On August 24, 2023, the Social Security Administration (SSA) published a proposed regulation that would be a big step toward ensuring that more disabled people and older adults get a full SSI payment each month.
SSI provides lifesaving income supports, but people can see their benefits cut by a third if they do not pay the “market rate” for rental housing. This is true even for people who pay a lot of rent but get help from family. The rule can be especially complicated for people who are renting rooms from family or friends. SSA’s proposed regulation would mean the agency would stop cutting people’s SSI checks as long as they pay one-third of their SSI benefits toward rent.
This is important for recipients, because with a maximum SSI benefit of just $914 per month, with benefits often reduced because of other income, virtually all SSI recipients are struggling financially. The proposed regulation would also make the SSI program work better for everyone. There would be less onerous reporting requirements for SSI applicants and recipients and thousands of hours of less work for the already stretched SSA staff.
Visit Justice in Aging’s Comment Portal to leave a comment for the agency in support of this new policy.
