Annual Report 

of the

Supplemental

 Security

 Income Program

Social Security Administration

May 2008
.
SOCIAL SECURITY

The Commissioner

May 30, 2008

President George W. Bush

The White House

Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Nancy Pelosi

Speaker of the House of Representatives

Washington, D.C.

The Honorable Richard B. Cheney

President of the Senate

Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. President, Madam Speaker, and Mr. Cheney: 

It is my pleasure to submit to you the 2008 Annual Report of the Supplemental Security Income

Program (the twelfth such report), in compliance with section 231 of the Personal Responsibility

and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Astrue

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION BALTIMORE MD 21235-0001
.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193)

directs the Commissioner of Social Security to report annually to the President and to the Congress on the

status of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. A required element of these reports is to provide projections of program participation and costs through at least 25 years. This report is the twelfth of

such reports, and following are its major highlights and findings. 

Highlights of the SSI Program

 • The SSI program is a nationwide Federal assistance program administered by the Social Security

Administration (SSA) that guarantees a minimum level of income for needy aged, blind, or disabled

individuals. It acts as a safety net for individuals who have little or no Social Security or other income

and limited resources.

 • In January 2008, 7.1 million individuals

received monthly Federal SSI payments averaging $445, up slightly from 7.0 million recipients with an average payment of $435 in

January 2007.

 • Federal expenditures for cash payments under

the SSI program during calendar year 2007

increased 4.6 percent to $39.5 billion, while

the funds made available to administer the SSI

program in fiscal year 2007 decreased

2.1 percent to $2.9 billion. In calendar year

2006 the corresponding Federal program

expenditures and cost of administering the SSI

program were $37.8 billion and $3.0 billion,

respectively.

Major Findings of the Report

 • By 2032, the end of the 25-year projection

period, the Federal SSI recipient population is estimated to reach 9.5 million. The projected growth in

the SSI program over the 25-year period is largely due to the overall growth in the U.S. population.

The rate of participation is projected to vary somewhat by age group, with the overall participation

rate of the 65 or older age groups projected to decline and the participation rate of the under 65 age

groups projected to increase slightly.

 • Expressed as a percentage of the total U.S. population, the number of Federal SSI recipients increased

slightly from 2.26 percent in 2006 to 2.28 percent in 2007, and is projected to increase gradually to

2.53 percent of the population by 2032 due largely to the changing age distribution of the population. 

 • Federal expenditures for SSI payments in calendar year 2008 are estimated to increase by $2.3 billion

to $41.8 billion, an increase of 5.7 percent from 2007 levels.

 • In constant 2008 dollars, Federal expenditures for SSI payments are projected to increase to $55.4 billion in 2032, a real increase of 1.2 percent per year.

 • When compared to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Federal SSI expenditures are projected to

decline over time, from the current level of 0.29 percent of GDP in 2007 to 0.25 percent of GDP by

2032. 

Disabled 65

or older

8.4%

Aged

11.1%

Disabled

under 18

18.6%

Disabled

18-64

61.9%

 SSI Federal Payments, Calendar Year 2007

$39.5 billion

(VII)

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

II. HIGHLIGHTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

A. RECENT PROGRAM EXPERIENCE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

B. SSI LEGISLATION SINCE THE 2007 ANNUAL REPORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

C. CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE SSI PROGRAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

D. KEY RESULTS FROM THE 25-YEAR PROJECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

III. THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

A. BACKGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

B. THE BASIC PLAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

C. UNIFORM STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

D. ASSISTANCE OF LAST RESORT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

1. Income . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

2. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

3. Filing for Other Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

4. Eligibility Issues for Residents of Public Institutions or Medical Facilities . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

5. Personal Needs Allowance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

6. Deeming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

a. Spouse-to-Spouse Deeming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

b. Parent-to-Child Deeming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

c. Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION . . . . . . . . . 14

1. Earned Income Exclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

2. Impairment-Related Work Expense Exclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

3. Work Expenses of the Blind Exclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

4. Student Earned Income Exclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

5. Plan to Achieve Self-Support. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

6. Special Provisions for Disabled People Who Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

7. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

8. Expedited Reinstatement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

F. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SSI PROGRAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

1. Application Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

2. Determination of Eligibility for Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

3. Payment of Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

4. Ensuring Continued Eligibility for Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

5. Representative Payees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

6. Appeal Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

7. Fees for Attorneys and Non-attorney Representatives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

8. Advance Payments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

a. Emergency Advance Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

b. Presumptive Disability or Blindness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

G. STATE SUPPLEMENTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

1. Optional State Supplementary Payment Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

2. Mandatory State Supplementary Payment Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

3. Administration of State Supplementary Payments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

4. Passalong Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
(VIII)

H. COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

1. Windfall Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

2. Medicaid Determinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

3. Food Stamp Applications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

4. Interim Assistance Reimbursement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

IV. ESTIMATES OF PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND FEDERAL EXPENDITURES

UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, 2008-32 . . . . . . . . . 26

A. DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

B. NUMBERS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE SSI PROGRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

C. FEDERAL PAYMENTS UNDER SSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

D. FEDERAL SSI PAYMENTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT . . 49

E. THE SSI PROGRAM’S SHARE OF SSA’S ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS 

AND BENEFICIARY SERVICES COSTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

V. APPENDICES. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

A. HISTORY OF PROVISIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

1. Basic Eligibility Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

2. Other Eligibility Provisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

a. Citizenship and U.S. Residency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

b. Other Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

c. Drug Addiction and Alcoholism (DA&A). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

d. Institutionalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

e. Vocational Rehabilitation and Treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

f. Continuing Disability Reviews and Eligibility Redeterminations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

g. Deeming of Income and Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

3. Federal Benefit Payments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

a. Windfall Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

b. Proration of Benefit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

c. Retrospective Monthly Accounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

d. Uncashed Checks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

e. Rounding of Payment Amounts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

f. Penalties for False or Misleading Statements or Withholding of Information. . . . . . . . . 62

g. Installment Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

4. Federal Benefit Rates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

5. Exclusions from Income. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

a. General Exclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

b. Special Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

6. Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

a. General Exclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

b. Special Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

c. Transfer-of-Resources Penalties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

7. Presumptive and Emergency Payments and Interim Assistance Reimbursement . . . . . . . . 72

a. Presumptive Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

b. Emergency Advance Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

c. Interim Assistance Reimbursement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

8. Medicaid Eligibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

9. State Supplementation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

10. Overpayment Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

B. INCOME AND RESOURCE EXCLUSIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

1. Earned Income Exclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

2. Unearned Income Exclusions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
(IX)

3. Resource Exclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

C. HISTORICAL ALLOWANCE DATA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

1. Technical Notes on the Disability Research File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

2. General Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

D. HISTORICAL REDETERMINATION AND CONTINUING DISABILITY REVIEW DATA 88

1. Redeterminations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

2. Continuing Disability Reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION . . . . . . . . . 97

1. Work Incentives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

a. Numbers of Participants in Work Incentive Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

b. Average Earnings of Participants in Work Incentive Programs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

2. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

F. INVOLVEMENT OF SSI RECIPIENTS IN OTHER PROGRAMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

G. RESEARCH ON RELATED TOPICS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

1. Ongoing Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

a. SSI Policy Simulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

b. National Survey of SSI Children and Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

c. Analytic Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

d. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

e. Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

f. Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

g. Disability Program Navigators (DPNs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

2. Bibliography of Recent Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

H. GLOSSARY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

ADDITIONAL STATEMENT BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD

(XI)

TABLES

III.H1 SSI State Supplementation and Coordination with Other Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

IV.A1 Historical and Projected Social Security Area Population based on the 

Intermediate Assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report, as of July 1, 1974-2032. . . . 27

IV.A2 SSI Federal Benefit Rate Increases and Levels: Historical and Projected on the Basis of

the Intermediate Assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report, 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . 28

IV.B1 SSI Federally-Administered Applications, Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

IV.B2 SSI Federally-Administered New Recipients, Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

IV.B3 SSI Federally-Administered Terminations Due to Death, Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . . . 35

IV.B4 SSI Federally-Administered Terminations Due to Reasons Other Than Death,

Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

IV.B5 SSI Federally-Administered Terminations for All Reasons, Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . 37

IV.B6 SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as of December, 1974-2032 38

IV.B7 SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as a Percentage of 

Selected Social Security Area Population Totals, as of December, 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

IV.B8 SSI Recipients with Federally-Administered State Supplementary Benefits Only,

in Current-Payment Status as of December, 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

IV.B9 SSI Recipients with Federally-Administered Benefits in Current-Payment Status 

as of December, 1974-2032. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

IV.C1 SSI Federal Payments in Current Dollars, Calendar Years 1974-2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

IV.C2 SSI Federal Payments in Current Dollars, Fiscal Years 1978-2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

IV.C3 SSI Federal Payments in Constant 2008 Dollars, Calendar Years 1974-2032 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

IV.C4 SSI Federally-Administered State Supplementary Payments in Current Dollars, 

Calendar Years 1974-2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

IV.D1 SSI Federal Payments as a Percentage of GDP, Calendar Years 1974-2032. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

IV.E1 Selected SSI Costs, Fiscal Years 1978-2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

V.A1 Federal Benefit Rates Set by Legislation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

V.C1 Disabled Adult Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing and Level of Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

V.C2 Disabled Child Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing and Level of Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

V.D1 SSI Redeterminations Completed, Fiscal Years 1986-2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

V.D2 SSI Disabled Adult Reviews: Disposition of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by

Fiscal Year of Initial Decision and Level of Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

V.D3 SSI Disabled Child Reviews: Disposition of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by

Fiscal Year of Initial Decision and Level of Decision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
(XII)

V.E1 SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Working Recipients as of 

December, 1987-2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

V.E2 SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Individuals with SSI Recipient

Status Participating in Other Work Incentives as of December, 1990-2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

V.E3 Average Monthly Earnings of SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Working

Recipients, as of December, 1987-2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

V.E4 Vocational Rehabilitation Reimbursement Claims Allowed, Fiscal Years 1987-2007 . . . . . . . 102

V.F1 Percentage of SSI Federally-Administered Recipients in Current-Payment Status with

Participation in Selected Programs Based on SSA Administrative Records, 

December, 2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
(XIII)

FIGURES

IV.B1 SSI Federally-Administered Applications by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035 . . . . . . 32

IV.B2 SSI Federally-Administered New Recipients by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035 . . . . 34

IV.B3 SSI Federally-Administered Terminations by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035 . . . . . . 38

IV.B4 SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status, by Age Group, 

as of December, 1975-2035. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

IV.B5 SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as a Percentage of 

Selected Social Security Area Population Age Groups, as of December, 1975-2035 . . . . . . . 41

IV.C1 SSI Federal Payments, by Age Group, in Constant 2008 Dollars, Calendar Years 1975-2035 46

IV.D1 SSI Federal Payments, by Age Group, as a Percentage of GDP, Calendar Years 1975-2035. . 49

V.E1 SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Working Recipients 

as of December, 1987-2007. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
.
1

I. INTRODUCTION

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program was established by Congress in 1972, with payments

beginning in January 1974. It is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSI replaced

the former Federal-State programs of Old-Age Assistance (OAA), Aid to the Blind (AB), and Aid to the

Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD) in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Residents of the

Northern Mariana Islands became eligible for SSI in January 1978.

Under the SSI program, each eligible person living in his/her own household and having no other countable income is provided in 2008 a monthly Federal cash payment of $637 ($956 for a couple if both members are eligible). Since 1975, these Federal SSI benefit rates have been increased by applying the same

cost-of-living adjustment that has been applied to benefits under the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability

Insurance (OASDI) program. In addition to setting a Federal benefit standard, the legislation establishing

SSI also permitted individual States to supplement the Federal payment with an additional monthly

amount. As described in section III, these State supplementary payments can be either voluntary at the

option of the individual States or, in certain cases, mandatory under requirements in effect when the SSI

program began.

Under section 231 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, the

Commissioner of Social Security is required to submit a report on the SSI program to the President and

Congress no later than May 30 of each year. This is the twelfth annual report on the SSI program. The legislative mandate requires that the report include:

 • A comprehensive description of the SSI program;

 • Historical and current data relating to (1) claims intake and dispositions at all levels of decision making; (2) demographic information about recipients, including program cost and prior enrollment in

other public benefit programs; (3) redeterminations, continuing disability reviews, and utilization of

work incentives; (4) administrative costs; and (5) State supplementation program operations; 

 • 25-year projections of future participation rates and program costs; 

 • A historical summary of statutory changes to title XVI of the Social Security Act; and

 • Summaries of any relevant research on the SSI program by SSA or others.

In addition, the legislation specified that the report may include views of the SSI program by the Social

Security Advisory Board.

Much of the required information is the subject of extensive ongoing research. In responding to each of the

specific requests for information, every effort has been made to provide the best information available at

this time. SSA will continue to make improvements upon such information, in order to provide the President and Congress with the input necessary to effectively manage this important part of our society’s

social safety net.
2008 SSI Annual Report

2

II. HIGHLIGHTS

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program is a nationwide Federal assistance program administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) that guarantees a minimum level of income for needy

aged, blind, or disabled individuals. This section presents highlights of recent SSI program experience, a

summary of important changes to the program in the last year, a discussion of current issues facing the SSI

program, and a summary of the key results from the 25-year projections.

A. RECENT PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

SSI program experience during the past year included the following:

 • During calendar year 2007, 1.9 million individuals applied for SSI benefits based on blindness or disability, an increase of 1 percent over 2006. An additional 143 thousand applied for SSI benefits based

on age, a decrease of 5 percent from 2006. In 2007, 844 thousand applicants were awarded SSI benefits, a decrease of less than 1 percent as compared to the 849 thousand awarded benefits in 2006.

 • On average during calendar year 2007, 7.0 million individuals received Federal SSI benefits on a

monthly basis. This group was composed of 1.1 million aged recipients, 5.9 million disabled recipients, and 68 thousand blind recipients. Of the 5.9 million blind or disabled recipients, 0.8 million

were aged 65 or older. During the year, 7.9 million aged, blind, or disabled individuals received at

least 1 month’s Federal SSI benefit.

 • Federal expenditures for payments under the SSI program in calendar year 2007 totaled $39.5 billion,

up from $37.8 billion in 2006.

 • On average during calendar year 2007, 2.3 million individuals received Federally-administered State

supplementary payments on a monthly basis. This group was composed of 0.6 million aged recipients, 1.7 million disabled recipients, and fewer than 50 thousand blind recipients. During calendar

year 2007, 2.5 million individuals received at least 1 month’s Federally-administered State supplementary payment.

 • State expenditures for Federally-administered supplements, excluding fees for Federal administration,

totaled $4.3 billion in calendar year 2007, up from $4.2 billion in 2006.

 • The percentage of SSI recipients participating in direct deposit reached 58 percent in fiscal year 2007.

SSI recipient participation in direct deposit has increased gradually in recent years after experiencing

a period of sharp growth when it more than doubled from 24 percent in 1995 to 49 percent in 2000. 

 • The cost of administering the SSI program in fiscal year 2007 was $2.9 billion, which was roughly

8 percent1 of total Federally-administered SSI expenditures.

 • In January 2008, 7.4 million individuals received Federally-administered monthly SSI benefits averaging $476. Of these, 7.1 million received monthly Federal SSI payments averaging $445, and

2.3 million received monthly State supplementation payments averaging $156.

1 This percentage is artificially high because fiscal year 2007 expenditures included only 11 months of payments, since the payment due on October 1 of the

fiscal year was paid in fiscal year 2006. If 2007 expenditures had included the usual 12 months of payments, administrative expenses would have been an

estimated 7 percent of payments.
3

2008 SSI Annual Report

B. SSI LEGISLATION SINCE THE 2007 ANNUAL REPORT

Since the 2007 SSI Annual Report was transmitted to the President and Congress on May 30, 2007, the

following legislative changes were made to the SSI program:

Public Law 110-161, enacted December 26, 2007

Provides certain Iraqi and Afghan aliens with special immigrant status, as described in section 101(a)(27)

of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As special immigrants, these Iraqi and Afghan aliens are eligible

for resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to refugees admitted under

section 207 of such Act (admission of refugees in emergency situations) for a period not to exceed 6

months.

Public Law 110-181, enacted January 28, 2008

Provides certain Iraqi aliens who have provided service to the United States with special immigrant status,

as described in section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As special immigrants, these

Iraqis are eligible for resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to refugees admitted under section 207 of such Act (admission of refugees in emergency situations) for a period

not to exceed 8 months.

Public Law 110-185, enacted February 13, 2008

Provides that a credit or refund (rebate) under section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended by

the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, will not be taken into account as income for purposes of SSI, nor considered as a resource during the month of receipt or the following 2 months.

C. CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE SSI PROGRAM

During the past year, the SSI program has continued to ensure that the neediest of aged, blind, and disabled Americans are provided with a minimum-level income for food, clothing and shelter. In administering the program, SSA has continued to respond to those in need—in the field offices, on our 1-800 phone

number, and in the communities—in order to verify that low-income Americans have access to this vital

assistance of “last resort.” In January 2008, for example, SSA verified eligibility and certified payment of

more than $3.7 billion to 7.4 million Federally-administered SSI recipients. 

At the same time, however, the Agency’s ability to manage the labor-intensive SSI program has been

threatened by years of funding shortages. Since FY 2001, SSA’s annual appropriation has averaged about

$150 million less each year than the President’s request. In addition, SSA’s staffing levels are at their lowest since 1972—before the SSI program even began.1 This severe funding shortage and the resulting

decrease in field office personnel may soon threaten SSA’s ability to administer the program.

Delayed Use of Program Integrity Tools

Resource shortages have required the Agency to make difficult choices as to what work gets done and

what work remains undone. Stewardship-related workloads, such as nondisability redeterminations (periodic reviews that verify a recipient’s living arrangement, income, and resources) and continuing disability

reviews (or CDRs—reviews that verify a recipient is still disabled according to Agency rules), have been

1 FY 2008 staffing is nearly 28,000 full-time equivalents (FTEs) below SSA’s historic high of 87,277 in 1978. 
2008 SSI Annual Report

4

steadily cut back in order to maintain frontline services, such as processing initial claims and reissuance of

Social Security cards.

For example, during the period FY 2004 through FY 2007, SSI nondisability redeterminations processed

by the Agency have dropped by over 50 percent—from 2.3 million in FY 2004 to 1.0 million in FY 2007.

Historically, SSA has cited an estimated savings of $7 in program benefits for every $1 spent conducting

additional redeterminations above our base workload volume. Thus, this drop in the number of redeterminations suggests the potential loss of over $3 billion in program dollars (which are general revenue

funds).1 For the FY 2009 President’s budget, actuarial estimates reflect a program savings of approximately $10 for every $1 spent conducting additional redeterminations above our base workload volume.

The revised return on investment ratio provides an even grater rationale for conducting these important

reviews.

During this same period, the total number of CDRs2 processed by the Agency has also dropped by more

than 50 percent—from a high of 1.6 million in FY 2004 to less than 800 thousand in FY 2007. To some

extent the effects of the reduced number of CDRs conducted has been ameliorated by better targeting of

disabled beneficiaries whose medical condition may have improved, but improved processes can only partially mitigate the effects of reduced funding. SSA has historically saved an estimated $10 in lifetime program benefits for every $1 spent conducting CDRs; thus this reduction in CDR processing has potentially

cost the taxpayer significant amounts of SSI program dollars.

Reduced Payment Accuracy

Payment accuracy, as measured by internal quality reviews, is perhaps SSA’s most comprehensive measure of program performance. The SSI program’s accuracy rate has traditionally been relatively high compared to other Federal and State means-tested programs, benefiting from SSA’s organizational culture of

getting the right benefit to the right person at the right time. In 2007, for example, Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) analysis found SSI’s improper payment rate to be less than half as much as exists in

the Medicare fee-for-service, Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), or Medicaid fee-for-service programs.3

However, SSI payment accuracy is also beginning to reflect the strain of years of underfunding. Improper

SSI overpayments are climbing in response to a five-year decline of stewardship-related activities. In FY

2006, the most recent year for which SSA has complete statistics, SSI payment accuracy (measured as percentage free from overpayments) has dropped from 93.6 percent (in FY 2005) to 92.1 percent—a statistically significant change.1 Within the five prior fiscal years, the accuracy rate had never been below 93

percent. 

Decline in Collection Arrangements to Recover Debt

Just as the decreased stewardship focus has increased SSI overpayments, efforts to maintain frontline service have also eroded SSA’s ability to collect this debt. In spite of advancements in systems and methods

used to collect overpayments (such as cross-program recovery of SSI debt from Social Security payments,

reporting to credit bureaus, and Federal tax refund offsets), lessened funding of SSI’s debt collection activity has led to decreased percentages of debt in payment arrangements. Over the past five fiscal years

(FY 2003–FY 2007) the percentage of SSI debt SSA is actively recovering has dropped from a high of 55

percent in FY 2003 to a low of 52 percent in FY 2007.1

1 FY 2003 – FY 2007 performance data on CDRs, redeterminations, payment accuracy, and debt collection is from SSA’s Performance and Accountability

Report, November 2006 and November 2007.

2 The number of these CDRs involving SSI benefits dropped by more than 60 percent from FY 2004 to FY 2007.

3 Office of Management and Budget report, Improving the Accuracy and Integrity of Federal Payments, January 31, 2008. Medicaid fee-for-service

improper payments were rated at 23.5 percent of total payments. For EITC, the error rate was 30.6 percent, and for Medicare fee-for-service, 19.6 percent.

OMB rated SSI improper payments at 7.4 percent of total payments. 
5

2008 SSI Annual Report

Ongoing Challenges

As disturbing as these administrative trends appear, they are only one element of a funding and demographic challenge that faces SSA as a whole. A growing beneficiary base, combined with limited funding

and the smallest Agency workforce in more than 30 years, have stretched SSA’s resources to their limits.

Over the next two decades, nearly 80 million Americans will become eligible for Social Security benefits—more than 10,000 per day. Adding to this challenge, SSA has already absorbed substantial non-core

workloads resulting from the Medicare Modernization Act, and will possibly be tasked with significant

new work under various immigration proposals pending with the Congress. Against this backdrop, SSA is

also struggling to reduce the huge disability hearing backlog that has resulted from years of underfunding. 

These problems will require creative solutions, and SSA is committed to working with the Congress and

the Executive Branch in order to find them. SSA initiatives to manage larger workloads with fewer

resources include:

 • Expanded telephone service – Over the past decade, SSA has expanded automated services to efficiently serve the public. These upgrades have allowed nearly 17 million calls per year to be addressed

solely through automation, freeing live telephone agents to address more complex questions. 

 • Increased Internet capability – SSA continues to expand and simplify online services, allowing

beneficiaries to conduct more business from our SocialSecurity.gov website. During FY 2007, SSA

received nearly 2.9 million transactions via the Internet. This increased access pattern has continued

into the present year, with the first quarter of FY 2008 showing a 23 percent growth in Internet transactions as compared to the first quarter of FY 2007.

 • Improved automation of workloads – SSA software enhancements have continued to reduce the

percentage of claims and post-entitlement work that must be manually processed. For example, processing of SSI redeterminations and CDRs has become less labor intensive with the development of

specific programs that generate required forms, track workloads, and automate systems inputs.

However, while productivity improvements are a part of the solution, there are limitations to gains that can

be realized through automation. The simple truth is that SSA requires a certain level of resources to operate effectively. Because of SSA’s large infrastructure (including over 1,400 field and hearings offices in

cities and towns across America), mandatory cost increases such as rent, guards, postage, pay raises, and

employee benefits require a minimum administrative budget increase every year of at least $400 million—

far greater than what the Agency has received in recent years.

Conclusion

The SSI program has served as a vital safety net to millions of Americans for over 30 years, and the need

for such last-resort assistance is unlikely to change in the coming decades. Because of the sheer amount of

program outlays from general revenues, SSA considers proper oversight of this means-tested benefit to be

critical. However, we are already seeing signs of how this stewardship can deteriorate in an environment

where insufficient resources force the Agency to choose between payment timeliness and accuracy. 

SSA remains dedicated to the most efficient and effective SSI administration possible. However, it must

be acknowledged that, as a nation, we need to make difficult decisions as to our priorities. Given the

proper resources, SSA can continue to maintain the high level of SSI payment accuracy that legislators

and the public expect from us. But without this investment, administration of the SSI program will likely

suffer from the ongoing imbalance between Agency resources and workload demands.
2008 SSI Annual Report

6

D. KEY RESULTS FROM THE 25-YEAR PROJECTIONS

The major findings in the 25-year projections prepared for this report are summarized below:

 • Following small declines in the SSI recipient population in the late 1990s due to the combined impact

of Public Law 104-121 and Public Law 104-193, modest growth in the SSI rolls resumed in 2000, and

is expected to continue throughout the projection period largely due to the growth in the U.S. population. By 2032, the Federal SSI recipient population is estimated to reach 9.5 million. Expressed as a

percentage of the total U.S. population, the number of Federal SSI recipients is projected to increase

slightly from 2.28 percent of the population in 2007 to 2.53 percent by 2032 due largely to the changing age distribution of the population. 

 • Federal expenditures for SSI payments in calendar year 2008 are estimated to increase by $2.3 billion

to $41.8 billion, an increase of 5.7 percent from 2007 levels. In constant 2008 dollars, SSI program

outlays are projected to increase to $55.4 billion in 2032, a real increase of 1.2 percent per year. 

 • When compared to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Federal SSI expenditures are projected to

decline over time, from the current level of 0.29 percent of GDP in 2007 to 0.25 percent of GDP by

2032.
7

2008 SSI Annual Report

III. THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM 

This section presents a brief history and comprehensive description of the SSI program. This section also

includes information on the administration of the program and coordination with other programs.

A. BACKGROUND

Federal entitlement programs for the aged, blind, or disabled have their roots in the original Social Security Act of 1935. That Act established an old-age social insurance program to be administered by the Federal Government and an old-age means-tested assistance program to be administered by the States. Similar

programs for the blind or disabled were added to the Act in later years. Means-tested assistance provided a

safety net for individuals who were either ineligible for Social Security or whose benefits could not provide a basic level of income.

This means-tested assistance comprised three separate programs—Old-Age Assistance (OAA), Aid to the

Blind (AB), and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD). Despite substantial Federal financing, these programs were essentially State programs. Federal law established only broad guidelines for

assistance. The Federal Government provided matching funds to support whatever payment levels the

States established, with no maximum or minimum standards. Consequently, each State was responsible for

setting its own standards for determining who would get assistance and how much they would receive.

