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Thousands of Social Security Recipients Will Soon Qualify for Bigger Payments
By Julia Glum MONEY RESEARCH COLLECTIVE
The Supplemental Security Income program sends checks to about 7.4 million Americans every month.
A change in government policy will help more Americans qualify for Social Security benefits — and increase payments for some existing recipients.
The Social Security Administration announced Thursday that it has published a final rule affecting its Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, which sends monthly checks to about 7.4 million Americans with limited resources who are disabled, blind or older than 65. The rule expands the agency’s definition of a “public assistance household,” opening it up to households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, informally known as food stamps.
SSI payments are based on income and resources; the more a person has, generally, the less they get paid. This adjustment is crucial because the government will now assume that an SSI candidate in a SNAP household isn’t getting income from other people they live with — which may make them eligible for benefits or a bigger check.
“The expanded definition will allow more people to qualify for SSI, increase some SSI recipients’ payment amounts, and reduce reporting burdens for individuals living in public assistance households,” according to a news release.
In addition, public assistance households will now be defined as those in which at least one person is getting (or has applied for) SSI and at least one person is receiving funds from another government income initiative. Before this change, everyone in a household had to be receiving public assistance in order to meet the requirements.
In summary, the agency is loosening a handful of restrictions for SSI, making it somewhat easier for a person in need to satisfy the conditions. An estimated 277,000 current SSI recipients will see higher payments, and 109,000 more people will qualify for SSI once the full impact of the rule has settled in 2033.
“By simplifying our policies and including an additional program geared towards low-income families, such as the SNAP, we are removing significant barriers to accessing SSI,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “These changes promote greater equity in our programs.”
SSI has a smaller scope than the retiree benefit program Social Security is known for, but it’s still a lifeline for millions. The average monthly SSI payment is about $698.
The public assistance household rule is set to take effect Sept. 30, as is a separate change expanding the SSI rental subsidy policy: another move intended “to help people access crucial benefits,” O’Malley said.
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5 Ways to Address Social Security’s Funding Problems, According to Actuaries
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Retirees Are Heading Back to Work, and It Could Affect Their Social Security Benefits
Julia Glum is Money's news editor, keeping her finger on the pulse of financial trends that affect Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. A 2014 graduate of the University of Florida's journalism school, she previously covered breaking news, politics and education at Newsweek and International Business Times. Julia joined Money in 2018; during her time as a reporter, she wrote frequently about Amazon, passive income, stimulus checks and creative ways people make money online (think: Vine compilations, Cash App Friday and Facebook gift groups). As an editor, she oversees Money’s tax coverage, which includes extensive reporting on tax credits, year-to-year policy changes, tax refunds and the IRS’s ongoing efforts to modernize. For several years, Julia has assisted with Money’s annual Best Colleges rating and Best Places to Live rankings. Recently, she also led Money’s 50th anniversary celebrations, producing the Money Classic newsletter and rolling out Changemakers, a project profiling 50 innovators working to revolutionize personal finance. Julia has interviewed National Taxpayer Advocate Erin Collins, actor Danny Devito, Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller, rapper Killer Mike, real estate guru Ryan Serhant and many others. Her work has been cited or otherwise shared by the New York Times, Washington Post, Vox, theSkimm, Mashable, CNBC and POLITICO. She’s appeared on Good Morning America, CBS News, PIX11, WGN, the Mountain West News Bureau and more. Julia is based in New York City. You can find her at juliaglum.com.