.
Here are the three main changes that will affect Social Security benefits based on the most recent information from the Social Security Administration:
The definition of a public assistance household will change. A new final rule adds SNAP as a benefit to the definition of a public assistance household.
Help from other household members can be counted as income, which means that this change will affect the benefits of SSI applicants who live in these homes.
The new rules say that only one other family member needs to get help, but now everyone in the household will get help.
The rules for rental subsidies will be made stricter: Lastly, the newest rule, which started in September, will expand a rule that is already in place in seven states and makes it less likely that rental assistance will affect a person’s ability to get benefits.
No longer will food gifts count as unearned income: Starting in September, food gifts will no longer be used to figure out SSI recipients’ in-kind support and maintenance (ISM). They will only accept low-cost or free housing instead.
This change will help the 9% of SSI recipients whose payments go down because of food gifts and make sure that food gifts do not cause their payments to change. Because of this change, payments will stay the same every month.
How much do SSI recipients earn in monthly Social Security benefits?
The Social Security Administration gives retirees, survivors, disabled people, and SSI recipients different amounts of money every month based on a number of factors.
For instance, people who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will get their money based on the tax category they select when they apply. It is important to note that the 3.4% cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2024 is already built into these monthly benefits.
To find out more about all the Social Security benefits that SSI recipients can get, please read the following:
| SSI benefits | SSI benefits |
| On average | $698 |
| Other payments | Individuals: $943
Couples: $1,415 Essential person: $472 |
If you are eligible for these Social Security benefits and your monthly check did not arrive on time, you should wait at least three mailing days before calling customer service.
Also, do not forget that you can check your payment amounts and financial statements in your My Social Security Account.