Beginning in the early 1960s, this State-operated, Federally-assisted welfare system drew criticism that

was directed at the “crazy quilt” eligibility requirements and payment levels. Other criticism centered on

specific requirements, such as lien laws and provisions that required certain relatives to bear responsibility

for the maintenance of needy family members.

Responding to these concerns, Congress passed and the President approved the SSI program in 1972,

reversing the Federal and State roles with regard to adult assistance. Under the new arrangement, SSI

would provide a uniform Federal income floor while optional State programs supplemented that floor. The

new program was historic in that it shifted from the States to the Federal Government the responsibility for

determining who would receive assistance and how much assistance they would receive. 

B. THE BASIC PLAN

The main objective of the SSI program is to provide the basic financial support of needy aged, blind, or

disabled individuals. Congress designed the SSI program based on the following principles:

 • Eligibility requirements and benefit standards that are nationally uniform and eligibility determinations based on objective criteria;

 • An assistance source of last resort for the aged, blind, or disabled whose income and resources are

below specified levels;

 • Incentives and opportunities for those recipients able to work or to be rehabilitated that would enable

them to reduce their dependency on public assistance;

 • An efficient and economical method of providing assistance;

 • Inducements to encourage States to provide supplementation of the basic Federal benefit and protection for former recipients of State adult assistance programs who were converted to the SSI program;

and
2008 SSI Annual Report

8

 • Appropriate coordination of the SSI program with the food stamp, medical assistance, and other programs.1

C. UNIFORM STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA

Prior to the SSI program, the eligibility of aged, blind, or disabled individuals for Federally-funded adult

assistance depended on the State in which they lived. Benefit amounts varied from State to State. The SSI

program replaced the State-run programs with a national program with uniform standards and objective

eligibility criteria. These standards include:

 • A uniform limitation on the dollar amount or value of income and resources that an individual can

have and still qualify for SSI assistance. The countable income limits for individuals and couples are

equal to their respective Federal benefit rates2 and hence are increased annually according to changes

in the cost of living. Effective January 1, 2008, the Federal benefit rate is $637 a month for individuals and $956 a month for couples. The resource limit is $2,000 in countable resources for individuals

and $3,000 for couples.

 • A uniform standard of 65 as the minimum age requirement for assistance based on age.

 • A uniform definition of disability and blindness. The definitions for individuals age 18 or older are

the same as those used for the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. In order to be

considered disabled, an individual must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment

which is expected to last or has lasted at least 12 continuous months or is expected to result in death

and (1) if age 18 or older, prevents him/her from doing any substantial gainful activity3 or (2) if under

age 18, results in marked and severe functional limitations. However, individuals for whom addiction

to drugs or alcoholism is a contributing factor material to the determination of their disabilities are not

eligible for benefits. In order to be considered blind, an individual must have central visual acuity of

20/200 or less in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens or have tunnel vision of 20 degrees or

less.

 • Uniform standards for citizenship and residency. In order to be eligible for SSI, an individual

must be a citizen (or national) of the United States, an American Indian born in Canada

who is under section 289 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), an American Indian

born outside the United States who is a member of a Federally recognized Indian tribe under section 4(e) of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, a noncitizen who was

receiving SSI benefits on August 22, 1996, or be a qualified alien in one of the following categories:

 — Certain noncitizens who are blind or disabled and were lawfully residing in the United States on

August 22, 1996;

 — Refugees (eligibility generally limited to the 7-year period after their arrival in the United

States);

 — Asylees (eligibility generally limited to the 7-year period after the date they are granted asylum);

1 For example, as explained in section III.H, SSI recipients in most States are also automatically eligible for Medicaid, which generally provides for their

medical needs.

2 See table IV.A2 for historical and estimated future Federal benefit rates.

3 “Substantial gainful activity” (SGA) is used to describe a level of work activity that is both substantial—i.e., involves the performance of significant

physical and/or mental duties which are productive—and gainful—i.e., performed for remuneration or profit. SGA rules do not apply to the SSI blind. Generally earnings from work activity of over $940 a month is evidence of ability to engage in SGA. If an SSI applicant is earning over $940 a month, he/she

generally would not be considered disabled. However, if an SSI recipient is earning over $940 a month, he/she could continue to be eligible for SSI. (See

“Incentives for Work and Opportunities for Rehabilitation” section III.E.) The SGA level of $940 was increased from $900 effective January 1, 2008 (72 FR

60708). Yearly increases in the SGA level are based on increases in the national average wage index.
9

2008 SSI Annual Report

 — Noncitizens who have had their deportations withheld under section 243(h) of the INA as in

effect prior to April 1, 1997, or who have had their removals withheld under section 241(b)(3) of

the INA (eligibility generally limited to the 7-year period after the date that deportation or

removal is withheld);

 — Cuban and Haitian entrants as defined by Federal statute, including: 1) section 501(e) of the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980; 2) former parolees and other aliens who became residents under the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966; 3) aliens who became permanent residents

under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act; and 4) aliens who became permanent

residents under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act (eligibility for these categories is

generally limited to the 7-year period after the date that entrant status is granted);

 — Amerasian immigrants admitted pursuant to section 584 of the Foreign Operations, Export

Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1988, and subsequent amendments (eligibility generally limited to the 7-year period after their arrival in the United States);

 — Noncitizen active duty Armed Forces personnel, honorably discharged veterans, and their

spouses and dependent children; or

 — Lawful permanent residents who have earned, or can be credited (from their spouses or parents)

with, 40 qualifying quarters of earnings.

Qualified alien status includes noncitizens (or their parents or children) who have been battered or

subjected to extreme cruelty in the United States by a spouse or parent (or a member of the spouse’s

or parent’s family) with whom they live, and who have an approved petition, or have a petition pending, setting forth a prima facie case for adjustment of their immigration status. A complete list of noncitizens who are considered qualified aliens can be found in the Glossary under “Qualified Alien”.

However, to be eligible to receive SSI benefits, these noncitizens also must be in one of the categories

listed above.

In addition, certain noncitizens may be eligible for SSI regardless of their immigration status if they

have been determined to be victims of trafficking in persons in the United States1. Such individuals

are treated for SSI purposes as refugees. That is, they are eligible for SSI for 7 years after a determination is made that they are trafficking victims.

Finally, certain Iraqi or Afghan noncitizens granted special immigrant status under emergency conditions are also treated as refugees for SSI purposes. Unlike trafficking victims, however, Iraqi and

Afghan noncitizen eligibility is time-limited to 6 months (or 8 months for certain Iraqis providing

assistance to the U.S. Government). 

In addition to having to be a U.S. citizen (or national) or in one of the potentially eligible noncitizen

categories, an individual must reside in the 50 States, the District of Columbia or the Northern Mariana Islands. An individual also must be physically present in the United States2 for 30 consecutive

days, if he/she had been outside of the United States for 30 or more consecutive days. There are two

exceptions to the residency and physical presence requirements: 

1 Generally defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services through the use of force, fraud, or

coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery.

2 Fifty States, the District of Columbia or the Northern Mariana Islands.
2008 SSI Annual Report

10

 — Blind or disabled children who are citizens of the United States may continue to be eligible for

payments if they are living outside the United States with a parent who is on duty as a member of

the U.S. Armed Forces. This exception also applies to blind and disabled children of military

personnel who are born overseas, become blind or disabled overseas or applied for SSI benefits

while overseas.

 — Students studying abroad for not more than 1 year also may continue to be eligible for payments

if the studies are sponsored by a U.S. educational institution but could not be conducted in the

United States.

D. ASSISTANCE OF LAST RESORT

As a means-tested program, SSI takes into account all income and resources that an individual has or can

access. The amount of an individual’s countable income and resources are the measure of his/her need for

assistance.

1. Income

The amount of an individual’s income is used to determine both eligibility for, and the amount of, his/her

SSI benefit. As countable income increases, an individual’s SSI benefit amount decreases. Generally, ineligibility for SSI occurs when countable income equals the Federal benefit rate plus the amount of applicable Federally-administered State supplementary payment (State supplementation is discussed later).

The monthly Federal benefit rate1 is reduced dollar-for-dollar by the amount of the individual’s “countable” income—i.e., income less all applicable exclusions. Countable income is determined on a calendar

month basis. The result of this computation determines SSI eligibility and the amount of the benefit payable. These benefit rates are adjusted annually (in January) to reflect changes in the cost of living. 

When an individual lives in the household of another and receives support and maintenance in kind (i.e.,

generally room and board) from the householder, the Federal SSI benefit rate is reduced by one-third in

lieu of counting the actual value of the support and maintenance as unearned income. The value of food or

shelter-related items the individual receives in kind from persons other than the householder (including inkind assistance from outside the household in which he/she lives) is counted as unearned income.2 However, the amount that is countable is limited to an amount equal to one-third of the applicable Federal benefit rate plus $20.

SSI law defines two kinds of income—earned and unearned. Earned income is wages, net earnings from

self-employment, remuneration for work in a sheltered workshop, royalties on published work, and honoraria for services. All other income is unearned including, for example, Social Security benefits, other pensions, and unemployment compensation. The distinction between earned and unearned income is

significant because different exclusions apply to each type of income. 

However, not everything an individual receives is considered to be income. Generally, if the item received

is not food or shelter or cannot be used to obtain food or shelter, it will not be considered as income. For

example, if someone pays an individual’s medical bills, or offers free medical care, or if the individual

receives money from a social services agency that is a repayment of an amount he/she previously spent,

that value is not considered income to the individual. In addition, some items that are considered to be

income are excluded when determining the amount of an individual’s benefit.

1 See table IV.A2 for historical and estimated future Federal benefit rates.

2 SSA simplified the SSI program (70 FR 6340) by generally eliminating clothing from the definition of income and from the definition of in-kind support

and maintenance effective February 7, 2005.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Income Exclusions1

The principal earned income exclusions are: 

 • The first $65 per month plus one-half of the remainder; 

 • Impairment-related work expenses of the disabled and work expenses of the blind; 

 • Income set aside or being used to pursue a plan to achieve self-support (PASS) by a disabled or blind

individual; and 

 • Infrequent or irregularly received income (the first $30 received in a quarter). 

The principal unearned income exclusions are: 

 • The first $20 per month;2

 • Income set aside or being used to pursue a PASS by a disabled or blind individual; 

 • State or locally funded assistance based on need; 

 • Rent subsidies under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs;

 • The value of food stamps; and 

 • Infrequent or irregularly received income (the first $60 received in a quarter). 

2. Resources 

The value of an individual’s resources is used to determine whether he/she is eligible for SSI in any given

month. SSI law states that eligibility is restricted to individuals who have countable resources, determined

monthly, that do not exceed $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple). The law does not define what resources are, but

does stipulate what items are not considered resources.

Regulations stipulate that a resource is cash or other liquid asset or any real or personal property that individuals (or their spouses) own and could convert to cash to be used for their support and maintenance.

This definition is consistent with the general philosophy of the SSI program that only items that can be

used for an individual’s food or shelter should be used in determining his/her eligibility and benefit

amount. Not all resources an individual owns are counted. The value of an item may be totally excluded or

counted only to the extent that its value exceeds specified limits.

If an individual disposes of resources at less than fair market value within the 36-month period prior to

his/her application for SSI or at any time thereafter, he/she may be penalized. The penalty is a loss of benefits for a number of months (up to a 36-month maximum) obtained by dividing the uncompensated value

of disposed-of-resources by the Federal benefit rate plus the maximum State supplementary payment, if

any, applicable to the individual’s living arrangement. The penalty does not apply if, among other things,

the individual can show that the resources were disposed of exclusively for a purpose other than establishing SSI eligibility.

1 A complete list of the SSI income exclusions can be found in section V.B.

2 Any portion of this $20 amount not used to exclude unearned income may be used to exclude earned income.
2008 SSI Annual Report

12

Resource Exclusions1

The principal resource exclusions are:

 • The home and land appertaining to it, regardless of value;

 • Life insurance policies whose total face value does not exceed $1,500;

 • Burial funds not in excess of $1,500 each for an individual and spouse (plus accrued interest);

 • Household goods, if needed for maintenance, use and occupancy of the home, and personal effects;2

 • An automobile, if used to provide necessary transportation;3

 • Property essential to self-support;

 • Resources set aside to fulfill a PASS; and

 • Amounts deposited into either a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or “Assets for

Independence Act” individual development account (IDA), including matching funds, and interest

earned on such amounts.

3. Filing for Other Benefits 

As the “program of last resort,” SSI benefits are provided to eligible individuals only to the extent that

their needs are not met by other sources. That is, after evaluating all other income and resources, SSI pays

what is necessary to bring an individual to the statutorily prescribed income “floor.” In keeping with this

principle, SSI law requires that SSI applicants and recipients file for other payments for which they may

be eligible, such as annuities, pensions, retirement or disability benefits, workers’ compensation, and

unemployment insurance benefits. 

SSA must provide an individual with written notice of potential eligibility for other benefits and of the

requirement to take all appropriate steps to pursue these benefits. The individual has 30 days from receipt

of the notice to file for the benefits involved. 

4. Eligibility Issues for Residents of Public Institutions or Medical Facilities 

State and local governments—rather than the Federal Government—traditionally have taken the financial

responsibility for residents of their public institutions. The SSI program continues this long-standing public assistance policy. People who are residents of public institutions for a full calendar month are generally

ineligible for SSI unless one of the following exceptions applies:

 • The public institution is a medical treatment facility and Medicaid pays more than 50 percent of the

cost of care, or in the case of a child under age 18, Medicaid and/or private health insurance pays

more than 50 percent of the cost of care—in these situations, the SSI payment is limited to $30;

1 A complete and more detailed list of the SSI resource exclusions can be found in section V.B.

2 The $2,000 value limit on household goods and personal effects was removed effective February 7, 2005 (70 FR 6340).

3 SSA also changed the evaluation of automobiles as an excludable resource, effective February 7, 2005 (70 FR 6340). Under the old rules, one automobile

could be excluded (regardless of value) if necessary for employment, medical treatment or essential daily activities. If not excludable under this criteria, one

automobile could be excluded to the extent its current market value did not exceed $4,500. The revised exclusion, applicable to any one automobile used for

transportation, simplifies the evaluation of this resource.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

 • The public institution is a publicly operated community residence which serves no more than

16 residents; 

 • The public institution is an emergency shelter for the homeless (payments are limited to no more than

6 months in any 9-month period);

 • The recipient was eligible under section 1619(a) or (b)1 for the month preceding the first full month in

the public institution and is permitted by the institution to retain any benefits (payable for up to 2

months); or

 • A physician certifies that the recipient’s stay in a medical facility is likely not to exceed 3 months and

continued SSI eligibility is needed to maintain and provide for the expenses of the home to which the

individual will return. In these situations, the recipient may continue to receive the full benefit for any

of the first 3 full months of medical confinement if all other conditions for payment are met.

5. Personal Needs Allowance 

When individuals enter medical treatment facilities in which more than half of the bill is paid by the Medicaid program, their monthly Federal payment standard is generally reduced to $30, beginning with the

first full calendar month they are in the facility. In the case of an individual under age 18, the $30 payment

standard is also applicable if more than half of the bill is paid by private insurance or a combination of

Medicaid and private insurance. The theory behind this provision is that the individual’s basic needs are

being met by the medical facility. In these cases, the SSI program provides up to $30 a month, which is

intended to take care of small comfort items not provided by the institution. 

6. Deeming 

In certain situations the income and resources of others are counted in determining whether an individual’s

income and resources fall below the levels established by law. This process is called “deeming” and is

applied in cases where an eligible individual lives with an ineligible spouse, an eligible child lives with an

ineligible parent, or an eligible noncitizen has a sponsor.2 In concept, the practice takes into account the

responsibility of the spouse, parent, or sponsor to provide for the basic needs of the eligible individual. 

a. Spouse-to-Spouse Deeming 

When an eligible individual lives in the same household with a spouse who is not eligible for SSI, the ineligible spouse’s income and resources are deemed to be available to the eligible individual. In determining

the amount of income and resources available to the eligible individual, all applicable exclusions are used.

In addition, a living allowance is provided for the ineligible spouse, as well as any ineligible children

under age 183 living in the household. The allowance reduces the amount of income to be deemed.

Spouse-to-spouse deeming is intended to result in the same amount of income available to the couple as

would be available if both members of the couple were aged, blind, or disabled and eligible for SSI.

Deeming does not apply when the eligible individual is not living in the same household as the ineligible

spouse. However, if the ineligible spouse’s absence is temporary or is due solely to an active duty assignment as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, deeming would continue to apply. 

1 See section III.E.6 of this report for a description of the special section 1619 provisions for disabled individuals who work.

2 Deeming also applies to an individual who lives with an essential person (a concept carried over from the former State assistance plans). However, there

are fewer than 100 of these cases remaining.

3 Under age 22, if a student, effective June 16, 2008 (73 FR 28033). Previously, under age 21, if a student. 
2008 SSI Annual Report

14

b. Parent-to-Child Deeming 

A child under age 18 is subject to deeming from an ineligible natural or adoptive parent (and that parent’s

spouse, if any) living in the same household. Deeming does not apply if a child lives in a household with

only the spouse of a parent (i.e., a stepparent) and the natural or adoptive parent has permanently left the

household. Certain amounts of the parent’s income are excluded, living allowances are provided for the

parent(s) and an allocation is set aside for each ineligible child under age 18 who is living in the household. Deeming to a child would continue if the parent is absent from the household but the absence is temporary or is due solely to active duty assignment as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. If a child lives in

a household in which all members are receiving public assistance benefits, that child is not considered to

be receiving any support and deeming would not apply. 

c. Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming 

The income and resources of noncitizens are deemed to include those of their sponsors. The way the

income and resources are deemed and the length of the deeming period depend on whether the sponsor

signed a legally enforceable affidavit of support1 or the previous version of the affidavit. Generally, individuals who entered the country before 1998 did so under the old version of the affidavit.2

Under the old version of the affidavit, deeming of the sponsor’s income and resources lasts until the noncitizen has been in the United States for 3 years.3 Living allowances equal to the Federal benefit rate are

provided for the sponsor, and allowances equal to one-half of the Federal benefit rate are provided for each

of the sponsor’s dependents. Allowances are also provided for the sponsor and his/her family members in

determining deemed resources. These allowances reduce the amount of the sponsor’s income and

resources deemed to the noncitizen.

For noncitizens admitted into the United States under a legally enforceable affidavit of support, deeming

generally applies until the noncitizen becomes a U.S. citizen. Deeming ends before citizenship if the noncitizen has earned, or can be credited with, 40 qualifying quarters of earnings. Children and spouses of

workers may be credited with quarters earned by the worker. A quarter otherwise earned after 1996 does

not count as one of the required 40 if the noncitizen or worker received Federal means-tested public benefits during the relevant period. 

Also for this group of noncitizens, deeming does not apply for specified periods if the noncitizens or their

children or parents have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty while in the United States or if

sponsors leave the noncitizens indigent by not providing them with sufficient support. 

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION

SSI benefits provide a basic level of assistance for individuals who are blind or disabled with limited earnings ability due to their impairments. Nonetheless, for recipients who want to work, the SSI program is

designed to encourage and support their work attempts in order to help them achieve greater degrees of

independence. The SSI program includes a number of work incentive provisions that enable recipients

who are blind or disabled to work and retain benefits or to increase their levels of work activity without

the loss of SSI disability status or Medicaid. These incentives provide higher amounts of income or

1 Legally enforceable affidavits of support are required by Public Law 104-208.

2 The Immigration and Naturalization Service now known as the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) began using the new, legally

enforceable affidavits on December 19, 1997. However, if a potential immigrant had a visa issued before that date, the sponsor would sign an old version of

the affidavit even if the affidavit was signed after December 19, 1997.

3 For a temporary period—January 1994 through September 1996—the deeming period was 5 years.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

resource exclusions as recognition of the expenses associated with working or as inducements to seek

rehabilitation services and support for work efforts. 

The SSI program also includes provisions to help disabled beneficiaries obtain vocational rehabilitation

and employment support services. These provisions were revised by legislation establishing the Ticket to

Work program, which is described in section III.E.7.

1. Earned Income Exclusion 

The first $65 ($85 if the individual has no income other than earnings) of any monthly earned income plus

one-half of remaining earnings are excluded for SSI benefit computation purposes. This general earned

income exclusion is intended to help offset expenses incurred when working. It assures that SSI recipients

who are working will be rewarded for their efforts by having greater total income than those who do not

work.

2. Impairment-Related Work Expense Exclusion 

The costs of certain impairment-related services and items that a disabled (but not blind) individual needs

in order to work are excluded from earned income in determining SSI eligibility and benefit amounts. 

In calculating these expenses, amounts equal to the costs of certain attendant care services, medical

devices, equipment, prostheses, vehicle modifications, residential modifications to accommodate wheelchairs and similar items and services are deductible from earnings. The costs of routine drugs and routine

medical services are not deductible unless these drugs and services are necessary to control the disabling

condition. They are paid for by the individual, and they are not reimbursable from another source such as

Medicaid.

3. Work Expenses of the Blind Exclusion 

Any earned income by a blind individual that is used to meet expenses needed to earn that income is

excluded from earned income in determining SSI eligibility and benefit amounts. A deductible expense

need not be directly related to the worker’s blindness; it need only be an ordinary and necessary work

expense of the worker.

Some frequently excluded work expenses include transportation to and from work, meals consumed during work hours, job equipment, licenses, income or FICA taxes, and costs of job training. 

4. Student Earned Income Exclusion 

The student earned income exclusion is an additional exclusion for an individual who is under age 22 and

regularly attending school. It is intended to help defray the cost of educational training. Under current regulations, up to $1,550 of earned income per month but no more than $6,240 per year may be excluded.1

5. Plan to Achieve Self-Support 

A plan to achieve self-support (PASS) allows a disabled or blind individual to set aside income and

resources to get a specific type of job or to start a business. This may involve setting aside funds for education or vocational training. Funds can even be set aside to purchase work-related equipment or pay for

1 Increased from $1,510 and $6,100, respectively, effective January 1, 2008 (72 FR 60705). Under current regulations this exclusion is increased yearly

based on changes in the cost of living.
2008 SSI Annual Report

16

transportation related to the work goal. The income and resources that are set aside are excluded under the

SSI income and resources tests. 

The individual must have a feasible work goal, a specific savings or spending plan, and must provide for a

clearly identifiable accounting for the funds which are set aside. The PASS must be approved by SSA. The

individual must then follow the plan and negotiate revisions as needed. SSA monitors the plans once

approved by reviewing them periodically to ensure the individual’s progress towards attaining the work

goal. 

6. Special Provisions for Disabled People Who Work 

This work incentive generally is referred to by its section number in the Social Security Act, section 1619.

Under section 1619(a), disabled individuals who would cease to be eligible because of earnings over the

substantial gainful activity level can receive special cash benefits as long as they:

 • Continue to have the disabling condition;

 • Have income under the amount which would cause ineligibility for any payment under SSI income

counting rules; and

 • Meet all other nondisability requirements for SSI payment.

In many States, being a recipient of the special benefit permits the individual to be eligible for Medicaid

benefits.

Under section 1619(b), “SSI recipient” status for Medicaid eligibility purposes also is provided to individuals:

 • Whose earnings preclude any SSI payment but are not sufficient to provide a reasonable equivalent of

the SSI, social services, and Medicaid benefits that the individuals would have in the absence of earnings; and 

 • Whose ability to continue working would be seriously inhibited by the loss of social services and

Medicaid benefits. 

To qualify for extended Medicaid coverage under section 1619(b) an individual must: 

 • Have a disabling condition;

 • Need Medicaid in order to work;

 • Not be able to afford equivalent medical coverage and publicly funded personal or attendant care

which would be lost without assistance; 

 • Meet all nondisability requirements for SSI payment other than earnings; and 

 • Have received a regular SSI cash payment in a previous month within the current period of eligibility.

(In some States, the individual must have qualified for Medicaid the month preceding the first month

of 1619 eligibility.) 

In determining whether individuals’ earnings are not sufficient to provide them with the equivalent benefits they would be eligible for if they stopped working, their earnings are compared to a threshold amount

for their State of residence. Section 1619(b) status continues if the earnings are at or below the threshold.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

If earnings exceed the State threshold, an individualized assessment of the need for Medicaid is made and

1619(b) status may continue. 

7. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program

Since the beginning of the SSI program, State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies have provided services to those blind or disabled SSI recipients whom they accepted as clients. SSA has traditionally reimbursed the VR agency for services provided in situations where the services result in the individual’s

working at the substantial gainful activity level for a continuous period of 9 months, and in certain other

limited situations.

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 (“the Ticket legislation”) established a

Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (“Ticket to Work program”) under which a blind or disabled

beneficiary may obtain vocational rehabilitation, employment and other support services from a qualified

private or public provider referred to as an “employment network” (EN), or from a State VR agency. In

addition, the Ticket legislation provided for a new procedure for compensating ENs under an outcome or

outcome-milestone payment system1. By expanding the pool of providers and giving the providers incentives for achieving success, this program seeks to expand a disabled beneficiary’s access to these services

in order to assist the beneficiary in finding, entering, and retaining employment and reducing his/her

dependence on cash benefits. Regulations issued by the Commissioner became effective January 2002.

After being phased in beginning in 2002, the Ticket to Work program has been in operation nationwide

since November 2003. Under this program SSA provides eligible individuals who receive SSI benefits due

to blindness or disability with a Ticket to Work document (“ticket”). These individuals may use the ticket

to obtain the vocational rehabilitation services, employment services and other support services needed to

return to work, or go to work for the first time. The Ticket to Work program provides that as long as the

beneficiary is “using a ticket” as defined by the Commissioner, SSA will not initiate a continuing disability review to determine whether the beneficiary has medically improved. Therefore the beneficiary’s

efforts under the Ticket to Work program to increase self-sufficiency will not be interrupted by a decision

that his/her medical condition has improved. Individuals not eligible for a ticket may still request services

from a State VR agency, which must decide whether they are eligible for services under the Rehabilitation

Act of 1973.

ENs and State VR agencies are the only providers of VR services to disabled SSI recipients that can be

compensated for those services by SSA. All ENs are compensated through the outcome-based system.

State VR agencies are compensated under the traditional VR reimbursement system for those cases where

they have not elected to participate as an EN. Any services provided by the State VR agencies to SSI

recipients who are not yet eligible for a ticket will be compensated under the traditional VR reimbursement system.

