Social Security Income Changes Coming Fall 2024
In May of 2024, the Social Security Administration (SSA) finalized three Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rules that aim to reduce the barriers and expand access to SSI.
The changes for in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) will reduce SSI benefits reductions for individuals receiving food or shelter from others. These changes are aimed at helping older adults and individuals with disabilities in low-income households qualify for SSI, receive full benefits, and reduce reporting burdens. This ensures that food received from friends and family will no longer count as income that affects an individual’s SSI benefit.
All three rules go into effect on September 30th, 2024.
With the rules changes, SSI will be expanding the definition of a ‘public assistance’ household. Right now, if an individual is receiving SSI and lives in a household where everyone is receiving public assistance benefits like SSI, TANF, or GA/GR you do not have to report to SSA if other people in the household are giving you food or shelter. This means it will not reduce your SSI benefits because of support from others in your household.
Changes to this definition include:
- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be included as a public assistance benefit. This means for SSSI, any income used to calculate SNAP benefits for a spouse, parent, or anyone else who doesn’t qualify for SSI will not count against the person applying to or receiving SSI.
- Public assistance households will now be defined as a households where at least one other member of the household receives a public assistance benefit. If an SSI individual lives in a household with two people, and only one individual receives SNAP, this is considered a public assistance household.
- Food will no longer be counted as income, no matter the source.
- If an SSI recipient pays rent equal to or more than the “Presumed Maximum Value”, SSA will treat the rent as a regular ‘business agreement’ and will not reduce SSI benefits. Currently, in most states, if an SSI individual rents from a parent or an adult child, SSA will check if you are paying less rent than what others would pay. As a result, SSA could reduce the SSI benefits up to the “Presumed Maximum Value” which is currently $334.33 in 2024.
More Resources:
- Northwest Access Fund: https://www.nwaccessfund.org/
- SSI Eligibility: https://www.ssa.gov/ssi/eligibility
- Applying for SSI (Over 18): https://informingfamilies.org/applying-for-social-security-over-18/
- Applying for SSI (Under 18): https://informingfamilies.org/applying-for-social-security-under-18/
