Supplemental Security Income

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is authorized by Title XVI of the Social Security Act and is known as Title XVI. In the original 1935 Social Security Act, in addition to the Social Security Retirement program, two welfare programs were created, the first was Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and the second was Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled population (“adult categories”); both welfare programs were administered by State and local governments with partial Federal funding. Over the years, these programs became more complex and inconsistent, with as many as 1,350 administrative agencies involved and payments varying more than 300% from State to State.

In 1969, President Nixon identified a need to reform these and related welfare programs to “bring reason, order and purpose into a tangle of overlapping programs.” As it became clear that the President’s comprehensive plan to change the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program would not pass Congress, attention shifted to the reform of the adult welfare categories. In particular, the notion arose that the administration of Aid to the Blind, Aid to the Disabled, and Aid to the Elderly should be federalized and run by the Social Security Administration (SSA).

In 1972 Congress federalized the “adult categories” by creating the Supplemental Security Income program and assigned responsibility for it to the SSA. SSI from the start also covered disabled and blind children. SSA was chosen to administer the new program because of its reputation for successful administration of the existing social insurance programs, Social Security Retirement and Survivors Insurance and Social Security Disability Insurance. SSA’s nationwide network of field offices and large-scale data processing and record-keeping operations also made it the logical choice to perform the major task of converting over 3 million people from State welfare programs to SSI.

In January 1974, the Supplemental Security Income program commenced nationwide.

The Social Security Administration is the federal agency responsible for the administration of the Supplemental Security Income program.

SSI is funded by general tax revenues; it is not funded through the Social Security tax.

The purpose of SSI is to assure a minimum level of monthly income to individuals nationwide who are aged, blind or disabled. The amount of the SSI benefit will vary according to a claimant’s household living arrangements and other sources of income the individual or couple receives. Applicants must be aged, blind or disabled to qualify and must meet citizenship/immigration, income, and resource eligibility criteria, as well as reside in the U.S. to receive SSI. Eligible individuals and couples apply for SSI at local Social Security field offices located throughout the country.

In New York State individuals eligible for SSI are automatically eligible for Medicaid and receive this health benefit without filing a separate application. Refer to Health Programs, Medicaid for information about Medicaid.

SSA can make an emergency advance of up to one month of SSI benefits before a formal finding of SSI eligibility to people who face a financial emergency. This emergency benefit is available only at the time of application at the request of the applicant. To be eligible, the applicant must face a financial emergency, need money due to immediate threat to health or safety, such as not enough money for food, clothing, shelter, or medical care and be considered presumptively eligible for SSI. Payment for this emergency advance starts the month after the month an application is filed. The amount of the advance is deducted from the SSI recipient’s first check. The emergency advance is a little known benefit and advocacy may be required.