Individuals receiving SSI benefits who improve medically and, therefore, are no longer considered disabled or blind can continue to receive SSI benefits if they are actively participating in the Ticket to Work

program, or another approved program of VR services, employment services, or other support services,

and SSA determines that continuation or completion of the program will increase the likelihood that they

will be permanently removed from the SSI rolls. SSI benefits and Medicaid generally continue until the

approved program is completed or until the individual ceases to participate in the program.

1 State VR agencies generally have the option on a case-by-case basis of electing to be paid under an EN payment system or under the traditional cost reimbursement payment system.
2008 SSI Annual Report

18

In 2008, SSA revised the Ticket to Work regulations to enhance beneficiary choice and improve the effectiveness of the program. The revisions extended the program to all adult SSDI and SSI blind or disabled

beneficiaries, removed disincentives for Employment Networks to participate in the program, provided

incentives for them to support beneficiaries through a more gradual return to work and positioned them to

better support ongoing retention of employment.

8. Expedited Reinstatement

A disabled or blind individual whose eligibility for SSI payments ended because of earnings can request

expedited reinstatement of his/her SSI benefits without filing a new application. To qualify for expedited

reinstatement, the individual must make the request within 60 months after his/her eligibility ended and

must have a disabling medical condition that: (1) is the same as (or related to) the disabling medical condition that led to the previous period of eligibility and (2) prevents him/her from performing substantial

gainful activity. In determining whether the individual is disabled or blind, the medical improvement

review standard is applied. Normal nonmedical requirements for SSI eligibility still apply.

An individual requesting expedited reinstatement may receive up to 6 months of provisional benefits while

his/her request is pending. These benefits generally are not considered an overpayment if the request is

denied. Provisional benefits may include Medicaid but do not include any State supplementary payments.

Provisional benefits also may be received by the individual’s spouse at a couple’s rate if the spouse was

previously eligible for SSI as a spouse.

F. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SSI PROGRAM

The framers of the SSI program chose SSA to administer the SSI program because the basic system for

paying monthly benefits to a large number of individuals was already in place in the form of the Social

Security program, and SSA had a long-standing reputation for dealing with the public in a fair and humane

manner.

1. Application Process

Individuals can apply for SSI benefits at any one of the approximately 1,300 SSA field offices around the

country or through SSA teleservice centers. The claims process includes the application interview, the

obtaining of necessary evidence and documentation, and the adjudication of the claim. Although many of

the eligibility requirements for the Social Security program and the SSI program are different, the application process is very similar. Many times, individuals file for benefits under both programs at the same

time.

SSA corroborates information provided by applicants for SSI through independent or collateral sources.

Generally, the basic responsibility for obtaining evidence lies with the claimant, although SSA often gives

advice and assistance on ways to obtain the needed information. Because of the special circumstances of

the SSI population (for example, financial need, old age, or illness), SSA makes special efforts to assist

claimants in obtaining the necessary proofs.

With regard to disability and blindness claims, SSA makes determinations of all of the nonmedical eligibility factors whereas each State’s Disability Determination Services (DDS) makes determinations of the

medical eligibility factors.1

1 The applicant can appeal unfavorable determinations of either the nonmedical or medical eligibility factors. The administrative review process consists of

several steps, which must be requested within certain time periods.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

2. Determination of Eligibility for Benefits

SSI applications have no retroactivity and become effective in the month after the month of filing or the

month after all eligibility requirements are met, whichever is later. Eligibility for benefits is determined on

a current monthly basis. The amount of the monthly benefit generally is determined using income in the

second month preceding the month for and in which the benefit is paid (a method called retrospective

monthly accounting). However, at the start of a period of eligibility or re-eligibility, the benefits for the

first and second months are both determined using the income received in the first month. (One-time, nonrecurring income would only be counted in the month received.)

3. Payment of Benefits

SSI benefits generally are paid on the first day of each month. If the first of the month falls on a weekend

or legal public holiday, benefit payments are delivered on the first working day preceding such Saturday,

Sunday, or holiday. While SSA strongly encourages all SSI beneficiaries to receive their monthly benefits

by direct deposit, benefit payments are also made by check if individuals do not wish to have their benefits

sent directly to a financial institution. Monthly benefit payments include both the Federal SSI and State

amounts if the recipient lives in a State in which SSA administers the State supplementary payment. (See

section III.G.)

4. Ensuring Continued Eligibility for Benefits

SSI recipients are required to have their nonmedical eligibility factors redetermined periodically, generally

every 1 to 6 years depending on their specific situation.

In addition to these nonmedical reviews, medical reviews are conducted on disabled or blind recipients in

order to determine if they continue to be disabled or blind. For administrative efficiency the medical

reviews are done most often on those disabled or blind recipients whose medical conditions are considered

likely to improve. Medical reviews are required for disabled or blind recipients, for example, under the

following circumstances:

 • When earnings of recipients exceed the substantial gainful activity level;1

 • At least once every 3 years for recipients under age 18 whose medical conditions are considered

likely to improve;

 • Within 12 months after birth for recipients whose low birth weight is a contributing factor material to

the determination of their disability, unless the Commissioner determines that the impairment is not

expected to improve within 12 months of the child’s birth; and 

 • Within 1 year after attainment of age 18 and using the adult eligibility criteria, for recipients whose

eligibility for SSI benefits was established under the disabled child eligibility criteria.

Applicants and recipients are required to report events and changes of circumstances that may affect their

SSI eligibility and benefit amounts. Such reports are required, for example, when an individual has a

change in the amount of his/her income or resources, changes living arrangements, or leaves the United

States. Failure or delay in submitting a required report can result in monetary penalties or ineligibility for

SSI benefits.

1 A medical review cannot be initiated while the SSI recipient is “using a ticket” under the Ticket to Work program.
2008 SSI Annual Report

20

The basic “failure to report” penalty is $25 for the first such failure or delay, $50 for the second such failure or delay, and $100 for each subsequent failure or delay. However, in cases of fraud or false representation of material facts, SSA’s Inspector General can assess civil monetary penalties in amounts as large as

$5,000. SSA also has the authority to suspend eligibility to SSI benefits for periods of 6, 12, or 24 months.

Additionally, SSA may use an accelerated rate of overpayment recovery to encourage accurate reporting.

Overpayments to SSI recipients are generally recovered by withholding from the monthly benefit an

amount equal to 10 percent of the individual’s countable monthly income. For many recipients whose only

income is SSI, this amounts to 10 percent of their monthly SSI payment. However, if SSA determines that

misrepresentation or concealment of material information has occurred, 100 percent of the monthly SSI

benefit may be subject to recovery.

5. Representative Payees 

When SSI recipients are incapable of managing their benefits or are declared legally incompetent, SSA

appoints representative payees for them, and their SSI benefits are sent to the representative payees. In

many cases the representative payee is a spouse, a parent, or other close relative who will act in the recipient’s best interest. In some cases, an SSA-approved organization may be appointed and some organizations have been authorized by SSA to collect a fee from the benefit for acting as payee. The fee cannot

exceed the lesser of 10 percent of the benefit amount or a specified amount ($35 a month in 2008 ($68 a

month for disabled recipients who also have a drug addiction or alcoholism condition)).

Representative payees may use an SSI recipient’s benefit only for the use and benefit of the recipient and

must account for all benefits received. Representative payees also are required to report any changes that

may affect SSI recipients’ eligibility and payment amount and may be held liable for certain overpayments

that occur. In cases in which a child is due a retroactive payment that exceeds six times the Federal benefit

rate, the representative payee is required to establish a dedicated account at a financial institution to maintain the retroactive payment. Expenditures from the account must be used primarily for certain expenses

related to the child’s impairment.

6. Appeal Rights 

Recipients must be informed in writing in advance of adverse actions SSA plans to take and must be given

the opportunity to request that their benefits continue while a decision at the first level of appeal is pending. Recipients can qualify for payment continuation when they appeal an adverse action within 10 days of

receiving the advance notice. Slightly different rules apply to medical cessation cases. When appealing

medical cessation cases, individuals may elect to have their benefits continued at both the reconsideration

and hearing levels of appeal.

7. Fees for Attorneys and Non-attorney Representatives

At any time, an individual may appoint a representative in any dealings with the Social Security Administration. If such a representative is an attorney, he/she must be in good standing, have the right to practice

law before a court, not be disqualified or suspended from acting as a representative in dealings with Social

Security, and not be prohibited by any law from acting as a representative. If the individual is not an attorney, he/she must meet qualifications specified by the Commissioner (e.g., be of good character and able to

provide valuable service to claimants).
21

2008 SSI Annual Report

A representative may charge and receive a fee for his/her services, but the Social Security Administration

generally decides how much the fee will be. The representative may request authorization to charge and

receive a fee under either the fee agreement or fee petition process. The fee that may be authorized under

the fee agreement process is currently limited to the lesser of 25 percent of the retroactive payment or

$5,300 1. There is no limit on the amount of the fee that may be authorized under the fee petition process;

under this process a reasonable fee is authorized for specific services provided by the representative. A

representative cannot charge or receive more than the fee amount authorized. The SSI program has traditionally differed from the Social Security program in that amounts could not be withheld from an individual’s SSI benefits to pay for attorney fees. SSI claimants were responsible for paying such fees directly to

their attorneys. However, beginning February 28, 2005, direct payment of attorney fees has temporarily

been extended to the SSI program under the same process and in the same manner as fees are directly paid

in the Social Security program.2 As in the fee process for the Social Security program, attorneys are now

charged an assessment of the smaller of 6.3 percent of each authorized fee withheld or $79. The flat-rate

cap is adjusted based on annual cost-of-living adjustments, rounded down to the next lower dollar. In addition, the Commissioner is conducting a nationwide demonstration project providing for extension of fee

withholding for non-attorney representatives under Social Security and SSI. In order to be eligible to participate in the demonstration project, non-attorney representatives will have to meet specified prerequisites

that include: having a bachelors’ degree or equivalent; having experience in representing claimants before

SSA; having liability insurance; passing a criminal background check; and, passing an examination given

by SSA that tests relevant knowledge of the Social Security Act and recent court decisions. The SSI fee

withholding and direct payment of fees, and the demonstration project provisions, are temporary in that

their authority ends after 5 years.

8. Advance Payments 

The SSI program has provisions which help to respond to the immediate needs of new claimants. These

procedures are in addition to State and local programs designed to help those in need, pending decisions

on their SSI status. 

a. Emergency Advance Payments 

A new claimant who faces a financial emergency, and for whom there is a strong likelihood of being found

eligible, may receive up to 1 month of SSI benefits, the Federal payment amount plus any applicable State

supplement. The amount paid is recovered from later SSI payments (in full from the first payment or in

increments over no more than a 6-month period, depending upon the circumstances). However, if the

claim is subsequently not allowed because of not finding disability or blindness, repayment would be

waived. If the claim is disallowed for other reasons, the amount paid would be an overpayment and processed as such.

b. Presumptive Disability or Blindness 

Up to 6 months’ payments may be made to an individual applying for benefits based on disability or blindness when the available evidence reflects a high degree of probability that his/her impairment will meet

the definition of disability or blindness and he/she is otherwise eligible. These payments are not considered overpayments if the individual is later determined not to be disabled or blind. If the claim is disallowed for other reasons, the amount paid would be an overpayment and processed as such.

1 Fee agreements prior to February 1, 2002, were limited to the lesser of 25 percent of the retroactive payment or $4,000.

2 P.L. 108-203, enacted March 2, 2004, granted temporary extension of the attorney fee payment system to title XVI claims for a period of 5 years.
2008 SSI Annual Report

22

G. STATE SUPPLEMENTATION

In designing the SSI program, Congress recognized that States1, in many instances, would want to provide

a higher level of income maintenance than was available under the Federal program. At the same time

States were given the option either to provide no supplementation to the Federal assistance payments or to

supplement those payments based on their views of the needs of their citizens. Congress also mandated

that States assure that their citizens would not receive lower benefits under the Federal program than they

had under the former State program. The following paragraphs describe the various forms of State supplementation that currently exist. Table III.H1 summarizes State-specific participation in these programs as

well as other programs requiring State and Federal coordination as discussed in section III.H.

1. Optional State Supplementary Payment Programs 

For individuals who first became eligible for SSI in 1974 or later, each State could supplement Federal

payments to whatever extent it found appropriate with respect to the needs of its citizens and resources of

the State. Currently, 46 States have optional State supplementary payment programs.

Some States provide supplementary payments to all individuals eligible for SSI benefits, while others may

limit them to certain SSI recipients such as the blind or residents of domiciliary-care facilities, or may

extend them to persons ineligible for SSI because of excess income. States’ flexibility in setting supplementary payments, however, has been significantly restricted by the passalong provisions (see Passalong

Provisions section below).

2. Mandatory State Supplementary Payment Programs 

States are required2 to maintain the December 1973 income levels of individuals who were transferred

from the former State adult assistance programs to the SSI program in 1974, except for Texas which has a

constitutional bar against mandatory State supplementation. Over the years, many individuals who were

converted to SSI from the State benefit rolls in December 1973 have died and others have had their

incomes increased above the December 1973 level. As a result, there are few individuals who continue to

receive mandatory State supplementary payments.

3. Administration of State Supplementary Payments 

A State may administer its supplementary program or enter into an agreement under which SSA will make

eligibility determinations and payments on behalf of the State. Under State administration, the State pays

its own program benefits and absorbs the full administrative costs. Under Federal administration, States

are required to pay SSA a $9.95 fee for each supplementary payment issued in fiscal year 2008. Fees are

projected to rise in succeeding fiscal years, based on changes in the consumer price index.

States that administer their own supplementary payment programs to title XVI recipients establish their

own eligibility criteria for the supplementary payments. States with Federally-administered programs may

supplement the Federal benefit among a limited number of geographical and living arrangement variations

for title XVI recipients.3

1 References to State include, in addition to the 50 States, the District of Columbia. The applicable State supplementation provisions would also apply to the

Northern Mariana Islands if it began making State supplementary payments.

2 Requirement does not affect West Virginia, since, in 1973, SSI Federal benefit rates exceeded the applicable income standards under the State’s adult

assistance programs.

3 Includes, for this purpose, those eligible for title XVI benefits but for income.
23

2008 SSI Annual Report

4. Passalong Provisions

When the SSI program began in 1974, Congress did not require States to maintain their efforts with regard

to levels of State supplementary payments. However, in 1976 in reaction to States reducing their supplementary payment amounts when SSI payments were increased, Congress mandated that States pass along

SSI benefit increases resulting from cost-of-living adjustments. 

To meet the passalong (or maintenance-of-effort) requirement, a State may either maintain each State payment level from year-to-year—the “payment levels” method—or it may spend the same amount of money,

in the aggregate, that it spent for supplementary benefits in the 12-month period preceding the increase in

the SSI benefit rate—the “total expenditures” method. Currently, 40 States use the levels method and 10

use the expenditure method. West Virginia has no optional supplementary plan and was not required to

establish a mandatory plan because Federal SSI income standards exceeded all payments made under the

State’s adult assistance programs in 1973. 

H. COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS

SSI benefits are not the only form of assistance available to needy aged, blind, or disabled individuals.

Medicaid, food stamps, and temporary State assistance also are important in keeping individuals from sliding further into poverty. SSA plays a limited but important role in helping States with regard to administration of Medicaid and Food Stamp programs, and provisions in the SSI statute ensure that payments made

by States or under the Social Security program are not duplicated by SSI benefits. 

1. Windfall Offset 

If a person receives SSI payments, and is later determined to be entitled to retroactive Social Security benefits, such retroactive benefits are reduced by the amount of SSI payments the person would not have been

eligible for had the Social Security benefits been paid in the month they were due. This process is called

the “windfall offset” and was enacted to prevent windfall payments to individuals when Social Security

and SSI payments were paid for the same period. 

2. Medicaid Determinations 

Generally, SSI recipients are categorically eligible for Medicaid. A State may either use SSI eligibility criteria for determining Medicaid eligibility, or use its own criteria as long as the criteria are no more restrictive than the State’s January 1972 medical assistance standards. Forty States use SSI criteria and 11 States

use eligibility criteria more restrictive than those of the SSI program. 

States also may enter into agreements with SSA for SSA to make Medicaid eligibility determinations on

their behalf, as long as the eligibility requirements of the State’s Medicaid plans are the same as those for

the SSI program. Under these agreements, SSA determines only when an individual is eligible for Medicaid; SSA does not determine Medicaid ineligibility. SSA has Medicaid determination agreements with

33 States. 

Continued Medicaid eligibility is provided for certain Social Security beneficiaries who lose SSI eligibility due to entitlement to Social Security benefits, or due to a change in Social Security benefits resulting

from:

 • Cost-of-living adjustments;

 • Actuarial increases in disabled widow(er)s benefits before age 60;
2008 SSI Annual Report

24

 • Changes in the definition of disability for widow(er)s benefits; or

 • Increases in or entitlement to childhood disability benefits.

3. Food Stamp Applications 

SSI recipients in all States, except California,1 may be eligible for food stamps. Under agreements entered

into by the Secretary of Agriculture and the Commissioner of SSA, Social Security offices notify Social

Security and SSI applicants and recipients of their potential benefits under the Food Stamp program and

make food stamp applications available to them. 

The law also provides for Social Security offices to take food stamp applications from potentially eligible

or eligible SSI households which are not already receiving food stamps and which do not have a food

stamp application pending. Food stamp applications from SSI households may be taken in connection with

initial SSI claims or at the time of a redetermination. Food stamp applicants have the option of applying at

Social Security offices or applying at State food stamp offices if expedited service is required. Social

Security offices forward the food stamp applications and any supporting documents to the local food

stamp offices within 1 day of taking the application. Eligibility is determined by the food stamp office. 

4. Interim Assistance Reimbursement 

SSA may enter into agreements under which States or local governments are reimbursed for basic needs

assistance provided during the period that either an eligible individual’s SSI application for benefits was

pending, or the individual’s SSI benefits were suspended and subsequently reinstated (the interim period).

Under these interim assistance reimbursement agreements, if the individual has given SSA written authorization, SSA first reimburses the State, then pays the remainder in installments to the recipient or his/her

representative payee.2 In certain disabled children cases, SSA pays the remainder in installments into special dedicated financial institution accounts for the children. Thirty-nine States have interim assistance

agreements with SSA. 

1 California “cashes out” food stamps and SSI recipients there receive a cash payment in their State supplementary payment in lieu of food stamps.

2 In those cases where the retroactive benefits are less than a certain amount, SSA sends an individual’s first SSI benefit check relating to the interim period

to the State or local jurisdiction that had provided the interim assistance. The State then deducts the amount it is owed and is required to forward the remainder to the claimant within 10 days. Beginning February 2005, when an authorized representative fee may be paid directly, SSA reimburses the State and then

pays the approved fee. Any remainder will be paid in installments, or the full remainder will be paid to the recipient. This change is a 5-year demonstration

project.
25

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 See body of text for description of the various forms of State supplementation.

2 State has no recipients receiving mandatory minimum State supplementation.

3 Mandatory minimum State supplementation program is Federally-administered. No optional program.

4 Mandatory minimum State supplementation program is Federally-administered.

5 State provides assistance only in initial application cases. No assistance provided during periods that SSI benefits are suspended or terminated. 6 State does not have a mandatory minimum State supplementation program.

Table III.H1.—SSI State Supplementation 1 and Coordination with Other Programs

 United States and 

District of Columbia

Optional State program—

Administered by:

Method of mandatory 

passalong of benefit 

increases from 

cost-of-living adjustments

Medicaid eligibility 

determination—

Interim 

assistance 

reimburseme

nt agreement 

with SSA

Based on: Agreement 

with SSA 

to 

determine 

State eligibility

Federal 

(SSA)

Federal 

& State

“Payment

levels”

“Total

expenditures

”

Federal 

criteria

State

criteria

Alabama 2 * * ** Alaska * * * * Arizona * * * ** Arkansas 3 * * * California 4 * * * ** Colorado * * * * * Connecticut 2 * * ** Delaware 4 * * * * * District of Columbia 4 * ** * * Florida 2 * * * * * Georgia 4 * * * ** Hawaii 2 * * * * Idaho * ** Illinois * * * * Indiana 2 * * ** Iowa 4 * * * * * Kansas 3 ** * Kentucky 2 * * * * * Louisiana 4 * * ** Maine * * * * * Maryland 4 * * * ** Massachusetts 4 * * * * * Michigan 4 * * * * * 5

Minnesota 2 * * * * Mississippi 3 * ** Missouri * * * * Montana 4 * * * ** Nebraska * * * * Nevada 2 ** * * New Hampshire * * * * 5

New Jersey 4 * * * ** New Mexico * * * * * 5

New York 4 ** * * * North Carolina * * * * * North Dakota 2 ** * Ohio 4 * * * * Oklahoma * ** Oregon * * * * Pennsylvania 4 ** * * * Rhode Island 2 * * * * * 5

South Carolina 2 * * ** South Dakota 4 * * * * Tennessee 3 * * ** Texas 6 * * * * Utah 2 ** * * Vermont 2 * * * * * Virginia 2 * ** * Washington * * * * * West Virginia 6 * * Wisconsin * * * * * Wyoming * * **

Total number of States 31 10 5 40 10 40 11 33 39
2008 SSI Annual Report

26

IV. ESTIMATES OF PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND FEDERAL EXPENDITURES

UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, 2008-32

As described in section III, eligibility for payments under the SSI program depends on satisfying a collection of requirements related to the socioeconomic status of the individual, as well as the evaluation of disability or blindness for all persons under age 65, and for certain individuals at ages 65 or older.

Consequently, future SSI program participation and expenditures will depend on a variety of difficult-topredict factors including the performance of national and local economies, distribution of personal

income, the prevalence of disability in the general population, and the determination of disability as

defined in the Social Security Act. Nonetheless, for planning purposes it is important to develop the best

possible projections of future SSI program participation and expenditures.

This section includes projections of program participation and expenditures under the SSI program for a

period of 25 years as required by the provisions of Public Law 104-193 which mandate this report. The

current projection model uses estimates of the general population by single year of age and gender. Transitions into payment status are projected separately for: (1) new recipients resulting from an application for

program benefits and (2) returns to payment status from suspended status. Movements out of payment status are projected separately for (1) terminations due to death and (2) suspensions of payment for all other

reasons.1 The assumptions and methods used in preparing these projections are reexamined each year in

the light of recent experience and new information about future conditions, and are revised if warranted.

The presentation of projection results in the remainder of this section provides SSI recipient information

by selected age groups. Where certain recipient categories have overlapping age distributions, recipient

category totals are also shown.

A. DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS

The estimates of program participation and Federal expenditures presented in this section have been prepared using the intermediate demographic and economic projections developed for the 2008 Annual

Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Federal Disability

Insurance (OASDI) Trust Funds.2 The most significant economic parameter is the Consumer Price Index

for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (hereafter denoted as CPI) 3, which is used for indexing the

SSI Federal benefit rate. Detailed discussion of these demographic and economic parameters is presented

in sections V.A and V.B of the Trustees Report.4 The most significant parameters utilized for the projections presented in this report are summarized in the following two tables. Table IV.A1 presents population

projections summarized for the age subgroups that are used in the presentation of SSI participant projections discussed in the next section. Table IV.A2 presents a complete history of the cost-of-living adjustment factors and Federal benefit rates since the inception of the program, along with projections of such

amounts consistent with the economic assumptions underlying the SSI expenditure estimates discussed in

section IV.C.

As described in section III.D.1, the monthly Federal benefit rate is adjusted in January of each year for all

recipients to reflect the increase in the level of consumer prices (the CPI) generally from the third quarter

of the second prior calendar year to the third quarter of the prior calendar year. This cost-of-living adjustment is identical to the adjustment applied to Social Security benefits under the OASDI program after initial benefit eligibility. In previous years, occasional ad hoc increases were also applied to the Federal

benefit rates, either in place of or in addition to the automatic adjustments. The history of legislation

affecting the Federal benefit rates is presented in table V.A1. 

1 The two main reasons other than death for termination of SSI payments are (1) failure to satisfy income and resource limitations of the SSI program

and (2) recovery from a qualifying disability.

2 House Document 110-104, published April 10, 2008.

3 Historical values of the CPI are developed and published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

4 Ibid, Section V.A, Demographic Assumptions and Methods and Section V.B, Economic Assumptions and Methods.
27

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Age as of last birthday.

