Social Security to Remove Barriers to Accessing SSI Payments
Reading Time: 2 MinutesLast Updated: March 27, 2024
Today, the Social Security Administration published a final rule, “Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Calculations.” The final rule announces the first of several updates to the agency’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) regulations that will help people receiving and applying for SSI.
“A vital part of our mission is helping people access crucial benefits, including SSI,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security. “Simplifying our policies is a common-sense solution that reduces the burden on the public and agency staff and helps promote equity by removing barriers to accessing payments.”
SSI provides monthly payments to adults and children with a disability or blindness, and to adults aged 65 and older, who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits help pay for basic needs like rent, food, clothing, and medicine. People applying for and receiving SSI must meet eligibility requirements, including income and resource limits. Under our old rules, ISM includes food, shelter, or both a person receives – the agency counts ISM as unearned income, which may affect a person’s eligibility or reduce their payment amount.
Under the final rule, beginning September 30, 2024, the agency will no longer include food in ISM calculations. The new policy removes a critical barrier for SSI eligibility due to an applicant’s or recipient’s receipt of informal food assistance from friends, family, and community networks of support. The new policy further helps in several important ways: the change is easier to understand and use by applicants, recipients, and agency employees; applicants and recipients have less information to report about food assistance received from family and friends, removing a significant source of burden; reducing month-to-month variability in payment amounts will improve payment accuracy; and the agency will see administrative savings because less time will be spent administering food ISM.
The agency continuously examines programmatic policy and makes regulatory and sub-regulatory changes as appropriate. Look for more SSI announcements in the coming weeks.
For more information on the SSI program, including who is eligible and how to apply, visit Supplemental Security Income.
To read the final rule “Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations,” visit Federal Register: Omitting Food From In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations.
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Tags: Benefits, Social Security benefits, SSI
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Melinda M.
I have WAITED 9 YEARS YES YOU HEARD ME RIGHT 9 years talk abt some dirty work ,even after taking my case to federal court winning,still got dragged out! Finally got fully favorable decision June and am still awaiting back pay !! Ridiculous!!
David E.
Social Security was wrong for doing this in the first place you should’ve received maximum benefits right upfront without deduction for their malarkey red tape prayers for your family
Leslie
Its truly a sad situation how the system fail so many people that truly are disabled and really need the help but the system has overbearing ridiculous rules that shouldn’t be applied such as everyone need a decent size life insurance policy to make sure that their self’s or children are put away properly but for ssa to assume and apply a limit to how much a life insurance policy should be such as $2500 and anything over your 2,000 dollar cap for benefits you are at risk for losing your only source of income which is disability benefits is truly unconstitutional the system really need to change that because $2500 will only pay for a cremation and not a proper funeral/ burial and a individual need atleast a 10,000 or 15,000 life insurance policy nowadays to ensure and cover the cost of a decent funeral and the expenses and these type of personal and most needed expenses should not be included and counted against a disabled individual assets that’s receiving disability benefits including disabled children life insurance policies that automatically carry a policy loan by the insurance companies which the policy holder has no control over.
Diane V.
Get a California social security lawyer they will get your social security and keep all documents of doctors you have seen any medical records
Good luck 🍀
Amy E.
I am disabled due to back injury, emphysema, arthritis in both hands and severe depression.
I worked very hard physical jobs to support my family. I am a single Mom with 4 daughters. They are grown now but my youngest was still home when this started.
I applied for SSDI and was denied. My only income was $99.82 per week which came from child support.
I hired a lawyer and was denied a second time. The third time through I was approved.
I almost lost everything but by the grace of God I survived 2 years on $99.82 a week .
The system needs to change.
People deserve better. I did not choose my health problems. I loved my job and because of all of this I became so depressed that
I couldn’t come out of it. It’s been 8 years now and although I still barely make ends meet I made it and will continue to make it !!!!!!
God is so good !!!!!!!!