Notes: 1. Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

2. Historical data are estimated and subject to revision.

Table IV.A1.—Historical and Projected Social Security Area Population based on the 

Intermediate Assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report, as of July 1, 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Year

Age groups 1

Total

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74 75 or older all ages

Historical data:

1974 .................. 71,044 59,770 36,417 32,792 13,832 8,899 222,754

1975 .................. 70,079 61,731 36,392 33,152 14,137 9,117 224,609

1976 .................. 69,099 63,647 36,504 33,434 14,449 9,387 226,519

1977 .................. 68,199 65,381 36,834 33,712 14,774 9,648 228,548

1978 .................. 67,381 66,988 37,371 33,960 15,119 9,896 230,715

1979 .................. 66,627 68,601 37,982 34,126 15,443 10,167 232,945

1980 .................. 66,060 70,178 38,545 34,256 15,747 10,449 235,236

1981 .................. 65,702 71,436 39,374 34,337 16,036 10,752 237,637

1982 .................. 65,458 72,184 40,767 34,307 16,326 11,076 240,119

1983 .................. 65,335 72,676 42,339 34,229 16,581 11,405 242,565

1984 .................. 65,362 73,059 43,849 34,150 16,815 11,718 244,953

1985 .................. 65,544 73,306 45,371 34,032 17,093 12,029 247,374

1986 .................. 65,814 73,455 46,950 33,880 17,409 12,338 249,846

1987 .................. 66,071 73,559 48,600 33,776 17,701 12,642 252,348

1988 .................. 66,315 73,666 50,286 33,760 17,941 12,947 254,915

1989 .................. 66,710 73,635 52,032 33,829 18,141 13,275 257,622

1990 .................. 67,464 73,265 53,810 33,932 18,358 13,623 260,452

1991 .................. 68,511 72,576 55,598 34,107 18,606 13,957 263,356

1992 .................. 69,610 71,770 57,319 34,511 18,818 14,287 266,315

1993 .................. 70,638 71,007 58,898 35,121 18,971 14,604 269,239

1994 .................. 71,546 70,265 60,487 35,769 19,063 14,913 272,043

1995 .................. 72,302 69,571 62,181 36,360 19,092 15,244 274,748

1996 .................. 72,938 69,036 63,653 37,198 19,059 15,594 277,477

1997 .................. 73,447 68,672 64,645 38,543 18,971 15,944 280,221

1998 .................. 73,817 68,438 65,455 40,054 18,841 16,265 282,871

1999 .................. 74,171 68,324 66,242 41,524 18,697 16,548 285,505

2000 .................. 74,555 68,382 66,865 43,009 18,608 16,866 288,284

2001 .................. 74,933 68,659 67,308 44,542 18,577 17,213 291,231

2002 .................. 75,279 69,074 67,555 46,149 18,593 17,514 294,164

2003 .................. 75,562 69,506 67,632 47,794 18,679 17,777 296,950

2004 .................. 75,842 69,923 67,680 49,499 18,839 18,027 299,810

2005 .................. 76,160 70,335 67,804 51,271 19,061 18,232 302,863

2006 .................. 76,458 70,746 67,855 53,062 19,387 18,330 305,836

2007 .................. 76,673 71,341 67,625 54,771 19,908 18,357 308,675

Projected:

2008 .................. 76,805 72,220 67,151 56,354 20,605 18,355 311,490

2009 .................. 76,916 73,203 66,581 57,938 21,307 18,353 314,299

2010 .................. 77,074 74,154 65,971 59,596 21,916 18,386 317,097

2011................... 77,307 75,025 65,367 61,048 22,701 18,446 319,893

2012 .................. 77,618 75,777 64,844 62,068 23,849 18,541 322,697

2013 .................. 77,997 76,411 64,421 62,927 25,060 18,693 325,508

2014 .................. 78,436 76,919 64,141 63,766 26,175 18,887 328,324

2015 .................. 78,906 77,316 64,096 64,431 27,277 19,116 331,142

2016 .................. 79,384 77,665 64,267 64,861 28,369 19,413 333,959

2017 .................. 79,854 78,008 64,568 65,092 29,404 19,846 336,772

2018 .................. 80,311 78,377 64,889 65,207 30,391 20,402 339,577

2019 .................. 80,795 78,745 65,138 65,283 31,450 20,961 342,371

2020 .................. 81,315 79,063 65,321 65,367 32,613 21,469 345,149

2021 .................. 81,823 79,380 65,526 65,375 33,665 22,137 347,906

2022 .................. 82,298 79,722 65,897 65,147 34,459 23,113 350,637

2023 .................. 82,758 80,038 66,495 64,698 35,182 24,165 353,336

2024 .................. 83,232 80,242 67,264 64,161 35,949 25,150 355,998

2025 .................. 83,710 80,335 68,143 63,593 36,710 26,127 358,619

2026 .................. 84,165 80,411 69,045 63,035 37,412 27,126 361,194

2027 .................. 84,595 80,535 69,863 62,555 38,009 28,161 363,719

2028 .................. 84,998 80,739 70,561 62,169 38,495 29,230 366,192

2029 .................. 85,373 81,021 71,126 61,919 38,842 30,329 368,610

2030 .................. 85,723 81,373 71,549 61,890 38,995 31,442 370,973

2031 .................. 86,051 81,787 71,880 62,062 38,936 32,565 373,280

2032 .................. 86,360 82,231 72,170 62,354 38,718 33,700 375,532
2008 SSI Annual Report

28

1 Increases prior to 1984 were effective for the payment due on July 1 of the year. Increases shown for 1984 and later are effective for the payment due on

January 1 of the year.

2 A concept carried over from the former State assistance plans. There are currently fewer than 100 of those cases remaining.

3 Benefits paid in January, 1974 were based on the Federal benefit rates established by Public Law 92-603, enacted October 30, 1972: $130.00 for individuals; $195.00 for couples; and $65.00 for essential persons. Retroactive payments were subsequently made to adjust initial payments to the higher Federal

benefit rates established by Public Law 93-233, enacted December 31, 1973.

4 Ad hoc increases as specified in the law.

5 Originally determined as 2.4 percent, but pursuant to Public Law 106-554, enacted December 21, 2000, is effectively now 2.5 percent. 6 Benefits originally paid in 2000 and through July 2001 were based on Federal benefit rates of $512.00 and $530.00, respectively. Pursuant to Public Law

106-554, monthly payments beginning in August 2001 were effectively based on the higher $531 amount. Lump-sum compensation payments were made

based on an adjusted benefit rate for months prior to August 2001.

Table IV.A2.—SSI Federal Benefit Rate Increases and Levels: Historical and Projected on the Basis of the Intermediate

Assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report, 1974-2032

Year

Benefit rate

increase 1

Federal benefit rate

Individual Couple Essential person 2

Historical data:

Initial benefit paid January 1, 1974 3............... — $140.00 $210.00 $70.00

1974....................................................... 4 4.3% 146.00 219.00 73.00

1975....................................................... 8.0 157.70 236.60 78.90

1976....................................................... 6.4 167.80 251.80 84.00

1977....................................................... 5.9 177.80 266.70 89.00

1978....................................................... 6.5 189.40 284.10 94.80

1979....................................................... 9.9 208.20 312.30 104.20

1980....................................................... 14.3 238.00 357.00 119.20

1981....................................................... 11.2 264.70 397.00 132.60

1982....................................................... 7.4 284.30 426.40 142.50

1983....................................................... 4 7.0 304.30 456.40 152.50

1984....................................................... 3.5 314.00 472.00 157.00

1985....................................................... 3.5 325.00 488.00 163.00

1986....................................................... 3.1 336.00 504.00 168.00

1987....................................................... 1.3 340.00 510.00 170.00

1988....................................................... 4.2 354.00 532.00 177.00

1989....................................................... 4.0 368.00 553.00 184.00

1990....................................................... 4.7 386.00 579.00 193.00

1991....................................................... 5.4 407.00 610.00 204.00

1992....................................................... 3.7 422.00 633.00 211.00

1993....................................................... 3.0 434.00 652.00 217.00

1994....................................................... 2.6 446.00 669.00 223.00

1995....................................................... 2.8 458.00 687.00 229.00

1996....................................................... 2.6 470.00 705.00 235.00

1997....................................................... 2.9 484.00 726.00 242.00

1998....................................................... 2.1 494.00 741.00 247.00

1999....................................................... 1.3 500.00 751.00 250.00

2000....................................................... 5 2.5 6 513.00 769.00 257.00

2001....................................................... 3.5 6 531.00 796.00 266.00

2002....................................................... 2.6 545.00 817.00 273.00

2003....................................................... 1.4 552.00 829.00 277.00

2004....................................................... 2.1 564.00 846.00 282.00

2005....................................................... 2.7 579.00 869.00 290.00

2006....................................................... 4.1 603.00 904.00 302.00

2007....................................................... 3.3 623.00 934.00 312.00

2008....................................................... 2.3 637.00 956.00 319.00

Projected:

2009....................................................... 2.7 654.00 982.00 328.00

2010....................................................... 2.5 671.00 1,006.00 336.00

2011....................................................... 2.8 690.00 1,034.00 345.00

2012....................................................... 2.8 709.00 1,063.00 355.00

2013....................................................... 2.8 729.00 1,093.00 365.00

2014....................................................... 2.8 749.00 1,124.00 375.00

2015....................................................... 2.8 770.00 1,155.00 386.00

2016....................................................... 2.8 792.00 1,188.00 396.00

2017....................................................... 2.8 814.00 1,221.00 408.00

2018....................................................... 2.8 837.00 1,255.00 419.00

2019....................................................... 2.8 860.00 1,290.00 431.00

2020....................................................... 2.8 884.00 1,326.00 443.00

2021....................................................... 2.8 909.00 1,364.00 455.00

2022....................................................... 2.8 934.00 1,402.00 468.00

2023....................................................... 2.8 961.00 1,441.00 481.00

2024....................................................... 2.8 988.00 1,481.00 495.00

2025....................................................... 2.8 1,015.00 1,523.00 509.00

2026....................................................... 2.8 1,044.00 1,566.00 523.00

2027....................................................... 2.8 1,073.00 1,609.00 537.00

2028....................................................... 2.8 1,103.00 1,654.00 552.00

2029....................................................... 2.8 1,134.00 1,701.00 568.00

2030....................................................... 2.8 1,166.00 1,748.00 584.00

2031....................................................... 2.8 1,198.00 1,797.00 600.00

2032....................................................... 2.8 1,232.00 1,848.00 617.00
29

2008 SSI Annual Report

Estimates presented in the sections that follow are based on the demographic and economic parameters

described in this section. For the purpose of making these estimates, it is assumed that no changes will occur

during the projection period in the present statutory provisions and regulations under which the SSI program

operates.
2008 SSI Annual Report

30

B. NUMBERS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE SSI PROGRAM

This section presents projections of the numbers of persons receiving Federal SSI payments by category

and age group.1 SSI recipients are categorized as (1) aged or (2) blind or disabled. The following paragraphs discuss the age groupings and recipient categories in more detail.

 • The aged category includes those individuals whose eligibility for SSI benefits is established based

on meeting the age-652-or-older requirement, and other SSI eligibility requirements including income

and resource limits. In December 2007, there were 1.205 million aged recipients of Federally-administered SSI payments. 

 • The blind or disabled category includes those individuals whose eligibility is established based on

meeting the definition of blindness or disability and the applicable income and resource limits as well

as any other SSI eligibility requirements. This category is often subdivided into two subcategories

based on age: blind or disabled adults (age 18 or older) and blind or disabled children (under age 18).

In December 2007, there were 6.155 million blind or disabled recipients of Federally-administered

SSI payments. 

 — The blind or disabled adults subcategory includes those individuals age 18 or older who meet

the definition of blindness or disability for individuals age 18 or older and SSI income and

resource limits. Included in this category are students age 18 to 21 who must meet the adult definition of disability and differ from other adults only in that they qualify for a special student

earned income exclusion. After attainment of age 65, these individuals generally continue to be

classified as blind or disabled adults (rather than aged). In December 2007, there were 5.034 million blind or disabled recipients of Federally-administered SSI payments age 18 or older, including 7 thousand students who used the special student earned income exclusion and 812 thousand

disabled or blind recipients age 65 or older.

 — The blind or disabled children subcategory includes those individuals whose eligibility is established based on meeting the definition of blindness or disability for individuals under age 18.

These children are subject to parent-to-child deeming until they reach the age of 18. At age 18

these individuals continue to be eligible for SSI if they meet the definition of blindness or disability for individuals age 18 or older as well as other eligibility criteria and, as a result, are

reclassified as blind or disabled adults. In December 2007, there were 1.121 million blind or disabled recipients of Federally-administered SSI payments who were under age 18.

Table IV.B1 presents historical and projected numbers of persons applying for SSI benefits, by calendar

year of application. Figure IV.B1 presents the same information in graphical form. Recent historical data

indicate that applications have grown fairly rapidly beginning in calendar year 2002, and that this growth

continued through calendar year 2005. The rate of growth in applications, however, slowed significantly in

2005 and 2006, and for the 2007 Annual Report we projected a slight decline in the numbers of applications for calendar year 2007. The actual result for 2007 represented an increase relative to the number that

was estimated last year, with the numbers of applications for 2007 coming in 1.9 percent higher than was

estimated in the 2007 Annual Report.

1 Recipient flows are projected on a calendar-year-age basis, with activity throughout a given year tabulated according to age at the end of the calendar

year. Tabulations of recipients in current-payment status are provided as of December of each calendar year at which time calendar year of age and age last

birthday are the same. However, the tabulations that reflect activity throughout the calendar year are summarized according to calendar year of age and will

not correspond precisely to tabulations summarized according to age last birthday. For example, applications for the 0-17 age group for a given calendar year

include applications only for those individuals who are under 18 at the end of the calendar year.

2 Individuals may apply for SSI benefits based on age as of the day preceding their 65th birthday.
31

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Based on data reported in the Integrated Workload Management System (formerly known as the District Office Workload Report).

2 “All” column estimated by the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics using a 10-percent sample and published in the SSI Annual Statistical

Report.

3 Includes conversions from State programs and applications received in 1973.

4 Estimated totals revised from prior SSI Annual Reports.

5 Fewer than 500.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.B1.—SSI Federally-Administered Applications,1 Calendar Years 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Calendar year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 2, 3 .. 125 590 626 1,303 158 20 1,434 1,496 2,822 2,931 5,752

1975 2, 4 .. 94 276 258 443 15 5/ 238 145 1,086 382 1,468

1976 ......... 82 260 250 384 8 5/ 175 80 984 254 1,239

1977 ......... 100 286 246 401 7 1 174 84 1,040 259 1,298

1978 ......... 94 276 256 413 7 5/ 170 88 1,046 258 1,304

1979 ......... 106 282 268 426 7 5/ 178 84 1,090 262 1,352

1980 ......... 122 310 272 438 8 1 187 89 1,151 276 1,427

1981 ......... 78 206 173 271 5 5/ 88 42 733 130 864

1982 ......... 88 246 206 278 11 1 93 48 830 141 971

1983 ......... 102 258 225 311 5 1 122 68 902 190 1,092

1984 ......... 103 267 247 321 7 5/ 178 108 944 286 1,230

1985 ......... 114 294 297 409 7 5/ 151 73 1,122 223 1,345

1986 ......... 122 316 334 426 7 1 150 81 1,205 231 1,437

1987 ......... 108 287 299 331 7 1 134 66 1,033 200 1,233

1988 ......... 114 282 301 317 7 1 131 69 1,021 200 1,221

1989 ......... 116 297 323 329 7 5/ 146 76 1,072 222 1,294

1990 ......... 149 335 380 356 6 5/ 156 71 1,226 227 1,454

1991 ......... 237 391 453 391 7 5/ 159 68 1,479 227 1,706

1992 ......... 339 453 522 407 8 5/ 163 64 1,728 226 1,955

1993 ......... 473 506 570 416 7 5/ 158 61 1,973 218 2,191

1994 ......... 517 492 571 402 6 5/ 136 52 1,989 188 2,177

1995 ......... 473 435 524 363 6 5/ 121 44 1,801 165 1,966

1996 ......... 431 393 500 345 9 1 108 44 1,678 153 1,831

1997 ......... 306 317 438 307 8 1 82 35 1,377 117 1,494

1998 ......... 318 317 453 331 9 1 96 39 1,428 136 1,563

1999 ......... 338 317 470 336 6 5/ 107 39 1,468 145 1,614

2000 ......... 337 321 486 341 6 5/ 102 39 1,493 140 1,633

2001 ......... 351 346 502 354 4 5/ 98 35 1,558 134 1,691

2002 ......... 385 388 550 384 4 5/ 105 38 1,711 142 1,853

2003 ......... 400 404 565 408 4 5/ 100 36 1,781 135 1,916

2004 ......... 420 438 604 452 4 5/ 101 37 1,919 138 2,057

2005 ......... 429 439 604 477 5 5/ 112 44 1,954 156 2,110

2006 ......... 415 437 584 484 4 5/ 109 41 1,925 150 2,075

2007 ......... 421 442 578 502 5 5/ 105 39 1,948 143 2,091

Projected:

2008 ......... 423 456 577 527 6 5/ 109 38 1,988 147 2,135

2009 ......... 422 457 569 533 5 5/ 114 39 1,986 153 2,139

2010 ......... 420 458 561 540 5 5/ 117 39 1,984 156 2,140

2011 ......... 418 459 555 548 6 5/ 126 39 1,984 164 2,149

2012 ......... 417 459 549 553 6 5/ 135 39 1,985 174 2,158

2013 ......... 419 459 543 558 6 5/ 140 39 1,986 178 2,165

2014 ......... 422 458 540 562 6 5/ 144 39 1,988 183 2,171

2015 ......... 424 458 539 564 6 5/ 149 39 1,992 188 2,180

2016 ......... 427 460 541 565 7 5/ 154 40 1,999 194 2,193

2017 ......... 430 462 543 564 7 5/ 158 41 2,006 200 2,205

2018 ......... 432 464 545 563 7 5/ 163 42 2,012 206 2,217

2019 ......... 435 466 546 563 7 5/ 169 44 2,017 212 2,229

2020 ......... 437 468 546 563 7 5/ 174 44 2,022 218 2,240

2021 ......... 440 470 548 561 8 5/ 179 46 2,027 225 2,252

2022 ......... 443 472 552 558 8 5/ 182 49 2,032 231 2,262

2023 ......... 445 474 557 552 8 5/ 186 50 2,036 236 2,272

2024 ......... 447 474 564 547 8 5/ 189 52 2,041 241 2,282

2025 ......... 450 475 572 541 8 5/ 192 54 2,045 247 2,292

2026 ......... 452 475 579 536 8 5/ 195 56 2,051 251 2,302

2027 ......... 454 476 585 533 8 5/ 196 58 2,056 255 2,311

2028 ......... 456 477 591 531 8 5/ 197 60 2,063 258 2,321

2029 ......... 457 479 595 531 8 5/ 198 62 2,071 260 2,331

2030 ......... 459 482 598 533 8 5/ 196 65 2,080 261 2,340

2031 ......... 460 484 601 535 7 5/ 194 67 2,089 260 2,349

2032 ......... 462 487 604 538 7 5/ 191 69 2,098 260 2,358
2008 SSI Annual Report

32

The fairly rapid growth in applications from 2002 to 2004 was largely attributable to two main factors: (1)

the downturn in the economy that began early in 2001 and (2) the signature proxy process1 introduced by

SSA in June 2004. In the short term, our projections are for the numbers of applications to increase by

2 percent in 2008 and then stay roughly level, with the overall level of applications reflecting a permanent

upward shift due to the signature proxy process. In the longer term, applications are estimated to grow

roughly in line with overall population growth. 

The adjudication of these applications involves an evaluation of levels of income and resources available

to the applicants, as well as other eligibility factors including marital and citizenship status and living

arrangements. In addition, over 90 percent of the applications are for disability benefits which generally

require an evaluation of an alleged impairment by the appropriate State Disability Determination Services.

An unfavorable disability determination may then be appealed by the applicant through several administrative levels of appeal. If all administrative levels of appeal are exhausted, the applicant may in turn carry

his/her appeal to the Federal courts. Data on recent historical experience for this disability decision process are presented in section V.C. 

Table IV.B2 and figure IV.B2 present historical and projected numbers of persons who start receiving SSI

payments as a result of this decision process. Individuals are counted as of the first month that they move

into SSI payment status. For this reason, we refer to these individuals as “new recipients” rather than

“awards.”2 During the 2002 to 2004 period, growth in new recipients did not keep pace with the growth in

applications. From 2005 to 2007, the numbers of new recipients declined even though the level of applications during this period was higher than in the preceding years. There are two important contributing factors to the slower growth for new recipients as compared to applications: (1) since 2001 there has been

 Figure IV.B1.—SSI Federally-Administered Applications by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035

[In thousands]

1 The signature proxy process eases the application process by eliminating the requirement for a signed paper application from SSI applicants filing claims

via the telephone. Previously some portion of those telephone applicants never followed through with a signed paper application. Since the introduction of

the signature proxy process, there has been a significant increase in the numbers of denials where the applicant does not meet the nonmedical criteria.

2 In addition, these counts differ slightly from other similar totals identified as “awards” and published by the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics

(ORES) in the Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. The ORES totals are similar in concept to those used in this report, but differ

slightly due to the timing of the action being tabulated. For example, ORES does not count a disability benefit as being awarded until the disability decision

is made. In contrast, under the procedures used in this report, individuals first coming on the SSI rolls through a finding of presumptive disability would be

counted as a “new recipient” in the first month of presumptive disability payment.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Calendar year

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17

Historical Projected 75 or older
33

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Represents period in which first payment was made, not date of first eligibility for payments.

2 Historical totals estimated based on 1-percent or 10-percent sample data.

3 Totals for 1974 include recipients converted from previous State programs as well as new recipients to the SSI program during 1974. 4 Fewer than 500.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.B2.—SSI Federally-Administered New Recipients, Calendar Years 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Calendar year 1

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals 2

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 3...... 63 390 381 925 141 18 1,211 1,268 1,919 2,479 4,398

1975......... 58 133 105 272 16 4/ 216 131 584 347 931

1976......... 43 105 88 207 9 4/ 147 70 452 218 669

1977......... 48 104 84 184 8 1 140 69 429 209 637

1978......... 43 92 76 154 6 4/ 127 66 370 193 563

1979......... 44 87 62 133 4 4/ 116 53 330 169 499

1980......... 41 92 61 142 4 4/ 125 59 341 184 524

1981......... 37 77 49 106 3 4/ 80 37 272 117 389

1982......... 38 63 51 90 4 4/ 72 31 245 103 348

1983......... 47 88 62 117 3 4/ 95 51 317 146 463

1984......... 47 109 78 142 4 4/ 131 78 380 209 589

1985......... 48 104 80 148 4 4/ 106 46 384 152 536

1986......... 55 127 109 153 5 4/ 110 51 449 161 610

1987......... 48 119 106 157 5 4/ 116 52 435 167 602

1988......... 50 101 108 146 5 1 112 56 412 167 579

1989......... 48 113 115 155 5 4/ 127 62 436 189 625

1990......... 76 136 134 182 5 4/ 149 66 533 215 748

1991......... 126 146 172 200 6 4/ 139 54 650 193 844

1992......... 221 199 221 233 6 4/ 133 48 881 181 1,062

1993......... 235 194 221 225 6 4/ 136 49 881 185 1,066

1994......... 204 164 207 215 6 4/ 116 42 796 157 953

1995......... 177 147 207 218 5 4/ 105 36 755 141 895

1996......... 145 134 193 203 6 1 93 35 681 128 809

1997......... 116 111 171 178 4 4/ 68 25 580 93 673

1998......... 135 117 181 194 7 1 78 30 634 108 742

1999......... 140 114 186 195 5 4/ 88 33 640 120 760

2000......... 145 112 180 191 5 4/ 84 31 633 115 748

2001......... 157 121 185 198 4 4/ 79 28 665 107 772

2002......... 171 128 195 212 4 4/ 82 29 710 111 821

2003......... 180 132 194 214 4 4/ 77 27 724 104 828

2004......... 183 138 202 231 4 4/ 78 27 757 105 862

2005......... 178 131 192 238 4 4/ 81 29 744 111 854

2006......... 175 128 190 243 3 4/ 81 28 739 109 849

2007......... 172 128 186 252 3 4/ 75 27 741 103 844

Projected:

2008......... 180 139 198 274 5 4/ 80 27 796 107 904

2009......... 176 138 193 276 5 4/ 83 27 787 110 897

2010......... 176 140 191 284 5 4/ 87 28 797 114 911

2011......... 176 142 190 289 6 4/ 95 28 802 123 924

2012......... 177 142 187 291 6 4/ 103 28 803 131 934

2013......... 177 141 184 292 6 4/ 106 28 801 134 935

2014......... 177 140 181 291 6 4/ 109 28 795 138 933

2015......... 178 139 180 291 7 4/ 113 29 795 142 936

2016......... 179 140 180 292 7 4/ 117 29 798 146 943

2017......... 179 140 181 292 7 4/ 120 30 799 150 949

2018......... 180 141 181 292 7 4/ 123 31 801 154 955

2019......... 181 141 181 292 7 4/ 127 32 803 159 962

2020......... 182 142 181 291 8 4/ 131 32 804 164 968

2021......... 183 143 182 291 8 4/ 134 34 806 168 974

2022......... 184 143 183 289 8 4/ 137 35 807 172 979

2023......... 185 144 185 286 8 4/ 139 37 808 176 984

2024......... 186 144 187 283 8 4/ 142 38 808 180 988

2025......... 187 144 190 280 8 4/ 144 40 809 184 993

2026......... 188 144 192 278 8 4/ 146 41 810 187 997

2027......... 188 145 194 276 8 4/ 147 42 811 189 1,000

2028......... 189 145 196 275 8 4/ 147 44 813 191 1,004

2029......... 190 146 197 274 8 4/ 147 45 815 193 1,008

2030......... 190 146 198 275 8 4/ 146 47 818 193 1,010

2031......... 191 147 199 275 8 4/ 144 48 821 192 1,013

2032......... 191 148 200 276 7 4/ 142 50 824 192 1,015
2008 SSI Annual Report

34

substantial growth in the number of claims pending adjudication which is consistent with a longer lag time

between application and the allowance decision; and (2) since the introduction of the signature proxy process there has been a significant increase in the number of denials for applications where the applicant

does not meet the nonmedical criteria, causing a permanent downward shift in the allowance rate. However, the number of new recipients is projected to increase in the next 5 years due primarily to the assumption that there will be some reduction in the level of pending claims. After 2012, new recipients are

projected to remain about level for a few years. Over the longer term the numbers of new recipients are

estimated to increase gradually in line with the projected growth in applications.

Some of the persons receiving SSI benefits in a year will be removed from current-payment status during

the year because of death or the loss of SSI eligibility. The loss of eligibility can occur either as the result

of a redetermination of the individual’s nonmedical factors of eligibility, including income and resources,

or due to a determination that he/she is no longer disabled as defined under the Social Security Act, as a

result of a continuing disability review.1 For example, disabled children, upon attainment of age 18, lose

eligibility if they do not qualify for benefits under the disabled adult eligibility criteria. For purposes of

this presentation, we refer to the net reduction in the number of SSI recipients in payment status during a

period as the number of SSI terminations for that period. 

In the following tables, we have separated the numbers of people moving out of payment status into those

leaving due to death (table IV.B3), and those leaving for all other reasons (table IV.B4). Table IV.B5 and

figure IV.B3 present historical and projected numbers of total terminations by calendar year. 

 Figure IV.B2.—SSI Federally-Administered New Recipients by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035

[In thousands]

1 Some historical details on income and resource redeterminations and the results of continuing disability reviews are presented in section V.D. Section V.E

presents information on certain incentive programs intended to encourage disabled SSI recipients to return to work.

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Calendar year

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17

75 or older

Historical Projected
35

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Historical totals estimated based on 1-percent or 10-percent sample data.

2 Fewer than 500.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.B3.—SSI Federally-Administered Terminations Due to Death, Calendar Years 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Calendar year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals 1

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ......... 2/ 3 8 34 7 2 40 97 55 137 192

1975 ......... 1 5 12 35 10 2 39 108 65 147 212

1976 ......... 2 5 9 36 12 1 34 103 64 137 201

1977 ......... 1 5 12 30 15 1 36 101 65 137 203

1978 ......... 2 5 8 34 16 2 31 95 67 126 193

1979 ......... 2 6 9 32 18 2 29 92 67 121 189

1980 ......... 3 5 9 31 22 1 27 100 71 127 198

1981 ......... 3 5 8 31 24 2 21 92 73 112 186

1982 ......... 3 4 8 28 21 2 16 80 65 96 161

1983 ......... 3 6 8 25 21 3 15 79 65 94 158

1984 ......... 3 4 9 29 18 5 13 83 67 96 163

1985 ......... 2 6 10 29 24 6 17 84 77 101 178

1986 ......... 2 8 12 28 22 8 15 83 80 98 178

1987 ......... 3 8 13 30 23 10 15 82 87 97 184

1988 ......... 5 8 14 31 25 12 16 81 95 97 191

1989 ......... 3 8 16 33 23 12 15 78 95 93 187

1990 ......... 4 9 18 36 22 14 16 75 103 92 194

1991 ......... 4 9 20 39 23 17 17 74 112 91 203

1992 ......... 4 11 22 38 22 15 16 69 111 84 195

1993 ......... 6 13 27 41 23 17 16 72 127 88 215

1994 ......... 6 14 27 41 23 17 16 69 127 85 212

1995 ......... 6 13 30 43 24 18 16 65 135 81 216

1996 ......... 7 12 30 44 24 18 16 67 135 83 218

1997 ......... 5 10 24 43 24 19 15 64 127 79 206

1998 ......... 5 9 24 43 25 20 14 64 127 78 205

1999 ......... 5 9 25 45 25 21 13 63 131 76 207

2000 ......... 5 8 27 46 25 21 12 61 132 73 205

2001 ......... 5 8 28 47 25 22 11 60 135 71 207

2002 ......... 5 8 28 49 24 21 11 58 135 70 205

2003 ......... 5 9 28 51 26 21 10 56 138 66 204

2004 ......... 5 8 27 52 25 22 10 56 140 65 205

2005 ......... 5 8 28 54 25 22 9 54 141 63 204

2006 ......... 5 8 27 55 25 22 9 54 143 62 205

2007 ......... 5 8 26 57 25 23 8 54 145 62 207

Projected:

2008 ......... 5 8 25 59 25 22 8 52 145 60 205

2009 ......... 5 9 25 62 26 24 8 52 151 59 210

2010 ......... 5 9 25 65 26 24 8 51 154 59 213

2011 ......... 5 10 24 67 26 25 8 51 156 59 215

2012 ......... 5 10 24 68 27 25 8 51 159 59 218

2013 ......... 5 10 23 70 28 26 8 51 161 59 220

2014 ......... 5 10 23 70 29 26 8 51 163 59 222

2015 ......... 5 10 23 71 30 27 8 50 164 59 223

2016 ......... 5 10 22 71 31 27 9 50 166 59 224

2017 ......... 5 10 22 71 32 27 9 50 167 59 226

2018 ......... 5 10 22 71 33 28 9 50 168 59 227

2019 ......... 5 10 22 70 34 28 10 50 169 59 228

2020 ......... 5 10 22 70 35 29 10 49 169 60 229

2021 ......... 4 10 22 69 36 29 10 50 170 60 230

2022 ......... 4 10 22 68 36 30 10 50 171 61 231

2023 ......... 4 10 22 67 37 31 11 51 171 61 233

2024 ......... 4 10 22 66 38 32 11 51 172 62 234

2025 ......... 4 10 22 65 38 33 11 52 172 63 236

2026 ......... 4 10 22 64 39 34 11 53 173 64 237

2027 ......... 4 10 23 63 39 35 11 54 173 65 239

2028 ......... 4 10 23 62 39 36 11 55 174 67 240

2029 ......... 4 10 23 62 39 37 11 57 174 68 242

2030 ......... 4 10 23 61 39 38 11 58 175 69 244

2031 ......... 4 10 23 61 38 40 11 60 175 71 246

2032 ......... 4 10 23 61 38 41 11 61 176 72 248
2008 SSI Annual Report

36

1 Historical totals estimated based on 1-percent or 10-percent sample data.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.B4.—SSI Federally-Administered Terminations Due to Reasons Other Than Death, Calendar Years 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Calendar year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals 1

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ......... 5 33 34 69 12 2 27 29 154 56 210

1975 ......... 7 50 44 104 15 2 88 91 221 180 401

1976 ......... 11 70 61 139 24 1 107 133 306 240 546

1977 ......... 13 65 56 110 19 1 76 92 265 168 433

1978 ......... 11 64 49 97 18 1 64 86 241 150 391

1979 ......... 12 59 43 96 23 1 58 85 234 144 378

1980 ......... 19 48 43 80 23 1 44 77 214 121 334

1981 ......... 17 43 39 72 21 1 49 86 192 134 326

1982 ......... 19 48 43 79 23 1 50 87 212 137 348

1983 ......... 18 43 36 63 14 1 25 61 175 86 261

1984 ......... 13 51 37 77 21 1 37 60 200 98 298

1985 ......... 11 42 37 68 13 2 23 54 172 77 249

1986 ......... 18 49 47 73 16 3 34 60 206 94 300

1987 ......... 19 51 48 75 17 3 32 57 214 89 302

1988 ......... 19 52 51 74 15 5 33 59 216 93 309

1989 ......... 19 55 52 72 16 4 33 58 218 91 308

1990 ......... 14 52 57 73 17 8 40 68 221 108 330

1991 ......... 20 50 70 84 18 5 33 58 248 91 339

1992 ......... 39 68 94 103 19 8 34 56 329 90 419

1993 ......... 34 73 97 106 22 8 37 55 340 92 433

1994 ......... 41 73 101 107 18 8 32 49 348 81 429

1995 ......... 47 81 111 115 20 7 32 48 382 80 461

1996 ......... 47 89 128 119 21 8 29 49 413 78 491

1997 ......... 128 105 147 115 18 8 24 40 522 64 586

1998 ......... 67 89 112 110 19 8 22 38 406 61 466

1999 ......... 119 111 120 116 20 9 24 43 495 68 563

2000 ......... 84 99 111 112 22 9 22 38 437 61 498

2001 ......... 65 95 111 118 20 9 22 38 418 60 478

2002 ......... 78 100 122 133 20 9 20 35 463 55 517

2003 ......... 72 95 122 135 20 9 20 36 453 56 509

2004 ......... 85 101 136 156 23 9 24 38 510 62 572

2005 ......... 64 101 129 157 20 8 15 30 479 45 524

2006 ......... 56 96 131 162 21 8 19 30 473 50 522

2007 ......... 46 108 124 160 20 8 18 29 466 48 513

Projected:

2008 ......... 54 104 118 170 21 9 18 32 476 50 526

2009 ......... 54 95 112 169 20 8 20 33 459 53 513

2010 ......... 57 105 114 177 20 8 20 33 480 54 534

2011 ......... 52 112 112 180 21 9 21 33 486 54 540

2012 ......... 54 114 112 183 22 9 22 33 495 55 550

2013 ......... 59 125 117 192 23 10 23 34 526 57 583

2014 ......... 60 132 116 197 25 10 24 35 540 59 599

2015 ......... 58 137 115 198 26 11 25 36 547 61 607

2016 ......... 58 140 115 199 28 11 25 37 551 62 613

2017 ......... 62 143 117 201 29 12 26 38 564 64 628

2018 ......... 74 144 117 200 30 12 27 38 578 64 642

2019 ......... 84 145 119 201 32 13 28 38 593 65 658

2020 ......... 81 146 119 200 33 13 29 38 591 67 658

2021 ......... 79 146 119 200 34 13 30 39 591 69 659

2022 ......... 79 147 120 198 34 14 30 40 592 70 662

2023 ......... 78 148 122 196 35 14 31 41 594 72 666

2024 ......... 78 148 124 194 36 14 32 42 595 74 669

2025 ......... 78 148 126 192 37 15 32 43 597 75 672

2026 ......... 79 148 128 191 37 16 33 44 598 77 676

2027 ......... 79 148 130 189 38 16 33 46 600 79 679

2028 ......... 79 148 131 188 38 17 34 48 602 81 683

2029 ......... 80 149 132 188 38 17 34 49 604 83 687

2030 ......... 80 149 133 188 38 18 34 51 606 85 691

2031 ......... 80 150 134 189 38 19 34 52 609 86 695

2032 ......... 81 150 135 190 37 19 34 54 612 88 700
37

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Historical totals estimated based on 1-percent or 10-percent sample data.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Actual numbers of terminations declined in 2007 compared to 2006. This decline resulted from declines in

the terminations for reasons other than death, which were offset in part by small increases in the terminations due to death. The decline in the terminations for reasons other than death were essentially due to

reductions in the numbers of continuing disability reviews (CDRs) and nonmedical redeterminations processed due to constraints on Agency administrative resources. Some continued restraint on terminations

over the next 10 years is expected due to continued resource limitations. Thereafter a gradual return to normal processing schedules for these reviews is assumed as resources are made available to SSA to carry out

these legislatively mandated workloads.

Table IV.B5.—SSI Federally-Administered Terminations for All Reasons, Calendar Years 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Calendar year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals 1

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ........ 5 36 42 103 19 4 67 126 209 193 402

1975 ........ 8 55 56 140 25 3 127 199 287 326 613

1976 ........ 13 75 71 174 35 3 141 236 371 377 748

1977 ........ 14 71 68 140 34 3 112 194 330 305 636

1978 ........ 14 70 58 130 34 3 94 181 308 276 584

1979 ........ 13 65 52 128 41 2 88 177 301 265 566

1980 ........ 22 53 52 111 45 2 70 177 284 248 532

1981 ........ 20 48 47 103 45 3 69 177 266 246 512

1982 ........ 21 52 51 107 43 2 65 168 277 233 510

1983 ........ 21 49 44 87 34 4 39 140 240 180 419

1984 ........ 16 55 46 106 39 6 50 144 267 194 461

1985 ........ 13 47 47 97 37 8 40 138 249 178 427

1986 ........ 21 58 59 101 38 11 48 143 287 192 478

1987 ........ 22 59 61 106 40 13 47 138 301 185 486

1988 ........ 24 60 65 105 39 18 49 140 311 189 500

1989 ........ 22 63 69 105 39 15 47 136 312 183 496

1990 ........ 18 61 75 109 39 22 56 144 324 200 524

1991 ........ 25 60 90 123 40 22 50 132 360 182 542

1992 ........ 42 78 115 140 41 23 50 125 440 175 614

1993 ........ 40 86 124 148 45 24 54 127 467 181 648

1994 ........ 47 87 128 148 41 24 48 118 475 166 642

1995 ........ 54 94 142 158 44 25 47 113 517 160 677

1996 ........ 54 101 158 163 45 27 45 116 548 161 710

1997 ........ 133 116 172 159 43 26 39 105 648 143 792

1998 ........ 73 98 136 153 44 29 36 102 533 138 671

1999 ........ 124 120 146 161 45 31 38 106 626 144 770

2000 ........ 89 107 138 159 46 29 35 99 569 134 703

2001 ........ 70 103 139 166 45 31 34 98 554 132 685

2002 ........ 83 108 150 182 44 30 31 93 598 124 722

2003 ........ 76 104 149 186 46 30 31 92 591 122 713

2004 ........ 90 109 163 208 48 31 34 93 650 127 777

2005 ........ 69 109 157 211 45 30 24 84 621 107 728

2006 ........ 61 104 158 217 46 31 28 84 615 112 727

2007 ........ 51 116 150 218 46 31 27 83 610 110 720

Projected:

2008 ........ 60 112 143 229 46 31 26 84 622 110 732

2009 ........ 59 104 137 232 46 32 28 85 610 113 723

2010 ........ 62 115 138 241 46 33 28 85 634 113 747

2011 ........ 57 121 136 247 47 33 28 84 643 112 755

2012 ........ 59 124 136 251 49 34 30 84 654 113 768

2013 ........ 64 134 140 262 51 35 31 85 687 116 803

2014 ........ 65 142 139 267 54 36 32 86 703 118 821

2015 ........ 63 148 138 269 56 37 33 87 711 119 830

2016 ........ 63 150 138 270 59 38 34 87 717 121 838

2017 ........ 66 153 139 272 61 39 35 88 731 123 854

2018 ........ 79 154 139 271 63 40 36 87 746 123 869

2019 ........ 88 156 141 271 65 41 37 87 762 125 886

2020 ........ 85 156 141 270 67 41 39 87 760 126 887

2021 ........ 83 156 141 269 69 42 40 88 761 129 889

2022 ........ 83 157 142 266 71 44 41 90 763 131 894

2023 ........ 83 158 144 263 72 45 42 92 765 133 898

2024 ........ 83 158 146 260 74 46 42 93 767 136 903

2025 ........ 83 158 148 257 75 48 43 95 769 138 908

2026 ........ 83 158 151 255 76 49 44 98 771 141 913

2027 ........ 83 158 152 252 77 51 44 100 773 145 918

2028 ........ 83 158 154 250 77 53 45 103 776 148 924

2029 ........ 84 158 155 249 77 55 45 106 778 151 929

2030 ........ 84 159 156 249 77 56 45 109 781 154 935

2031 ........ 84 160 157 250 76 58 45 112 784 157 942

2032 ........ 84 160 157 251 75 60 45 116 788 160 948
2008 SSI Annual Report

38

Combining the number of persons coming on the SSI payment rolls during a year with the number of those

already receiving benefits at the beginning of the year, and subtracting the number leaving the rolls during

the year, yields the number of persons receiving Federally-administered SSI payments at the end of the

specified period. Individuals receiving Federal SSI payments, who comprise the great majority of Federally-administered recipients, are presented in table IV.B6 and in figure IV.B4. The net effect of actual

experience in 2007 was that the number of Federal SSI recipients at the end of 2007 was about 1.8 percent

higher than the corresponding number at the end of 2006, but close to 1 percent lower than projected in

last year’s report.

 Figure IV.B3.—SSI Federally-Administered Terminations by Age Group, Calendar Years 1975-2035

[In thousands]

Table IV.B6.—SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as of December, 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ......... 70 338 321 756 109 13 1,010 1,019 1,606 2,029 3,635

1975 ......... 106 395 352 838 164 14 963 1,062 1,869 2,025 3,893

1976 ......... 124 420 352 813 208 14 864 1,003 1,932 1,867 3,799

1977 ......... 147 442 358 800 249 16 785 980 2,013 1,765 3,778

1978 ......... 165 460 361 791 277 16 728 958 2,069 1,686 3,755

1979 ......... 176 472 359 764 307 16 656 938 2,094 1,593 3,687

1980 ......... 188 500 351 750 342 17 609 925 2,149 1,533 3,682

1981 ......... 194 514 349 720 366 17 541 888 2,160 1,430 3,590

1982 ......... 191 517 346 683 386 21 459 871 2,144 1,329 3,473

1983 ......... 198 555 366 692 412 28 449 890 2,250 1,339 3,590

1984 ......... 210 595 393 700 406 48 463 884 2,352 1,347 3,699

1985 ......... 226 634 426 717 402 72 462 860 2,477 1,322 3,799

1986 ......... 240 688 475 739 397 91 465 827 2,630 1,291 3,922

1987 ......... 249 717 524 756 392 113 464 804 2,751 1,268 4,019

1988 ......... 254 738 564 774 387 127 468 777 2,844 1,245 4,089

1989 ......... 263 757 613 799 382 145 488 760 2,959 1,247 4,206

1990 ......... 306 788 677 840 389 156 508 749 3,156 1,257 4,412

1991 ......... 395 833 769 897 390 166 542 736 3,451 1,279 4,730

1992 ......... 555 920 877 970 402 173 577 727 3,898 1,304 5,202

1993 ......... 721 990 979 1,034 410 179 604 720 4,312 1,324 5,636

1994 ......... 839 1,032 1,071 1,089 425 182 610 716 4,638 1,326 5,965

1995 ......... 915 1,058 1,150 1,134 435 188 601 713 4,880 1,315 6,194

1996 ......... 954 1,066 1,198 1,176 444 192 586 711 5,029 1,296 6,326

1997 ......... 878 1,039 1,196 1,198 457 193 547 704 4,960 1,251 6,212

1998 ......... 885 1,038 1,238 1,243 464 197 521 705 5,063 1,226 6,289

1999 ......... 845 1,005 1,274 1,278 474 195 499 704 5,072 1,203 6,275

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Calendar year

Historical Projected

75 or older

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17
39

2008 SSI Annual Report

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Historical data: (Cont.)

2000 ......... 844 994 1,303 1,313 484 196 483 703 5,134 1,186 6,320

2001 ......... 879 995 1,329 1,353 493 196 461 703 5,245 1,165 6,410

2002 ......... 912 1,002 1,344 1,394 502 200 447 705 5,354 1,152 6,505

2003 ......... 956 1,023 1,353 1,436 511 204 430 703 5,482 1,133 6,614

2004 ......... 990 1,044 1,350 1,476 515 208 412 699 5,584 1,111 6,695

2005 ......... 1,034 1,065 1,347 1,523 522 215 408 705 5,706 1,113 6,819

2006 ......... 1,076 1,095 1,334 1,575 529 220 405 704 5,830 1,109 6,939

2007 ......... 1,119 1,124 1,316 1,634 540 228 397 704 5,960 1,101 7,061

Projected:

2008 ......... 1,156 1,172 1,313 1,704 552 231 399 700 6,128 1,098 7,227

2009 ......... 1,185 1,232 1,307 1,777 562 236 398 696 6,300 1,094 7,394

2010 ......... 1,211 1,283 1,300 1,850 571 243 401 695 6,457 1,095 7,552

2011 ......... 1,240 1,328 1,293 1,911 590 248 411 692 6,611 1,103 7,715

2012 ......... 1,268 1,367 1,287 1,962 616 255 428 691 6,754 1,119 7,873

2013 ......... 1,290 1,395 1,275 2,003 639 260 446 689 6,862 1,136 7,998

2014 ......... 1,309 1,413 1,263 2,034 665 264 468 687 6,949 1,154 8,103

2015 ......... 1,329 1,427 1,260 2,054 690 268 490 685 7,029 1,175 8,203

2016 ......... 1,347 1,441 1,265 2,065 719 271 513 684 7,107 1,197 8,305

2017 ......... 1,358 1,453 1,272 2,068 747 276 534 688 7,174 1,222 8,396

2018 ......... 1,353 1,469 1,280 2,069 775 282 555 695 7,227 1,251 8,478

2019 ......... 1,341 1,482 1,285 2,068 804 287 580 702 7,266 1,282 8,549

2020 ......... 1,335 1,493 1,289 2,066 835 291 606 710 7,308 1,316 8,624

2021 ......... 1,331 1,503 1,295 2,058 862 301 624 728 7,351 1,352 8,703

2022 ......... 1,329 1,513 1,308 2,043 886 313 635 755 7,392 1,390 8,782

2023 ......... 1,328 1,520 1,326 2,024 909 325 649 780 7,433 1,429 8,862

2024 ......... 1,331 1,523 1,347 2,004 931 337 663 806 7,472 1,469 8,941

2025 ......... 1,333 1,524 1,370 1,984 951 349 677 833 7,511 1,510 9,021

2026 ......... 1,337 1,524 1,392 1,965 968 362 690 861 7,548 1,551 9,099

2027 ......... 1,342 1,526 1,410 1,950 981 376 701 890 7,584 1,592 9,176

2028 ......... 1,348 1,528 1,426 1,937 992 390 710 921 7,620 1,631 9,252

2029 ......... 1,353 1,533 1,438 1,931 997 404 717 953 7,656 1,669 9,325

2030 ......... 1,358 1,538 1,447 1,933 997 419 720 985 7,691 1,705 9,396

2031 ......... 1,364 1,544 1,455 1,939 990 434 719 1,018 7,726 1,737 9,463

2032 ......... 1,370 1,549 1,463 1,949 982 448 715 1,051 7,761 1,766 9,527

 Figure IV.B4.—SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status, by Age Group, 

as of December, 1975-2035

[In thousands]

Table IV.B6.—SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as of December, 1974-2032 (Cont.)

[In thousands]

Year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

0

1,000

2,000

3,000

4,000

5,000

6,000

7,000

8,000

9,000

10,000

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Year

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17

75 or older

Historical Projected
2008 SSI Annual Report

40

As illustrated in figure IV.B4, the implementation of Public Law 104-121 and Public Law 104-193

resulted in a decline in the Federal recipient population from 1996 to 1997. From the end of 1997 through

the end of 2000, the Federal SSI recipient population grew at an annual rate of less than 1 percent. Since

2000, the growth rate for the Federal SSI recipient population has averaged 1.6 percent per year. Our projections indicate that by 2018 we expect to gradually return to a modest growth rate of about 1 percent per

year over the remainder of the 25-year projection period. In order to place this projected growth in the

context of overall population growth, table IV.B7 and figure IV.B5 present Federal SSI recipients as percentages of selected Social Security Area population totals.

1 Blind or disabled recipients as a percentage of the total Social Security Area population.

2 Aged recipients as a percentage of the 65 or older Social Security Area population.

3 Total recipients as a percentage of the total Social Security Area population. Totals do not equal sums of components due to overlapping populations.

Table IV.B7.—SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as a Percentage of 

Selected Social Security Area Population Totals, as of December, 1974-2032 

Year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled1 Aged 2 All 3

Historical data:

1974 ........ 0.10 0.56 0.88 2.29 0.77 0.14 7.21 11.26 0.72 8.80 1.63

1975 ........ .15 .63 .97 2.51 1.14 .15 6.71 11.42 .83 8.56 1.73

1976 ........ .18 .65 .96 2.42 1.42 .14 5.90 10.46 .85 7.71 1.67

1977 ........ .22 .67 .97 2.36 1.66 .17 5.23 9.98 .88 7.11 1.65

1978 ........ .25 .68 .96 2.32 1.81 .16 4.75 9.50 .89 6.63 1.62

1979 ........ .27 .68 .94 2.23 1.97 .15 4.19 9.04 .90 6.13 1.58

1980 ........ .29 .71 .90 2.18 2.14 .16 3.82 8.68 .91 5.77 1.56

1981 ........ .30 .72 .87 2.09 2.26 .16 3.34 8.09 .91 5.26 1.50

1982 ........ .29 .71 .83 1.99 2.34 .19 2.78 7.70 .89 4.78 1.44

1983 ........ .30 .76 .85 2.02 2.46 .24 2.68 7.65 .92 4.72 1.47

1984 ........ .32 .81 .88 2.05 2.39 .40 2.73 7.40 .96 4.66 1.50

1985 ........ .35 .86 .92 2.11 2.32 .58 2.67 7.01 1.00 4.47 1.53

1986 ........ .37 .94 .99 2.18 2.26 .73 2.64 6.58 1.05 4.28 1.56

1987 ........ .38 .97 1.06 2.24 2.20 .87 2.59 6.25 1.09 4.12 1.59

1988 ........ .38 1.00 1.10 2.29 2.14 .97 2.59 5.89 1.11 3.98 1.60

1989 ........ .40 1.03 1.16 2.36 2.09 1.07 2.67 5.61 1.14 3.92 1.63

1990 ........ .45 1.08 1.24 2.47 2.10 1.12 2.74 5.40 1.21 3.88 1.69

1991 ........ .58 1.15 1.36 2.62 2.08 1.17 2.89 5.19 1.30 3.88 1.79

1992 ........ .80 1.29 1.51 2.79 2.12 1.19 3.05 5.00 1.46 3.89 1.94

1993 ........ 1.02 1.40 1.64 2.91 2.15 1.21 3.16 4.85 1.59 3.90 2.08

1994 ........ 1.17 1.48 1.75 3.02 2.22 1.20 3.19 4.72 1.70 3.87 2.18

1995 ........ 1.27 1.53 1.82 3.09 2.27 1.21 3.14 4.60 1.77 3.79 2.25

1996 ........ 1.31 1.55 1.86 3.11 2.33 1.21 3.07 4.48 1.80 3.71 2.27

1997 ........ 1.20 1.52 1.84 3.04 2.41 1.19 2.89 4.34 1.76 3.56 2.21

1998 ........ 1.20 1.52 1.88 3.05 2.46 1.19 2.77 4.27 1.78 3.47 2.21

1999 ........ 1.14 1.47 1.91 3.02 2.54 1.16 2.67 4.19 1.77 3.39 2.19

2000 ........ 1.14 1.45 1.94 3.00 2.60 1.14 2.59 4.10 1.77 3.32 2.18

2001 ........ 1.18 1.45 1.97 2.98 2.65 1.12 2.48 4.02 1.79 3.23 2.19

2002 ........ 1.22 1.45 1.99 2.97 2.69 1.12 2.40 3.97 1.81 3.16 2.20

2003 ........ 1.27 1.47 2.00 2.95 2.72 1.13 2.29 3.91 1.84 3.08 2.22

2004 ........ 1.31 1.49 1.99 2.93 2.71 1.14 2.17 3.83 1.85 2.98 2.22

2005 ........ 1.36 1.51 1.99 2.92 2.71 1.17 2.12 3.83 1.88 2.96 2.24

2006 ........ 1.41 1.54 1.97 2.92 2.69 1.19 2.06 3.81 1.90 2.91 2.26

2007 ........ 1.46 1.57 1.95 2.94 2.66 1.23 1.96 3.81 1.92 2.84 2.28

Projected:

2008 ........ 1.51 1.61 1.96 2.98 2.62 1.25 1.90 3.79 1.96 2.78 2.31

2009 ........ 1.55 1.67 1.97 3.02 2.59 1.28 1.84 3.77 2.00 2.73 2.34

2010 ........ 1.58 1.72 1.98 3.06 2.57 1.31 1.80 3.75 2.03 2.69 2.37

2011 ........ 1.61 1.76 1.99 3.10 2.54 1.33 1.77 3.72 2.06 2.64 2.40

2012 ........ 1.64 1.80 1.99 3.14 2.51 1.36 1.74 3.69 2.09 2.59 2.43

2013 ........ 1.66 1.82 1.98 3.16 2.49 1.38 1.74 3.64 2.10 2.55 2.45

2014 ........ 1.67 1.83 1.97 3.17 2.48 1.38 1.75 3.59 2.11 2.51 2.46

2015 ........ 1.69 1.84 1.97 3.17 2.48 1.38 1.76 3.54 2.12 2.49 2.47

2016 ........ 1.70 1.85 1.96 3.17 2.48 1.38 1.77 3.47 2.12 2.46 2.48

2017 ........ 1.70 1.86 1.97 3.17 2.49 1.36 1.78 3.40 2.12 2.44 2.48

2018 ........ 1.69 1.87 1.97 3.17 2.50 1.35 1.80 3.34 2.12 2.42 2.49

2019 ........ 1.66 1.88 1.97 3.16 2.51 1.34 1.81 3.29 2.12 2.40 2.49

2020 ........ 1.64 1.89 1.97 3.16 2.51 1.33 1.82 3.25 2.11 2.39 2.49

2021 ........ 1.63 1.89 1.97 3.15 2.52 1.33 1.83 3.21 2.11 2.38 2.49

2022 ........ 1.62 1.89 1.98 3.14 2.54 1.32 1.82 3.17 2.10 2.37 2.50

2023 ........ 1.61 1.90 1.98 3.14 2.55 1.31 1.82 3.15 2.10 2.36 2.50

2024 ........ 1.60 1.90 1.99 3.14 2.56 1.31 1.82 3.13 2.09 2.36 2.50

2025 ........ 1.60 1.90 2.00 3.13 2.56 1.30 1.82 3.11 2.09 2.36 2.51

2026 ........ 1.59 1.90 2.00 3.13 2.56 1.30 1.83 3.10 2.08 2.37 2.51

2027 ........ 1.59 1.89 2.01 3.13 2.56 1.30 1.83 3.09 2.08 2.37 2.52

2028 ........ 1.59 1.89 2.01 3.12 2.56 1.30 1.83 3.08 2.08 2.37 2.52

2029 ........ 1.59 1.89 2.01 3.12 2.55 1.30 1.84 3.07 2.07 2.38 2.52

2030 ........ 1.59 1.89 2.02 3.12 2.55 1.30 1.84 3.06 2.07 2.39 2.53

2031 ........ 1.59 1.88 2.02 3.12 2.54 1.30 1.85 3.06 2.06 2.40 2.53

2032 ........ 1.59 1.88 2.02 3.12 2.54 1.30 1.85 3.05 2.06 2.42 2.53
41

2008 SSI Annual Report

For the totals shown in table IV.B7, the percentages are calculated using the population age group totals

corresponding to the age groups in the Federal recipient categories. Because the ratios for the separate

recipient categories are computed as percentages of differing base populations, the percentage for the total

SSI recipient population is not the arithmetic sum of the percentages for the respective recipient categories. As indicated in the table, the percentage of the total Social Security Area population who were receiving Federal SSI payments declined from 1975 through the early 1980s. In 1983, this percentage started

increasing and continued to increase through 1996. Due to factors described previously, the percentage of

the total population receiving Federal SSI payments declined in 1997, but leveled out over the next few

years. It has increased slightly over the past few years and is expected to increase gradually over the projection period, due largely to the changing age distribution of the underlying population. 

The various subcategories of Federal SSI recipients, however, follow significantly different growth patterns in relationship to their respective population totals. The aged Federal SSI recipient population

declines steadily as a percentage of the 65 or older population throughout the historical period and most of

the projection period, with the decline leveling off near the end of the projection period. In contrast, except

for decreases in the late 1990s due to the eligibility redeterminations and continuing disability reviews

mandated by Public Law 104-193, the number of blind or disabled children receiving Federal SSI payments increased steadily as a percentage of the under age 18 population, with the increase being quite

steep in the early 1990s. The total blind or disabled Federal SSI recipient population as a percentage of the

total population remained fairly level until the early 1980s when it started increasing and continued to

increase through 1996. After the modest decrease in the late 1990s due to the implementation of legislation described in other sections, the number of blind or disabled persons receiving Federal SSI payments

began a gradual increase as a percentage of the total population that is estimated to continue through 2015,

reaching more than 2.1 percent of the total population. In the later years of the projection period, the percentage is expected to gradually decline under the assumption that SSA will receive the resources necessary to carry out the normal CDR and nonmedical redetermination workloads.

Historical and projected numbers of individuals who receive only a Federally-administered State supplement are presented in table IV.B8.

 Figure IV.B5.—SSI Recipients with Federal Benefits in Current-Payment Status as a Percentage of 

Selected Social Security Area Population Age Groups, as of December, 1975-2035

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Year

0-17

18-34

35-49

50-64

65-74

75 or older

Total

Historical Projected
2008 SSI Annual Report

42

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

The combined numbers of persons receiving either a Federal SSI payment or a Federally-administered

State supplement are displayed in table IV.B9.

In examining the recent history of SSI participation and the projections of such participation in the near

future, certain patterns are worth noting. The rapid increase in the total number of SSI participants in the

early 1990s is a function of the growth in the numbers of disabled adults and children. The growth in the

numbers of children receiving SSI resulted in large part from the Supreme Court decision in the case of

Table IV.B8.—SSI Recipients with Federally-Administered State Supplementary Benefits Only,

in Current-Payment Status as of December, 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ......... 1 12 20 57 13 1 138 120 104 257 361

1975 ......... 1 15 25 74 21 2 144 138 139 282 421

1976 ......... 1 14 27 87 26 2 134 146 156 280 437

1977 ......... 1 16 27 94 35 2 136 150 174 286 460

1978 ......... 1 16 26 93 41 2 127 155 180 282 462

1979 ......... 1 18 25 89 49 2 121 157 184 278 462

1980 ......... 2 20 26 82 52 2 112 162 185 274 460

1981 ......... 1 19 26 75 58 2 94 155 181 248 429

1982 ......... 1 18 23 68 53 2 82 137 165 219 384

1983 ......... 1 17 19 50 44 4 65 111 136 176 312

1984 ......... 1 18 23 50 47 7 68 116 147 184 331

1985 ......... 1 21 28 53 45 8 67 115 157 182 339

1986 ......... 1 23 31 55 45 11 66 116 166 182 348

1987 ......... 1 26 36 60 43 12 72 115 178 187 366

1988 ......... 1 26 42 59 44 14 74 114 187 188 375

1989 ......... 2 28 45 60 45 16 76 115 195 192 387

1990 ......... 2 31 54 60 44 17 82 116 208 197 405

1991 ......... 2 29 54 59 42 17 78 108 203 186 389

1992 ......... 2 29 55 59 37 16 70 97 197 167 364

1993 ......... 2 29 58 59 34 15 64 88 197 151 348

1994 ......... 2 28 59 56 32 14 59 81 192 139 331

1995 ......... 3 25 59 56 32 14 54 77 188 131 320

1996 ......... 2 21 54 53 29 13 49 68 172 116 288

1997 ......... 2 20 55 53 29 13 46 65 172 111 283

1998 ......... 2 18 54 55 28 13 43 63 171 106 277

1999 ......... 2 18 57 58 28 13 43 62 177 105 282

2000 ......... 2 17 57 60 29 13 42 61 179 103 282

2001 ......... 2 17 56 62 29 12 41 59 179 100 278

2002 ......... 3 17 57 64 30 12 42 58 183 100 283

2003 ......... 3 18 58 67 30 12 42 58 188 100 288

2004 ......... 3 18 58 70 31 12 43 58 193 100 293

2005 ......... 3 18 56 73 31 12 44 58 193 102 295

2006 ......... 3 18 55 76 32 12 45 58 194 103 297

2007 ......... 2 18 53 77 32 12 46 57 195 103 298

Projected:

2008 ......... 3 19 53 80 34 12 46 58 201 103 305

2009 ......... 3 20 53 84 35 12 46 58 207 105 311

2010 ......... 3 21 52 87 36 12 47 59 212 106 317

2011 ......... 3 22 52 91 37 12 48 60 217 108 325

2012 ......... 3 23 52 93 39 13 50 60 223 110 333

2013 ......... 3 23 52 96 41 13 52 60 229 112 340

2014 ......... 3 24 52 98 43 13 53 60 233 114 347

2015 ......... 3 24 52 99 44 14 55 60 237 115 352

2016 ......... 3 24 52 100 46 14 57 61 239 117 356

2017 ......... 3 24 52 100 47 14 58 61 241 119 360

2018 ......... 3 25 52 99 49 15 60 62 242 122 364

2019 ......... 3 25 52 99 50 15 62 63 245 125 370

2020 ......... 3 25 52 99 52 15 65 64 247 129 375

2021 ......... 3 25 52 99 53 16 66 66 249 132 381

2022 ......... 3 25 53 98 55 16 68 68 251 136 387

2023 ......... 3 26 53 97 56 17 69 71 253 140 393

2024 ......... 3 26 54 97 57 18 71 73 255 144 399

2025 ......... 3 26 55 96 59 18 72 76 257 148 405

2026 ......... 3 26 56 95 60 19 74 78 259 152 410

2027 ......... 3 26 57 94 60 20 75 81 260 156 416

2028 ......... 3 26 58 93 61 20 76 84 261 159 421

2029 ......... 3 26 58 93 61 21 76 87 263 163 426

2030 ......... 3 26 59 93 61 22 77 90 264 166 430

2031 ......... 3 26 59 93 61 23 76 93 265 169 434

2032 ......... 3 26 59 94 60 24 76 96 266 172 438
43

2008 SSI Annual Report

Sullivan v. Zebley, which greatly expanded the criteria used for determining disability for children. The

growth in the numbers of disabled adults is a more complicated phenomenon which is not completely

understood. However, extensive research conducted under contract to SSA and the Department of Health

and Human Services suggested that this growth was the result of a combination of factors including (1)

demographic trends, (2) a downturn in the economy in the late 1980s and early 1990s, (3) long-term structural changes in the economy, and (4) changes in other support programs (in particular the reduction or

elimination of general assistance programs in certain States). The recent modest changes in program participation reflects the combined effects of recent legislation described in previous sections, along with

changes in some of the factors mentioned above.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.B9.—SSI Recipients with Federally-Administered Benefits in Current-Payment Status 

as of December, 1974-2032

[In thousands]

Year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ......... 71 349 341 813 122 14 1,148 1,138 1,710 2,286 3,996

1975 ......... 107 410 378 911 185 16 1,107 1,200 2,007 2,307 4,314

1976 ......... 125 434 379 900 234 15 999 1,149 2,088 2,148 4,236

1977 ......... 147 458 385 893 284 18 921 1,130 2,187 2,051 4,238

1978 ......... 166 476 387 884 319 17 855 1,113 2,249 1,968 4,217

1979 ......... 177 490 384 852 357 17 777 1,095 2,278 1,872 4,150

1980 ......... 190 521 377 833 393 20 721 1,086 2,334 1,808 4,142

1981 ......... 195 533 375 795 424 19 635 1,043 2,341 1,678 4,019

1982 ......... 192 535 369 751 439 23 541 1,008 2,309 1,549 3,858

1983 ......... 198 572 386 742 456 32 514 1,001 2,386 1,515 3,901

1984 ......... 212 613 417 751 453 54 531 999 2,499 1,530 4,029

1985 ......... 227 655 454 769 447 80 530 975 2,634 1,504 4,138

1986 ......... 241 711 506 794 442 102 531 942 2,796 1,473 4,269

1987 ......... 251 743 560 816 436 124 536 920 2,930 1,455 4,385

1988 ......... 255 764 606 833 431 142 543 891 3,030 1,433 4,464

1989 ......... 265 785 658 859 427 160 564 875 3,154 1,439 4,593

1990 ......... 309 819 731 900 432 172 589 865 3,363 1,454 4,817

1991 ......... 397 863 823 956 432 183 620 845 3,654 1,465 5,118

1992 ......... 556 949 932 1,029 440 189 647 824 4,095 1,471 5,566

1993 ......... 723 1,019 1,036 1,093 445 194 667 808 4,509 1,475 5,984

1994 ......... 841 1,060 1,130 1,146 457 196 669 797 4,830 1,466 6,296

1995 ......... 917 1,083 1,209 1,190 467 202 656 790 5,068 1,446 6,514

1996 ......... 955 1,087 1,252 1,229 472 205 634 778 5,201 1,413 6,614

1997 ......... 880 1,059 1,251 1,252 486 205 593 770 5,133 1,362 6,495

1998 ......... 887 1,056 1,292 1,298 492 209 564 768 5,234 1,332 6,566

1999 ......... 847 1,024 1,331 1,336 503 208 543 765 5,249 1,308 6,557

2000 ......... 847 1,011 1,360 1,373 513 209 525 764 5,312 1,289 6,602

2001 ......... 882 1,012 1,385 1,415 522 209 502 762 5,424 1,264 6,688

2002 ......... 915 1,019 1,401 1,458 532 212 489 763 5,536 1,252 6,788

2003 ......... 959 1,040 1,410 1,503 541 216 471 761 5,670 1,233 6,902

2004 ......... 993 1,062 1,408 1,546 546 221 455 756 5,777 1,211 6,988

2005 ......... 1,036 1,083 1,404 1,596 553 228 452 763 5,900 1,214 7,114

2006 ......... 1,079 1,113 1,388 1,651 560 232 450 762 6,024 1,212 7,236

2007 ......... 1,121 1,142 1,369 1,711 572 240 443 761 6,155 1,205 7,360

Projected:

2008 ......... 1,159 1,191 1,367 1,784 585 243 445 757 6,330 1,202 7,531

2009 ......... 1,188 1,251 1,360 1,861 597 248 444 755 6,506 1,199 7,706

2010 ......... 1,214 1,304 1,352 1,937 607 255 447 754 6,669 1,201 7,870

2011 ......... 1,244 1,350 1,345 2,002 628 261 459 752 6,828 1,211 8,039

2012 ......... 1,271 1,390 1,339 2,055 655 267 477 751 6,977 1,229 8,206

2013 ......... 1,293 1,418 1,327 2,099 680 273 498 749 7,091 1,247 8,338

2014 ......... 1,313 1,437 1,315 2,132 707 277 521 747 7,182 1,268 8,450

2015 ......... 1,333 1,451 1,312 2,153 735 282 545 745 7,266 1,290 8,556

2016 ......... 1,350 1,465 1,317 2,165 764 285 570 745 7,347 1,315 8,661

2017 ......... 1,361 1,477 1,324 2,168 794 290 592 750 7,415 1,342 8,756

2018 ......... 1,357 1,493 1,331 2,169 823 296 615 758 7,470 1,373 8,843

2019 ......... 1,345 1,507 1,336 2,167 854 302 642 765 7,511 1,407 8,918

2020 ......... 1,338 1,518 1,341 2,165 886 307 671 774 7,555 1,444 8,999

2021 ......... 1,335 1,529 1,348 2,157 915 316 690 794 7,600 1,484 9,084

2022 ......... 1,333 1,539 1,361 2,141 940 330 702 823 7,644 1,526 9,169

2023 ......... 1,332 1,546 1,380 2,122 965 342 718 851 7,686 1,569 9,255

2024 ......... 1,334 1,548 1,402 2,101 988 354 734 879 7,727 1,613 9,340

2025 ......... 1,336 1,550 1,425 2,079 1,010 367 750 908 7,767 1,658 9,425

2026 ......... 1,341 1,550 1,448 2,060 1,027 381 764 939 7,806 1,703 9,509

2027 ......... 1,346 1,551 1,467 2,044 1,041 395 776 971 7,844 1,747 9,592

2028 ......... 1,351 1,554 1,483 2,031 1,052 410 786 1,005 7,882 1,791 9,672

2029 ......... 1,356 1,558 1,496 2,024 1,059 425 793 1,040 7,918 1,832 9,751

2030 ......... 1,362 1,564 1,505 2,025 1,058 441 796 1,075 7,955 1,871 9,826

2031 ......... 1,367 1,570 1,514 2,033 1,051 456 796 1,111 7,991 1,906 9,897

2032 ......... 1,373 1,576 1,522 2,043 1,042 472 791 1,146 8,027 1,938 9,965
2008 SSI Annual Report

44

C. FEDERAL PAYMENTS UNDER SSI

In order to estimate future amounts of Federal expenditures under SSI, the projected Federal benefit rates

shown in table IV.A2 are first modified to reflect actual payment levels, taking into account historical and

projected levels of adjustments for other actual or deemed income. Combining these actual payment levels

with the projected numbers of persons receiving Federal SSI payments yields estimates of the amounts of

Federal SSI payments. Historical amounts of such payments on a calendar year basis are shown in table

IV.C1. For purposes of this presentation, these payment amounts are computed on a cash-flow basis consistent with the concepts used to define SSI obligations for the Federal Budget. As a result, for months

after January 1978, SSI payments due on the first of the month are tabulated in the previous month, if the

first of the month falls on a weekend or Federal holiday.1

1 Total historical payments for 1974-77 agree with those presented in the Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. Total historical payments for 1978-83 are estimated.

2 Includes 13 months of payments since payments due on January 1, 1978 and January 1, 1979 were both paid in calendar year 1978.

3 Partially estimated.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Using this cash-flow concept causes these payments to differ from similar amounts shown in other Social

Security Administration publications, such as the Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin, in two main ways. First, the payments shown in the Annual Statistical Supplement are tabulated for

1 Public Law 95-216, the Social Security Amendments of 1977, enacted December 20, 1977, added a statutory requirement that SSI payments, which are

normally due on the first of the month, be delivered early when the normal delivery date falls on a Saturday, Sunday or Federal holiday. When the first of the

month falls on a weekend or Federal holiday, all payments due on that day are paid in the previous month. Payments presented on a cash-flow basis are tabulated according to the month in which they are actually paid.

Table IV.C1.—SSI Federal Payments in Current Dollars,1 Calendar Years 1974-2008

[In millions]

Calendar 

year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

1974 ........... $40 $438 $452 $968 $135 $17 $825 $958 $2,050 $1,783 $3,833

1975 ........... 128 537 499 1,099 190 17 812 1,031 2,471 1,843 4,314

1976 ........... 176 605 541 1,147 241 17 762 1,023 2,727 1,785 4,512

1977 ........... 227 671 579 1,174 298 17 721 1,016 2,966 1,737 4,703

1978 2 ........ 302 781 655 1,312 381 18 736 1,111 3,449 1,847 5,296

1979 ........... 340 809 650 1,296 429 21 667 1,093 3,546 1,760 5,306

1980 ........... 397 931 731 1,420 544 28 642 1,230 4,051 1,872 5,923

1981 ........... 458 1,079 821 1,542 654 32 643 1,320 4,586 1,963 6,549

1982 ........... 512 1,211 883 1,590 704 38 630 1,364 4,937 1,994 6,931

1983 ........... 574 1,372 985 1,704 774 58 624 1,440 5,466 2,064 7,530

1984 ........... 659 1,576 1,128 1,835 836 102 670 1,512 6,136 2,182 8,318

1985 ........... 736 1,709 1,250 1,924 833 160 699 1,499 6,611 2,198 8,809

1986 ........... 831 1,929 1,452 2,043 848 209 731 1,479 7,312 2,210 9,522

1987 ........... 900 2,081 1,618 2,157 846 259 765 1,444 7,860 2,210 10,069

1988 ........... 955 2,228 1,818 2,303 874 304 814 1,449 8,481 2,263 10,744

1989 ........... 1,025 2,431 2,048 2,481 936 366 881 1,479 9,286 2,361 11,647

1990 ........... 1,201 2,660 2,395 2,792 969 407 987 1,532 10,423 2,519 12,943

1991 ........... 1,678 3,129 2,966 3,305 1,060 463 1,169 1,637 12,601 2,806 15,407

1992 ........... 3,154 3,900 3,577 3,790 1,124 487 1,303 1,690 16,033 2,993 19,026

1993 ........... 3,909 4,465 4,164 4,188 1,208 513 1,471 1,759 18,447 3,230 21,677

1994 ........... 4,167 4,504 4,666 4,533 1,274 538 1,566 1,814 19,682 3,380 23,063

1995 ........... 4,657 4,777 5,155 4,896 1,357 565 1,599 1,900 21,407 3,499 24,906

1996 ........... 4,947 5,004 5,614 5,298 1,427 590 1,643 1,977 22,880 3,621 26,501

1997 ........... 4,920 5,031 5,564 5,410 1,505 614 1,586 2,046 23,044 3,632 26,675

1998 ........... 4,965 5,150 5,901 5,777 1,588 635 1,542 2,136 24,017 3,678 27,695

1999 ........... 4,835 5,132 6,185 6,037 1,660 654 1,503 2,206 24,503 3,709 28,212

2000 ........... 4,789 5,121 6,404 6,293 1,717 675 1,470 2,309 24,999 3,779 28,778

2001 ........... 5,104 5,354 6,817 6,783 1,838 713 1,470 2,454 26,608 3,924 30,532

2002 ........... 5,353 5,484 7,048 7,131 1,909 738 1,433 2,520 27,663 3,953 31,616

2003 ........... 5,686 5,715 7,243 7,532 1,984 771 1,408 2,601 28,932 4,009 32,941

2004 ........... 6,036 5,954 7,384 7,943 2,054 809 1,366 2,657 30,179 4,023 34,202

2005 ........... 6,488 6,291 7,624 8,437 2,148 871 1,358 2,778 31,859 4,136 35,995

2006 ........... 6,948 6,656 7,760 8,943 2,235 924 1,413 2,895 33,467 4,308 37,775

2007 ........... 7,346 7,067 7,871 9,539 2,333 981 1,406 2,970 35,137 4,376 39,514

2008 3 ........ 7,848 7,577 8,066 10,299 2,464 1,041 1,430 3,060 37,295 4,490 41,785
45

2008 SSI Annual Report

the month the payment is due, while the amounts shown in table IV.C1 are tabulated for the month they are

actually paid. In particular, since January 1 of each year is a Federal holiday, SSI payments due on

January 1 of years 1979 and later are actually paid in December of the previous year. Thus, for example,

the calendar year 2007 payment amounts shown in table IV.C1 reflect payments made in January-December, 2007, and include the payments due on January 1, 2008 (which were actually paid in December,

2007), but not the payments due on January 1, 2007 (which were actually paid in December, 2006). Second, beginning in 1991, SSI obligations as accounted for in the Federal Budget are not reduced for certain

recovered overpayments which are remitted directly to the Department of the Treasury. The payments

shown in the Annual Statistical Supplement continue to report an amount which is reduced by such overpayment recoveries, as was done for the Budget prior to 1991.

Corresponding amounts of SSI outlays on a fiscal year1 basis are presented in table IV.C2 for fiscal years

1978-2008. Fiscal years prior to 1978 are omitted from table IV.C2 since historical SSI payment amounts

on a fiscal year basis for years prior to 1978 are not readily available. As with the calendar year figures,

these fiscal year amounts are shown on a cash-flow basis. Consequently, fiscal years 1979 and later may

contain 11, 12, or 13 months of payments, depending on whether October 1 of the current and succeeding

fiscal years falls on a weekend.2 Fiscal year 1978 contains 13 months of payments.

1 Payment due on October 1 of fiscal year paid in previous fiscal year.

2 Partially estimated.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

1 Fiscal years 1977 and later cover the 12-month period ending September 30. For example, fiscal year 2008 payments include payments made from October 1, 2007 through September 30, 2008.

2 Generally, for fiscal years 1979 and later, the number of months of payments included in the fiscal year is:

11 months if October 1 of the current, but not the succeeding fiscal year falls on a weekend;

12 months if October 1 of both the current and succeeding fiscal years falls during the week (all payments made in the fiscal year due);

12 months if October 1 of both the current and succeeding fiscal years falls on a weekend (both payments due on October 1 paid in preceding fiscal year);

and

13 months if October 1 of the succeeding, but not current, fiscal year falls on a weekend.

Table IV.C2.—SSI Federal Payments in Current Dollars, Fiscal Years 1978-2008

[In millions]

Fiscal

year

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

1978............ $206 $740 $668 $1,438 $312 $22 $772 $1,076 $3,386 $1,848 $5,234

1979 1 ......... 226 711 620 1,265 331 20 656 954 3,172 1,610 4,782

1980............ 372 877 698 1,360 506 26 629 1,184 3,840 1,813 5,653

1981............ 442 1,039 797 1,508 625 31 647 1,307 4,442 1,954 6,396

1982............ 499 1,181 861 1,570 693 36 640 1,356 4,840 1,996 6,836

1983............ 596 1,416 1,024 1,783 806 56 660 1,510 5,680 2,170 7,850

1984 1 ......... 588 1,411 1,005 1,665 760 85 613 1,391 5,514 2,004 7,517

1985............ 713 1,662 1,215 1,895 828 145 691 1,502 6,459 2,193 8,652

1986............ 800 1,864 1,386 1,995 840 196 723 1,487 7,080 2,209 9,290

1987............ 880 2,030 1,565 2,119 845 242 755 1,448 7,681 2,203 9,884

1988............ 1,009 2,356 1,898 2,425 932 316 860 1,559 8,935 2,419 11,354

1989 1 ......... 1,012 2,378 1,997 2,452 910 345 862 1,473 9,094 2,335 11,430

1990 1 ......... 1,039 2,378 2,115 2,479 876 362 879 1,394 9,247 2,273 11,521

1991............ 1,519 2,975 2,772 3,141 1,032 447 1,120 1,608 11,886 2,728 14,614

1992............ 2,684 3,621 3,398 3,653 1,099 476 1,269 1,680 14,932 2,949 17,881

1993............ 3,817 4,377 3,977 4,033 1,175 502 1,420 1,730 17,880 3,150 21,029

1994............ 4,328 4,771 4,866 4,756 1,344 569 1,659 1,930 20,635 3,588 24,223

1995 1 ........ 4,554 4,719 5,031 4,822 1,341 560 1,596 1,884 21,027 3,480 24,507

1996 1 ......... 4,543 4,595 5,123 4,830 1,305 540 1,510 1,808 20,936 3,317 24,254

1997............ 4,933 5,004 5,529 5,340 1,478 606 1,602 2,027 22,890 3,629 26,519

1998............ 4,915 5,114 5,816 5,688 1,567 630 1,548 2,110 23,729 3,658 27,387

1999............ 4,901 5,152 6,123 5,975 1,638 648 1,506 2,180 24,438 3,685 28,123

2000............ 5,152 5,500 6,827 6,692 1,822 718 1,599 2,453 26,710 4,052 30,763

2001 1 ......... 4,597 4,869 6,170 6,125 1,670 652 1,352 2,236 24,083 3,588 27,671

2002............ 5,290 5,456 6,998 7,041 1,889 731 1,444 2,500 27,405 3,944 31,349

2003............ 5,558 5,623 7,170 7,390 1,957 759 1,417 2,572 28,456 3,989 32,445

2004............ 5,910 5,868 7,327 7,797 2,031 796 1,380 2,638 29,729 4,018 33,748

2005............ 6,856 6,669 8,150 8,928 2,282 916 1,463 2,945 33,800 4,409 38,208

2006 1 ......... 6,832 6,560 7,739 8,813 2,207 908 1,404 2,863 33,060 4,267 37,327

2007 1 ......... 6,659 6,427 7,207 8,630 2,135 895 1,297 2,731 31,952 4,028 35,981

2008............ 7,699 7,425 8,033 10,093 2,427 1,027 1,424 3,041 36,703 4,465 41,168
2008 SSI Annual Report

46

When projecting dollar amounts over longer periods of time, the changing value of the dollar due to inflation can make meaningful comparisons of such amounts difficult. For this reason, in projecting SSI expenditures for 25 years, some means of removing inflation is generally desirable. The CPI, as discussed in

section IV.A, is an appropriate means of standardizing projected SSI costs over time. Constant-dollar values of Federal SSI benefit payments (those adjusted by the CPI) are presented in table IV.C3 for both the

historical period, calendar years 1974-2007, and the full 25-year projection period, 2008-32. This same

information is presented in graphical form in figure IV.C1. Projections of the CPI used for this standardization are based on the intermediate economic assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report.

The future growth in the “constant dollar” estimates is primarily attributable to the underlying growth in

the U.S. population as shown in table IV.A1. However, an additional contributing factor is the projected

growth in the number of SSI recipients as a percent of the population, as shown in table IV.B7.

 Figure IV.C1.—SSI Federal Payments, by Age Group, in Constant 2008 Dollars, Calendar Years 1975-2035

[In billions]

$0

$10

$20

$30

$40

$50

$60

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Calendar year

Constant 2008 dollars -- billions .

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17

75 or older

Historical Projected
47

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 The adjusted CPI is the CPI-W indexed to calendar year 2008. Projections of the adjusted CPI are based on the intermediate economic assumptions of the

2008 OASDI Trustees Report.

2 Payment amounts include 13 months of payments since payments due on January 1, 1978 and January 1, 1979 were both paid in calendar year 1978.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical split among age groups is estimated on a calendar year of age basis.

Table IV.C3.—SSI Federal Payments in Constant 2008 Dollars, Calendar Years 1974-2032

[Payment amounts in millions]

Calendar year

Adjusted1

CPI 

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974............ 23.80 $169 $1,838 $1,898 $4,068 $568 $73 $3,466 $4,024 $8,614 $7,489 $16,103

1975............ 25.98 494 2,067 1,920 4,228 731 67 3,126 3,967 9,508 7,093 16,601

1976............ 27.47 640 2,204 1,970 4,176 878 61 2,774 3,725 9,928 6,499 16,427

1977............ 29.25 778 2,293 1,979 4,015 1,017 59 2,466 3,472 10,141 5,938 16,079

1978 2......... 31.48 961 2,480 2,080 4,168 1,212 58 2,337 3,530 10,958 5,868 16,825

1979............ 35.07 969 2,308 1,854 3,696 1,225 60 1,901 3,117 10,111 5,018 15,129

1980............ 39.80 998 2,339 1,837 3,567 1,367 70 1,613 3,090 10,178 4,703 14,880

1981............ 43.88 1,044 2,458 1,870 3,515 1,491 72 1,465 3,009 10,450 4,474 14,924

1982............ 46.51 1,102 2,603 1,898 3,417 1,513 82 1,354 2,933 10,615 4,287 14,902

1983............ 47.92 1,197 2,863 2,055 3,555 1,615 121 1,302 3,004 11,406 4,306 15,712

1984............ 49.56 1,330 3,180 2,276 3,702 1,687 205 1,352 3,051 12,380 4,403 16,783

1985............ 51.32 1,434 3,329 2,435 3,750 1,623 311 1,362 2,920 12,883 4,282 17,165

1986............ 52.12 1,595 3,702 2,787 3,920 1,627 401 1,402 2,838 14,031 4,240 18,271

1987............ 53.99 1,666 3,854 2,997 3,994 1,567 480 1,418 2,675 14,558 4,093 18,650

1988............ 56.14 1,701 3,969 3,238 4,102 1,557 541 1,451 2,581 15,109 4,031 19,140

1989............ 58.84 1,743 4,131 3,480 4,216 1,591 621 1,498 2,514 15,782 4,012 19,794

1990............ 61.94 1,939 4,295 3,867 4,508 1,564 656 1,594 2,473 16,829 4,067 20,896

1991............ 64.44 2,604 4,856 4,603 5,129 1,646 718 1,814 2,541 19,555 4,355 23,910

1992............ 66.31 4,756 5,882 5,394 5,716 1,695 735 1,965 2,549 24,177 4,513 28,690

1993............ 68.19 5,733 6,548 6,107 6,142 1,772 752 2,158 2,579 27,054 4,737 31,791

1994............ 69.91 5,961 6,443 6,674 6,485 1,822 770 2,241 2,595 28,155 4,835 32,990

1995............ 71.88 6,479 6,645 7,172 6,811 1,888 786 2,225 2,643 29,780 4,868 34,648

1996............ 73.99 6,686 6,764 7,588 7,160 1,929 797 2,221 2,672 30,924 4,894 35,818

1997............ 75.63 6,506 6,652 7,358 7,154 1,990 812 2,097 2,705 30,470 4,802 35,272

1998............ 76.63 6,479 6,721 7,701 7,539 2,072 829 2,012 2,787 31,339 4,799 36,139

1999............ 78.35 6,171 6,550 7,893 7,706 2,119 834 1,918 2,816 31,273 4,734 36,007

2000............ 81.07 5,908 6,316 7,900 7,763 2,118 833 1,813 2,849 30,838 4,662 35,499

2001............ 83.29 6,128 6,428 8,185 8,144 2,206 856 1,765 2,946 31,947 4,712 36,659

2002............ 84.42 6,341 6,496 8,349 8,447 2,261 874 1,697 2,985 32,769 4,683 37,451

2003............ 86.31 6,588 6,621 8,393 8,727 2,299 894 1,631 3,013 33,522 4,645 38,167

2004............ 88.55 6,816 6,724 8,339 8,970 2,319 914 1,543 3,001 34,081 4,543 38,625

2005............ 91.67 7,077 6,863 8,317 9,204 2,344 950 1,481 3,031 34,756 4,512 39,268

2006............ 94.63 7,341 7,034 8,201 9,451 2,363 976 1,493 3,060 35,367 4,553 39,920

2007............ 97.27 7,552 7,265 8,092 9,806 2,398 1,009 1,445 3,054 36,122 4,499 40,621

Projected:

2008............ 100.00 7,848 7,577 8,066 10,299 2,464 1,041 1,430 3,060 37,295 4,490 41,785

2009............ 102.50 8,113 7,942 8,067 10,750 2,517 1,069 1,431 3,075 38,458 4,506 42,964

2010............ 105.35 8,310 8,263 8,031 11,168 2,558 1,100 1,435 3,083 39,429 4,518 43,947

2011............ 108.30 8,541 8,562 8,016 11,549 2,656 1,130 1,464 3,085 40,455 4,549 45,004

2012............ 111.33 8,782 8,815 7,996 11,862 2,779 1,165 1,516 3,092 41,399 4,607 46,006

2013............ 114.45 8,985 9,025 7,953 12,138 2,897 1,198 1,584 3,097 42,197 4,681 46,878

2014............ 117.65 9,145 9,153 7,883 12,316 3,020 1,221 1,659 3,098 42,738 4,757 47,495

2015............ 120.95 9,309 9,248 7,873 12,429 3,148 1,246 1,738 3,104 43,252 4,842 48,094

2016............ 124.33 9,466 9,346 7,917 12,497 3,288 1,268 1,825 3,115 43,782 4,940 48,722

2017............ 127.81 9,577 9,445 7,984 12,528 3,430 1,299 1,902 3,144 44,263 5,046 49,309

2018............ 131.39 9,618 9,565 8,059 12,554 3,574 1,334 1,982 3,184 44,702 5,166 49,868

2019............ 135.07 9,579 9,667 8,116 12,562 3,725 1,365 2,072 3,223 45,014 5,295 50,309

2020............ 138.85 9,544 9,754 8,170 12,574 3,882 1,395 2,171 3,266 45,319 5,436 50,756

2021............ 142.74 9,539 9,843 8,238 12,556 4,025 1,448 2,237 3,356 45,650 5,592 51,242

2022............ 146.74 9,538 9,921 8,340 12,479 4,152 1,517 2,274 3,483 45,947 5,757 51,704

2023............ 150.85 9,558 9,998 8,494 12,407 4,286 1,583 2,328 3,606 46,326 5,934 52,260

2024............ 155.07 9,593 10,036 8,657 12,313 4,410 1,651 2,382 3,730 46,661 6,112 52,773

2025............ 159.41 9,619 10,052 8,815 12,200 4,520 1,718 2,436 3,857 46,924 6,293 53,217

2026............ 163.88 9,633 10,050 8,961 12,090 4,609 1,789 2,486 3,999 47,132 6,485 53,617

2027............ 168.46 9,615 10,028 9,060 11,972 4,671 1,860 2,529 4,146 47,206 6,676 53,882

2028............ 173.18 9,606 10,020 9,145 11,876 4,719 1,932 2,565 4,300 47,298 6,865 54,163

2029............ 178.03 9,603 10,025 9,209 11,819 4,746 2,007 2,592 4,460 47,409 7,052 54,461

2030............ 183.02 9,602 10,039 9,256 11,810 4,742 2,082 2,609 4,622 47,531 7,231 54,762

2031............ 188.14 9,601 10,052 9,292 11,827 4,709 2,157 2,610 4,788 47,638 7,398 55,036

2032............ 193.41 9,609 10,073 9,333 11,876 4,667 2,235 2,601 4,960 47,793 7,561 55,354
2008 SSI Annual Report

48

Although detailed projections of SSI State supplementary payments are not prepared, historical information on the amounts of such supplements administered by SSA is presented in table IV.C4. These amounts

are consistent with those presented in the Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin and

are shown only for the two broad recipient categories.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

Historical information on State-administered State supplementary payments was previously included in

this report, but is no longer included since complete data for all States is generally not available. Information on selected characteristics of State assistance programs for SSI recipients can be found in the Social

Security Administration publication, State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2007.1

Table IV.C4.—SSI Federally-Administered State Supplementary Payments

in Current Dollars, Calendar Years 1974-2007

[In millions]

Calendar year Aged

Blind or

disabled Total

1974 ................................................ $631 $632 $1,264

1975 ................................................ 674 729 1,403

1976 ................................................ 635 753 1,388

1977 ................................................ 627 804 1,431

1978 ................................................ 636 855 1,491

1979 ................................................ 661 928 1,590

1980 ................................................ 757 1,091 1,848

1981 ................................................ 731 1,108 1,839

1982 ................................................ 694 1,104 1,798

1983 ................................................ 645 1,066 1,711

1984 ................................................ 645 1,148 1,792

1985 ................................................ 694 1,278 1,973

1986 ................................................ 759 1,484 2,243

1987 ................................................ 849 1,714 2,563

1988 ................................................ 873 1,798 2,671

1989 ................................................ 954 2,001 2,955

1990 ................................................ 1,038 2,201 3,239

1991 ................................................ 999 2,232 3,231

1992 ................................................ 1,023 2,412 3,435

1993 ................................................ 934 2,336 3,270

1994 ................................................ 876 2,240 3,116

1995 ................................................ 864 2,253 3,118

1996 ................................................ 833 2,155 2,988

1997 ................................................ 824 2,090 2,913

1998 ................................................ 838 2,165 3,003

1999 ................................................ 921 2,380 3,301

2000 ................................................ 943 2,439 3,381

2001 ................................................ 956 2,505 3,460

2002 ................................................ 1,051 2,768 3,820

2003 ................................................ 1,098 2,906 4,005

2004 ................................................ 1,133 3,045 4,178

2005 ................................................ 1,128 3,050 4,178

2006 ................................................ 1,147 3,006 4,153

20071 ..............................................

1 Split between recipient categories is a preliminary estimate.

1,187 3,133 4,320

1 Publication No. 13-11975, prepared by the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, is available on the internet at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/

policy/docs/progdesc/ssi_st_asst/2007.
49

2008 SSI Annual Report

D. FEDERAL SSI PAYMENTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

For SSI, an appropriate relative measure of program costs is produced by comparing estimated annual SSI

costs to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)1. In addition to providing an inflation-independent measure of

the cost of the SSI program, this provides a useful perspective on the proportion of the total output of the

U.S. economy needed to provide Federal SSI benefits. As is shown in table IV.D1 and figure IV.D1, the

total cost of the SSI program is projected to be relatively constant through 2013 and then decline afterwards, relative to GDP.

Table IV.D1 and figure IV.D1 present a concise summary of Federal expenditures under the SSI program.

Following the initial higher costs of the program, total Federal SSI payments during the 1980s were a

fairly constant percentage of GDP (0.21 percent). During the early 1990s, SSI experienced rather rapid

growth (to 0.34 percent of GDP in 1996) due to a combination of factors discussed earlier in section IV.

Legislation enacted in 19962 resulted in a drop in the cost of SSI as a percentage of GDP beginning in

1997 and continuing through 2000. The share of GDP devoted to Federal SSI expenditures increased

slightly after the turn of the century in part in response to a slowdown in economic growth over that

period, but resumed its very gradual downward trend after 2002 due to relatively slower growth in SSI

participation. In the future, Federal SSI expenditures, after adjusting for growth in prices, are projected to

grow slightly faster than the population due to some estimated growth in the SSI recipient population as a

percentage of the overall U.S. population, as discussed previously in section IV.C. However, since the real

growth projected for GDP under the 2008 Trustees Report intermediate assumptions is greater than the

effect of these projected increases in SSI participation, Federal SSI payments are projected to decline as a

percentage of GDP over the next 25 years, reaching 0.25 percent of GDP by 2032.

1 The total value of goods and services produced in the United States.

2Public Law 104-121 and Public Law 104-193.

 Figure IV.D1.—SSI Federal Payments, by Age Group, as a Percentage of GDP, Calendar Years 1975-2035

0.00%

0.10%

0.20%

0.30%

0.40%

0.50%

1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035

Calendar year

35-49

65-74

50-64

18-34

0-17

75 or older 

Historical Projected
2008 SSI Annual Report

50

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components. Historical GDP amounts subject to revision.

Table IV.D1.—SSI Federal Payments as a Percentage of GDP, Calendar Years 1974-2032 

Calendar 

year

GDP1

(In billions)

1 Projected values based on the intermediate economic assumptions of the 2008 OASDI Trustees Report.

Blind or disabled, by age group Aged, by age group Totals

0-17 18-34 35-49 50-64 65-74

75 or

older 65-74

75 or

older

Blind or

disabled Aged All

Historical data:

1974 ........ $1,500 0.003 0.029 0.030 0.065 0.009 0.001 0.055 0.064 0.137 0.119 0.256

1975 ........ 1,638 .008 .033 .030 .067 .012 .001 .050 .063 .151 .112 .263

1976 ........ 1,825 .010 .033 .030 .063 .013 .001 .042 .056 .149 .098 .247

1977 ........ 2,031 .011 .033 .029 .058 .015 .001 .036 .050 .146 .086 .232

1978 ........ 2,295 .013 .034 .029 .057 .017 .001 .032 .048 .150 .080 .231

1979 ........ 2,563 .013 .032 .025 .051 .017 .001 .026 .043 .138 .069 .207

1980 ........ 2,790 .014 .033 .026 .051 .020 .001 .023 .044 .145 .067 .212

1981 ........ 3,128 .015 .034 .026 .049 .021 .001 .021 .042 .147 .063 .209

1982 ........ 3,255 .016 .037 .027 .049 .022 .001 .019 .042 .152 .061 .213

1983 ........ 3,537 .016 .039 .028 .048 .022 .002 .018 .041 .155 .058 .213

1984 ........ 3,933 .017 .040 .029 .047 .021 .003 .017 .038 .156 .055 .211

1985 ........ 4,220 .017 .040 .030 .046 .020 .004 .017 .036 .157 .052 .209

1986 ........ 4,463 .019 .043 .033 .046 .019 .005 .016 .033 .164 .050 .213

1987 ........ 4,739 .019 .044 .034 .046 .018 .005 .016 .030 .166 .047 .212

1988 ........ 5,104 .019 .044 .036 .045 .017 .006 .016 .028 .166 .044 .211

1989 ........ 5,484 .019 .044 .037 .045 .017 .007 .016 .027 .169 .043 .212

1990 ........ 5,803 .021 .046 .041 .048 .017 .007 .017 .026 .180 .043 .223

1991 ........ 5,996 .028 .052 .049 .055 .018 .008 .019 .027 .210 .047 .257

1992 ........ 6,338 .050 .062 .056 .060 .018 .008 .021 .027 .253 .047 .300

1993 ........ 6,657 .059 .067 .063 .063 .018 .008 .022 .026 .277 .049 .326

1994 ........ 7,072 .059 .064 .066 .064 .018 .008 .022 .026 .278 .048 .326

1995 ........ 7,398 .063 .065 .070 .066 .018 .008 .022 .026 .289 .047 .337

1996 ........ 7,817 .063 .064 .072 .068 .018 .008 .021 .025 .293 .046 .339

1997 ........ 8,304 .059 .061 .067 .065 .018 .007 .019 .025 .277 .044 .321

1998 ........ 8,747 .057 .059 .067 .066 .018 .007 .018 .024 .275 .042 .317

1999 ........ 9,268 .052 .055 .067 .065 .018 .007 .016 .024 .264 .040 .304

2000 ........ 9,817 .049 .052 .065 .064 .017 .007 .015 .024 .255 .038 .293

2001 ........ 10,128 .050 .053 .067 .067 .018 .007 .015 .024 .263 .039 .301

2002 ........ 10,470 .051 .052 .067 .068 .018 .007 .014 .024 .264 .038 .302

2003 ........ 10,961 .052 .052 .066 .069 .018 .007 .013 .024 .264 .037 .301

2004 ........ 11,686 .052 .051 .063 .068 .018 .007 .012 .023 .258 .034 .293

2005 ........ 12,434 .052 .051 .061 .068 .017 .007 .011 .022 .256 .033 .289

2006 ........ 13,195 .053 .050 .059 .068 .017 .007 .011 .022 .254 .033 .286

2007 ........ 13,841 .053 .051 .057 .069 .017 .007 .010 .021 .254 .032 .285

Projected:

2008 ........ 14,445 .054 .052 .056 .071 .017 .007 .010 .021 .258 .031 .289

2009 ........ 15,163 .055 .054 .055 .073 .017 .007 .010 .021 .260 .030 .290

2010 ........ 15,944 .055 .055 .053 .074 .017 .007 .009 .020 .261 .030 .290

2011 ........ 16,733 .055 .055 .052 .075 .017 .007 .009 .020 .262 .029 .291

2012 ........ 17,554 .056 .056 .051 .075 .018 .007 .010 .020 .263 .029 .292

2013 ........ 18,418 .056 .056 .049 .075 .018 .007 .010 .019 .262 .029 .291

2014 ........ 19,313 .056 .056 .048 .075 .018 .007 .010 .019 .260 .029 .289

2015 ........ 20,227 .056 .055 .047 .074 .019 .007 .010 .019 .259 .029 .288

2016 ........ 21,189 .056 .055 .046 .073 .019 .007 .011 .018 .257 .029 .286

2017 ........ 22,192 .055 .054 .046 .072 .020 .007 .011 .018 .255 .029 .284

2018 ........ 23,232 .054 .054 .046 .071 .020 .008 .011 .018 .253 .029 .282

2019 ........ 24,315 .053 .054 .045 .070 .021 .008 .012 .018 .250 .029 .279

2020 ........ 25,440 .052 .053 .045 .069 .021 .008 .012 .018 .247 .030 .277

2021 ........ 26,612 .051 .053 .044 .067 .022 .008 .012 .018 .245 .030 .275

2022 ........ 27,833 .050 .052 .044 .066 .022 .008 .012 .018 .242 .030 .273

2023 ........ 29,106 .050 .052 .044 .064 .022 .008 .012 .019 .240 .031 .271

2024 ........ 30,438 .049 .051 .044 .063 .022 .008 .012 .019 .238 .031 .269

2025 ........ 31,826 .048 .050 .044 .061 .023 .009 .012 .019 .235 .032 .267

2026 ........ 33,277 .047 .049 .044 .060 .023 .009 .012 .020 .232 .032 .264

2027 ........ 34,790 .047 .049 .044 .058 .023 .009 .012 .020 .229 .032 .261

2028 ........ 36,373 .046 .048 .044 .057 .022 .009 .012 .020 .225 .033 .258

2029 ........ 38,034 .045 .047 .043 .055 .022 .009 .012 .021 .222 .033 .255

2030 ........ 39,773 .044 .046 .043 .054 .022 .010 .012 .021 .219 .033 .252

2031 ........ 41,599 .043 .045 .042 .053 .021 .010 .012 .022 .215 .033 .249

2032 ........ 43,512 .043 .045 .041 .053 .021 .010 .012 .022 .212 .034 .246
51

2008 SSI Annual Report

E. THE SSI PROGRAM’S SHARE OF SSA’S ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS 

AND BENEFICIARY SERVICES COSTS

The SSI program is administered by the Social Security Administration, but unlike the OASDI program, is

funded from general revenues. SSA was given responsibility for the SSI program when it was created in

1972 because of the Agency’s existing field office network and its administrative and automated data processing capabilities. Because of the integration of the administration of the SSI and OASDI programs, it is

more practical to fund them from a single source. The trust funds and the general fund pay their appropriate share of administrative expenses through SSA’s Limitation on Administrative Expenses (LAE)

account, which in turn funds the total operating expenses of the Agency. The appropriate share of administrative expenses borne by each funding source is determined based on a Government Accountability

Office approved method of cost analysis, with a final settlement of costs by the end of the subsequent fiscal year. If necessary, section 201(g)(1) of the Social Security Act provides that SSI administrative

expenses, including Federal administration of State supplementation payments, may be financed from the

Social Security trust funds with reimbursement, including any interest lost, to the trust funds from general

revenues.

The SSI program also provides beneficiary services to recipients through State Vocational

Rehabilitation (VR) agencies and Employment Networks for VR services and payments under the Ticket

to Work program. For SSI recipients, the objective of VR is to help disabled individuals achieve and sustain productive, self-supporting work activity.

1 Includes user fees charged to participating States to reimburse SSA for the costs of administering their

SSI State Supplementation program.

2 Payments for referral and monitoring services for Drug Addicts and Alcoholics are included through

December 1996; these payments were terminated effective January 1997. The increase in the estimate for

fiscal year 2008 assumed an increase in Ticket to Work activity and an improvement in State budgets that

would have enabled States to serve additional beneficiaries.

3 Reflects a one-time payment to State VR agencies for prior year expenses.

Table IV.E1.—Selected SSI Costs, Fiscal Years 1978-2008

[Outlays in millions] 

Fiscal year

SSI Administrative

expenses 1 Beneficiaryservices 2

1978.................................................................. $539 $31.6

1979.................................................................. 611 57.0

1980.................................................................. 668 33.1

1981.................................................................. 717 37.3

1982.................................................................. 780 12.0

1983.................................................................. 846 8.0

1984.................................................................. 864 3 84.0

1985.................................................................. 956 3.0

1986.................................................................. 1,023 7.2

1987.................................................................. 977 9.5

1988.................................................................. 976 12.9

1989.................................................................. 1,052 20.0

1990.................................................................. 1,075 28.3

1991.................................................................. 1,230 33.1

1992.................................................................. 1,426 36.0

1993.................................................................. 1,468 32.3

1994.................................................................. 1,780 33.8

1995.................................................................. 1,978 48.2

1996.................................................................. 1,953 71.8

1997.................................................................. 2,055 77.3

1998.................................................................. 2,304 46.0

1999.................................................................. 2,493 52.0

2000.................................................................. 2,321 53.7

2001.................................................................. 2,397 43.9

2002.................................................................. 2,522 54.0

2003.................................................................. 2,656 37.0

2004.................................................................. 2,806 38.6

2005.................................................................. 2,795 30.4

2006.................................................................. 2,916 38.9

2007.................................................................. 2,857 36.1

2008 (estimated)............................................... 3,142 106.0
2008 SSI Annual Report

52

V. APPENDICES

A. HISTORY OF PROVISIONS

Act

1. Basic Eligibility Requirements

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

An individual may qualify for payments on the basis of age, blindness, or disability.

Aged: Any person aged 65 or older.

Blind: Any person with 20/200 or less vision in the better eye with the use of a

correcting lens, or with tunnel vision of 20 degrees or less. An individual transferred from a State Aid to the Blind (AB) program to SSI is eligible if he/she

received such State aid in December 1973 and continues to meet the October

1972 State definition of blindness.

Disabled: Any person unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by

reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment expected

to result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous

period of at least 12 months. For a child under age 18, eligibility is based on disability of severity comparable with that of an adult. An individual transferred

from a State Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled (APTD) program to

SSI is also eligible if he/she received such State aid in December 1973 and continues to meet the October 1972 State definition of disability.

1973

Public Law 93-233, 

enacted December 31

Only persons who had received APTD before July 1973 and were on the rolls in

December 1973 may receive SSI on the basis of the State definition of disability; those who became eligible for State aid from July to December 1973 must

meet the Federal definition of disability.

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

A disabled recipient who loses Federal SSI eligibility because of earnings at the

substantial gainful activity level may continue to receive a special benefit under

section 1619 and retain eligibility for Medicaid under title XIX of the Social

Security Act. This special benefit status may continue as long as the recipient

has the disabling impairment and meets all nondisability SSI eligibility criteria.

States have the option of supplementing this special benefit.

This provision of the law was in effect from January 1, 1981, through December

31, 1983. Beginning in January 1984, under a 1-year demonstration project, this

provision was continued for persons already eligible for either regular SSI payments or special monthly benefits.

1984

Public Law 98-460, 

enacted October 9 

The special benefit and Medicaid provisions of the 1980 legislation were

extended through June 30, 1987 (retroactive to January 1, 1984).

1986

Public Law 99-643, 

enacted November 10

The special benefit and Medicaid provisions of the 1980 amendments are made

permanent. The provisions were amended effective July 1, 1987, with significant modifications to simplify administration and to allow free movement

between regular SSI disability payments and either the special cash benefit or

Medicaid eligibility under section 1619. The distinction between a disabled person eligible for regular SSI payments and one eligible for 1619(a) is that the latter has several months with gross earnings above the SGA level. Previously,

section 1619(a) status required completion of a trial work period and the determination that the work was SGA.
53

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

For individuals under age 18, the “comparable severity” standard is eliminated

and replaced with a requirement that a child be considered disabled if he/she has

a medically determinable impairment that results in “marked and severe functional limitations,” and meets the existing statutory duration requirement. The

law also eliminates references to “maladaptive behaviors” from the personal/

behavioral domain of the mental disorders in the Listing of Impairments for

children, and discontinues the use of individualized functional assessments for

children.

SSI eligibility is prohibited for an individual in any month during which such an

individual is a fugitive felon, fleeing prosecution for a felony, or violating State

or Federal conditions of probation or parole. In addition, SSI eligibility is prohibited for 10 years for those convicted of fraudulently claiming residence to

obtain benefits simultaneously in two or more States. 1

2006

Public Law 109-171, 

enacted February 8

Requires the Commissioner to conduct reviews of a specific percentage of SSI

initial disability and blindness cases involving individuals aged 18 or older that

are allowed by the State Disability Determination Services (DDS). The provision is phased in as follows—for fiscal year 2006, the Commissioner is required

to review 20 percent of DDS allowances; in fiscal year 2007, the requirement is

40 percent; and, for fiscal years 2008 and thereafter, 50 percent of all DDS

allowances are required to be reviewed. These reviews are to be made before the

allowance decision is implemented.

2. Other Eligibility Provisions

a. Citizenship and U.S. Residency

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

The individual must reside within one of the 50 States or the District of Columbia and be a citizen or an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence or

permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Persons living outside the United States for an entire calendar month lose their eligibility for such

a month.

1976

Public Law 94-241, 

enacted March 24

Eligibility for SSI is extended to residents of the Northern Mariana Islands,

effective January 9, 1978.

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

The income and resources of the immigration sponsors of aliens applying for

SSI are considered in determining eligibility for and the amount of payment.

After allowances for the needs of the sponsor and his/her family, the remainder

is deemed available for the support of the alien applicant for a 3-year period

after admission to the United States for permanent residence. This provision

does not apply to those who become blind or disabled after admission, to refugees, or to persons granted political asylum. (See section 2.g. for subsequent

changes to sponsor-to-alien deeming provisions.)

1This last provision was repealed in 1999 by Public Law 106-169 and replaced with a provision providing for nonpayment of benefits for up to 24 months for knowingly making false or misleading statements regarding material

facts.
2008 SSI Annual Report

54

Act

1989

Public Law 101-239, 

enacted December 19

SSI eligibility is continued for a disabled or blind child who was receiving SSI

benefits while living in the United States and is now living with a parent who is

a member of the U.S. Armed Forces assigned to permanent duty ashore outside

the United States, but not where the parent is stationed in Puerto Rico or the territories and possessions of the United States.

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Above provision made applicable where the parent is a member of the U.S.

Armed Forces and stationed in Puerto Rico or the territories and possessions of

the United States.

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Prohibits SSI eligibility for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen or national unless

they are in a “qualified alien” category and meet one of certain exceptions such

as lawful permanent residents who earn or can be credited with 40 qualifying

quarters of earnings, certain refugee type categories eligible for up to 5 years of

time limited eligibility, or active duty U.S. military or veterans and their spouses

and children. Extends eligibility for aliens receiving SSI as of August 22, 1996

(the enactment date of the law) for 1 year after the enactment date for those

aliens found ineligible under the new standards.

Public Law 104-208, 

enacted September 30

Amends Public Law 104-193 to add to the list of “qualified aliens” certain noncitizens (and their children) who have been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty by a spouse or parent or a member of the spouse’s or parent’s family living

in the same household.

1997

Public Law 105-18, 

enacted June 12

Extends eligibility for aliens receiving SSI as of August 22, 1996, until September 30, 1997, for those found ineligible under the new alien standards of Public

Law 104-193.

Public Law 105-33, 

enacted August 5

Further amends Public Law 104-193 to add Cuban and Haitian entrants, and the

child of a parent who has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty, to the

list of qualified aliens. Provides that Cuban and Haitian entrants and Amerasian

immigrants qualify for time limited eligibility, and increases the time limit from

5 to 7 years for all time-limited categories. Additional exceptions are added for

qualified aliens: (1) lawfully residing in the United States and receiving SSI

benefits on August 22, 1996; and (2) lawfully residing in the United States on

August 22, 1996 and meeting the definition of blind or disabled in the Social

Security Act.

Certain noncitizen American Indians are excepted from the alien nonpayment

provisions of Public Law 104-193.

Extends eligibility for “nonqualified aliens” receiving SSI as of August 22,

1996, until September 30, 1998.

1998

Public Law 105-306, 

enacted October 28

Permanently extends eligibility of all remaining “nonqualified aliens” who

were receiving SSI benefits when Public Law 104-193 was enacted on

August 22, 1996.

2000

Public Law 106-386, 

enacted October 28

Noncitizens, regardless of their immigration status, may be eligible for SSI to

the same extent as refugees, if they are determined to be victims of “severe

forms of trafficking in persons.”
55

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Extends SSI eligibility to blind or disabled children who are U.S. citizens living

with a parent assigned to permanent U.S. military duty outside of the United

States, and who were not receiving SSI benefits while in the United States. Previously, only blind or disabled children who received an SSI benefit for the

month before the parent reported for permanent duty abroad were eligible.

Effective April 2004 for applications filed after enactment.

2007

Public Law 110-161, 

enacted December 26

Provides certain Iraqi and Afghan aliens with special immigrant status, as

described in section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As special immigrants, these Iraqi and Afghan aliens are eligible for resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to refugees admitted

under section 207 of such Act (admission of refugees in emergency situations)

for a period not to exceed 6 months.

2008

Public Law 110-181, 

enacted January 28

Provides certain Iraqi aliens who have provided service to the United States

with special immigrant status, as described in section 101(a)(27) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. As special immigrants, these Iraqis are eligible for

resettlement assistance, entitlement programs, and other benefits available to

refugees admitted under section 207 of such Act (admission of refugees in

emergency situations) for a period not to exceed 8 months.

b. Other Benefits

1980

Public Law 96-272, 

enacted June 17

SSI applicants and recipients are not required as a condition of eligibility to

elect to receive Veterans Administration pensions under the Veterans and Survivors’ Pension Improvement Act of 1978 if the State of residence lacks a medically-needy program under title XIX.

c. Drug Addiction and Alcoholism (DA&A)

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Any disabled individual who has been medically determined to be an alcoholic

or drug addict must accept appropriate treatment, if available, in an approved

facility and demonstrate compliance with conditions and requirements for treatment.

SSI payments are required to be made through a representative payee—another

person or public or private agency designated by SSA to manage the recipient’s

benefit on his/her behalf.

1994

Public Law 103-296, 

enacted August 15

Any individual who is receiving SSI based on a disability where drug addiction

or alcoholism is a contributing factor material to the finding of disability must

comply with the DA&A treatment requirements. The individual must accept

appropriate treatment when it is available and comply with the conditions and

terms of treatment. Instances of noncompliance with the requirements result in

progressively longer payment suspensions. Before payments can resume, the

individual must demonstrate compliance for specific periods; 2 months, 3

months, and 6 months, respectively, for the first, second, third and subsequent

instances of noncompliance. An individual who is not in compliance with the

DA&A treatment requirements for 12 consecutive months shall not be eligible

for payments; however, this does not prevent such individuals from reapplying

and again becoming eligible for payments.
2008 SSI Annual Report

56

Act

SSI disability payments based on DA&A are also limited to a total of 36 benefit

months (beginning March 1995) regardless of whether appropriate treatment is

available. Months for which benefits are not due and received do not count

towards the 36-month limit.

Payments based on DA&A must be made to a representative payee. Preference

is required to be given to community based nonprofit social service agencies

and Federal, State, or local government agencies in representative payee selection. These agencies when serving as payees for individuals receiving payments

based on DA&A may retain the lesser of 10 percent of the monthly benefit or

$50 (adjusted annually after 1995 by the Consumer Price Index (CPI)) as compensation for their services.

Establishment of one or more referral and monitoring agencies for each State is

required.

1996

Public Law 104-121, 

enacted March 29

An individual is not considered disabled if DA&A is a contributing factor material to a finding of disability.

Applies DA&A representative payee requirements enacted under Public Law

103-296 to disabled SSI recipients who have a DA&A condition and are incapable of managing their benefits. In addition, these recipients shall be referred to

the appropriate State agency administering the State plan for substance abuse

treatment.

d. Institutionalization

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

An individual who is an inmate of a public institution is ineligible for SSI payments unless the institution is a facility approved for Medicaid payments and is

receiving such payments on behalf of the person. Under regulations, the Medicaid payment must represent more than 50 percent of the cost of services provided by the facility to the individual.

1976

Public Law 94-566, 

enacted October 20

An inmate of a publicly operated community residence serving no more than 16

persons may, if otherwise eligible, receive SSI.

1983

Public Law 98-21, 

enacted April 20

Payments may be made to persons who are residents of public emergency shelters for the homeless for a period of up to 3 months in any 12-month period.

1986

Public Law 99-643, 

enacted November 10

Effective July 1, 1987, disabled or blind recipients who were receiving special

SSI payments or had special SSI recipient status under section 1619 in the

month preceding the first full month of institutionalization, may receive payments based on the full Federal benefit rate for the initial 2 full months of institutionalization, if they reside in certain public medical, psychiatric or Medicaid

facilities, or in private Medicaid facilities.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Effective January 1, 1988, payments may be made to persons who are residents

of public emergency shelters for the homeless, for up to 6 months in a 9-month

period.
57

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

Effective July 1, 1988, continued payment of SSI benefits for up to 3 months is

permitted, at the rate that was applicable in the month prior to the first full

month of institutionalization, for individuals whose expected institutional stay

on admission is not likely to exceed 3 months, as certified by a physician, and

for whom the receipt of benefits is necessary to maintain living arrangements to

which they may return.

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Effective December 1996, institutionalized children under age 18 whose private

health insurance is making payments to the institution may receive no more than

$30 per month in Federal SSI.

e. Vocational Rehabilitation and Treatment

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Blind or disabled individuals receiving Federal SSI benefits who are under age

65, must be referred to the State agency providing services under the Vocational

Rehabilitation Act and must accept the services offered. States are reimbursed

for the cost of services.

1976

Public Law 94-566, 

enacted October 20

Blind or disabled children under age 16 must be referred to the State agency

administering crippled children’s services or to another agency designated by

the State. States are reimbursed for the cost of services.

Of funds provided for these services, at least 90 percent must be used for children under age 6 or for those who have never attended public schools.

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

Disabled SSI recipients who medically recover while enrolled in approved

vocational rehabilitation programs of State VR agencies, may continue to

receive benefits during their participation in such programs if the Commissioner

of Social Security determines that continuation in the program will increase the

probability that they leave the rolls permanently.

1981

Public Law 97-35, 

enacted August 13

Funding no longer provided under title XVI for medical, social, developmental

and rehabilitative services to disabled or blind children.

Reimbursement for the cost of rehabilitation services will be made only if the

services result in the recipient’s return to work for a continuous period of

9 months. The work must be at the substantial gainful activity earnings level.

1984

Public Law 98-460, 

enacted October 9

Authorizes the reimbursement of States for the cost of VR services provided to

individuals who (1) continue to receive benefits after medical recovery because

they are participating in a State VR program or (2) refuse, without good cause,

to continue in or cooperate with the VR program in which they had been participating.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Extends the provision for continuation of payments to disabled SSI recipients

who have medically recovered while enrolled in an approved vocational rehabilitation program to include blind SSI recipients.
2008 SSI Annual Report

58

Act

1990

Public Law 101-508, 

enacted November 5

Reimbursement authorized for the cost of vocational rehabilitation services provided in months in which the individual was not receiving Federal SSI payments, if:

 • SSI recipient status for Medicaid eligibility purposes was retained under

work incentive provisions; or 

 • Benefits were in suspense 1 status (for a reason other than cessation of disability or blindness); or

 • Federally-administered State supplementation was received.

Extends benefit continuation provision to disabled SSI recipients who medically

recover while participating in a non-State VR program.

1999

Public Law 106-170, 

enacted December 17

Establishes a Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program which will provide

SSI (and OASDI) disability beneficiaries with a ticket that can be used to obtain

vocational rehabilitation services, employment services, or other support services, from an employment network (EN) of their choice.

An EN chooses one of the two EN payment options at the time it submits an

application to SSA to become an EN. The chosen payment system will apply to

all beneficiaries served. An EN can elect to receive payment under the:

 • Outcome payment system, under which it can receive payment for up to 60

outcome payment months; or

 • Outcome-milestone payment system, under which it can receive payment

for up to four milestones (established by regulation) in addition to outcome

payments. These milestones must occur before the EN enters the first

month for which it is eligible for an outcome payment. Four milestone payments plus 60 months of reduced outcome payments equal 85 percent of

the total that would be available if the EN chose the outcome payment system.

The four milestones are based on gross earnings exceeding the substantial gainful activity level for specified months. An outcome payment month is any

month in which SSA does not pay any Federal disability cash benefits to a beneficiary because of work or earnings.

Also eliminates the requirement that blind or disabled SSI recipients age 16

through 64 be referred to the State VR agency and accept the services offered.

f. Continuing Disability Reviews and Eligibility Redeterminations

1994

Public Law 103-296, 

enacted August 15

During each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998, requires SSA to conduct continuing disability reviews (CDRs) on a minimum of 100,000 SSI recipients. In

addition, during the same period, requires SSA to redetermine the SSI eligibility

of at least one-third of all child SSI recipients who reach age 18 after April 1995

during the 1-year period following attainment of age 18. Redeterminations for

persons turning age 18 could count toward the 100,000 CDR requirement.

1 Recipients who have lost eligibility for SSI benefits for fewer than 13 consecutive months are in suspended payment

status.
59

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Repeals the requirement that SSA redetermine the eligibility of at least one-third

of all child SSI recipients who reach age 18 after April 1995 during the 1-year

period following attainment of age 18.

Requires a CDR:

 • At least once every 3 years for SSI recipients under age 18 who are eligible

by reason of an impairment which is likely to improve, and

 • Not later than 12 months after birth for recipients whose low birth weight is

a contributing factor material to the determination of their disability.

Requires eligibility redetermination under the adult disability standard for all

child SSI recipients eligible for the month before the month in which they attain

age 18.

Requires redetermination of eligibility for children considered disabled based

on an individual functional assessment and/or consideration of maladaptive

behavior.

Requires the representative payee of a child SSI recipient whose continuing eligibility is being reviewed to present evidence that the recipient is receiving

treatment which is considered medically necessary and available for the condition which was the basis for providing SSI benefits.

1997

Public Law 105-33, 

enacted August 5

Modifies provision of Public Law 104-193 to extend from 12 to 18 months the

period for redetermining the disability of children under age 18 under the new

childhood disability standard.

Modifies provision of Public Law 104-193 to permit SSA to schedule a CDR

for a disabled child for whom low birth weight is a contributing factor material

to the determination of disability, at a date after the child’s first birthday if the

Commissioner determines the impairment is not expected to improve within 12

months of the child’s birth.

Modifies provision of Public Law 104-193 to provide SSA the authority to

make redeterminations of disabled childhood recipients who attain age 18, more

than 1 year after the date such recipient attains age 18.

1999

Public Law 106-170, 

enacted December 17

Prohibits the initiation of a CDR during the period that a recipient is “using a

ticket” under the Ticket to Work program.

g. Deeming of Income and Resources

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Deeming occurs when the income and resources of certain family members living in the same household with the SSI recipient are considered in determining

the amount of the SSI payment. These family members are the ineligible spouse

of an adult recipient and the ineligible parents of a child recipient under age 21.

After deduction of personal allocations for the spouse (or parents) and for ineligible children in the home, and after application of income exclusions, any

remaining income of the spouse (or parents) is added to the income of the eligible person.
2008 SSI Annual Report

60

Act

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

Children aged 18 or older are not subject to parental deeming.

Sponsor’s income and resources deemed to an alien for 3 years.

1989

Public Law 101-239, 

enacted December 19

Disabled children receiving home care services under State Medicaid programs,

who are ineligible for SSI because of deeming of parental income, and who

received SSI benefits limited to $30 while in a medical treatment facility, may

receive the $30 monthly allowance that would be payable if the recipient were

institutionalized.

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Considers an ineligible spouse or parent who is absent from the household due

to active military service to be a member of the household for deeming purposes.

Public Law 103-152, 

enacted November 24

Sponsor-to-alien deeming period extended from 3 years to 5 years, effective

January 1, 1994, through September 30, 1996.

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Deeming of income and resources from an immigration sponsor to a noncitizen

continues until citizenship, with exceptions for those who earn, or can be credited with, 40 qualifying quarters of earnings. Effective for those whose sponsor

signs a new legally enforceable affidavit of support.

Public Law 104-208, 

enacted September 30

Amends Public Law 104-193 to add two exceptions to the sponsor-to-alien

deeming:

 • Provides that if the noncitizen is indigent and would be unable to obtain

food and shelter without SSI benefits even after receiving support from the

sponsor, then only the amount of income and resources actually provided

by the sponsor will be counted for a 12-month period after a determination

of indigence; and

 • Provides that in certain cases, deeming would not apply for a 12-month

period (with some options for extension) if the noncitizen (or his/her children) has been battered, or subjected to extreme cruelty by family members.

1997

Public Law 105-33, 

enacted August 5

Amends Public Law 104-208 to add an additional exception to sponsor-to-alien

deeming when the parent of a noncitizen has been battered or subjected to

extreme cruelty by family members.

2006

Public Law 109-163, 

enacted January 6

Provides that individuals who were made ineligible for SSI because of their

spouses or parents being called to active military duty would not have to file a

new application for SSI benefits if they again could be eligible for benefits

before the end of 24 consecutive months of ineligibility.
61

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

3. Federal Benefit Payments

a. Windfall Offset

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

Offset (by reduction of retroactive Social Security benefits) to prevent persons

whose initial OASDI payment is retroactive from receiving more in total benefits than if they were paid the benefits when regularly due.

1984

Public Law 98-617, 

enacted November 8

Offset provision expanded to allow for reduction of retroactive SSI benefits and

to apply in cases of OASDI benefit reinstatement.

b. Proration of Benefit

1982

Public Law 97-248, 

enacted September 3

Benefit for first month of eligibility to be prorated by the number of days in the

month for which an application has been filed and there is eligibility.

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Changes the effective date of an SSI application to the first day of the month

following the date on which the application was filed or on which the individual

first becomes eligible, whichever is later. This, in effect, eliminates prorated

payments in initial claims.

c. Retrospective Monthly Accounting

1981

Public Law 97-35, 

enacted August 13

Changes the method of computing the SSI benefit to one under which the benefit amount is computed on a monthly basis and is based on income and other

characteristics in the previous (or second previous) month.

1984

Public Law 98-369, 

enacted July 18

Changes the method of computing the SSI benefit to persons receiving title II

payments. The effect of the increased title II income at the time of the cost-ofliving increase is not delayed as it otherwise would be.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Provides an exception to retrospective monthly accounting so that amounts

received under Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC), foster care,

refugee cash assistance, Cuban-Haitian entrant assistance, or general and child

welfare assistance provided by the Bureau of Indian Affairs are counted only in

the month received.

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Changes the method of computing the SSI benefit to persons receiving the value

of the one-third reduction. The effect of the increased value at the time of the

cost-of-living increase is not delayed as it otherwise would be. Effective January

1995.
2008 SSI Annual Report

62

Act

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Eliminates triple counting of one-time, nonrecurring income by providing that

this income will be counted only for the month that the income is received, and

not for any other month during the transition to retrospective monthly accounting, which occurs during the first 3 months of an individual’s SSI eligibility.

Effective April 2005.

d. Uncashed Checks

1981

Public Law 97-35, 

enacted August 13

States that have Federally-administered supplements to be credited their share

of SSI checks that remain unnegotiated for 180 days.

1987

Public Law 100-86, 

enacted August 10

SSI checks now unnegotiable after 1 year. States are credited their share of SSI

checks after 1 year rather than 180 days.

e. Rounding of Payment Amounts

1982

Public Law 97-248, 

enacted September 3

Cost-of-living adjustments in the Federal SSI benefit and income eligibility levels are to be rounded to the next lower whole dollar, after the adjustment is calculated. Subsequent cost-of-living adjustments will be calculated on the

previous year’s benefit standard before rounding.

f. Penalties for False or Misleading Statements or Withholding of 

Information

1999

Public Law 106-169, 

enacted December 14

Provides for the nonpayment of OASDI and SSI benefits (6, 12 and 24 months,

respectively, for the first, second, and third or subsequent violations) for individuals found to have knowingly made a false or misleading statement of material fact for use in determining eligibility for benefits.

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Expands the administrative sanction of nonpayment of benefits to situations

where an individual has failed to disclose material information, if the person

knew or should have known that such failure was misleading.

Authorizes Federal courts to order a defendant convicted of defrauding Social

Security, Special Veterans’ Benefits, or SSI to make restitution to SSA. Restitution funds would be deposited to the trust funds or General Fund of the Treasury, as appropriate. Effective with respect to violations occurring on or after the

date of enactment.
63

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

g. Installment Payments

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Establishes a schedule for paying retroactive SSI benefit amounts that exceed 12

times the FBR plus the State supplement level. Payments would be made at

6-month intervals:

 • The first installment would be 12 times the FBR plus any Federally administered State supplement.

 • Any remaining retroactive benefits would be paid in a second installment

(not to exceed the first payment amount).

 • All remaining retroactive benefits would be paid in the third installment.

Provides that where an underpaid individual has incurred debts to provide for

food, clothing or shelter, has expenses for disability-related items and services

that exceed the installment amount, or has entered into a contract to purchase a

home, the installment payment would be increased by the amount needed to

cover those debts, expenses and obligations.

Provides that full retroactive payments be paid to an individual who is terminally ill or, if currently ineligible, is likely to remain so for the next 12 months.

2006

Public Law 109-171, 

enacted February 8

Requires that past-due monthly SSI benefits that exceed three times the maximum monthly benefit (Federal benefit rate plus State supplementary payment

amount, if any) payable to the individual be paid in up to three installment payments, 6 months apart. Also, limits the amount of the first two installment payment to three times the maximum monthly benefit. All remaining benefits due

are to be paid in the third installment. As under current law, the amounts of the

installment payments may be increased in certain cases, such as those in which

the individual has outstanding debt relating to food, clothing, or shelter, or has

necessary medical needs.

Effective 3 months after February 8, 2006.
2008 SSI Annual Report

64

4. Federal Benefit Rates

Basic benefit standards are used in computing the amount of Federal SSI payments. Benefit levels differ

for individuals and couples living in households and for persons in Medicaid institutions. Individuals or

couples living in their own households are eligible for the full Federal benefit. If an individual or couple is

living in another person’s household and receiving support and maintenance there, the Federal benefit is

reduced by one-third. The Federal benefit rates for persons in households are increased annually to reflect

increases in the cost of living. Legislation affecting the level of Federal benefit rates since the inception of

the SSI program are summarized in table V.A1.

1 For those in another person’s household receiving support and maintenance there, the Federal benefit rate is reduced by one-third. 2 For those without countable income. These payments are reduced by the amount of countable income of the individual or couple.

3 Public Law 92-603, enacted October 30, 1972.

4 Includes persons in private institutions whose care in not provided by Medicaid.

5 Public Law 93-66, enacted July 9, 1973.

6 Public Law 93-233, enacted December 31, 1973.

7 Public Law 93-368, enacted August 7, 1974.

8 Subject to automatic provisions, see table IV.A2.

9 Public Law 98-21, enacted April 20, 1983. 10 Public Law 100-203, enacted December 22, 1987.

Table V.A1.—Federal Benefit Rates Set by Legislation

Act Living arrangements 1

Amount 2

Individual Couple Conditions

1972 3 ....... Own household 4 $130.00 $195.00 Was to be effective January 1, 1974; superseded by Public Law 

93-233.

1973 5 ....... — 140.00 210.00 Was to be effective January 1, 1974; superseded by Public Law 

93-233.

1973 6 ....... — 140.00 210.00 Effective January 1, 1974.

1973 6 ....... — 146.00 219.00 Effective July 1, 1974.

1974 7 ....... — — — Mechanism established for providing cost-of-living 

adjustments coordinated with earlier legislation applying to 

OASDI cash benefits. SSI payments to be increased by the 

same percentage as OASDI benefits and at the same time.

— 8157.70 8 236.60 Effective July 1, 1975.

1983 9 ....... — 304.30 456.40 Effective July 1, 1983 (general benefit increase).

— 8 314.00 8 472.00 Effective January 1, 1984.

1973 5 ....... Increment for 

“essential person” 

in household

65.00 — Was to be effective January 1, 1974. For persons transferred 

from OAA, AB, or APTD programs who were receiving 

payments in December 1973 under a State plan that took 

account of “essential persons” in the household.

— 70.00 — Was to be effective July 1, 1974.

1973 6 ....... — 70.00 — Effective January 1, 1974.

— 73.00 — Effective July 1, 1974.

1974 7 ....... — — — Mechanism established for providing cost-of-living 

adjustments.

— 8 78.90 — Effective July 1, 1975.

1983 9 ....... — 152.50 — Effective July 1, 1983 (general benefit increase).

— 8 157.00 — Effective January 1, 1984.

1972 3 ....... Receiving institutional 

care covered by 

Medicaid

25.00 50.00 Effective January 1, 1974. Must be receiving more than 50 

percent of the cost of the care from Medicaid (title XIX of 

the Social Security Act).

1987 10 ..... — 30.00 60.00 Effective July 1, 1988. Must be receiving more than 50 percent 

of the cost of the care from Medicaid (title XIX of the Social 

Security Act).
65

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act 5. Exclusions from Income

a. General Exclusions

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

The first $60 of earned or unearned income per calendar quarter for an individual or couple; the next $195 and one-half the remainder of quarterly earned

income. Unearned income includes Social Security benefits, other government

or private pensions, veterans’ benefits, and workers’ compensation.

1981

Public Law 97-35, 

enacted August 13

The first $20 of earned or unearned income per month for an individual or couple; the next $65 and one-half the remainder of monthly earned income.

Unearned income includes Social Security benefits, other government or private

pensions, veterans’ benefits, and workers’ compensation.

2000

Public Law 106-554, 

enacted December 21

Earnings of persons defined as Social Security statutory employees are treated

as self-employment income for SSI purposes.

b. Special Exclusions

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Any amount of tax rebate issued to an individual by any public agency that is

based on either real property or food purchase taxes.

Grants, scholarships, and fellowships used to pay tuition and fees at an educational institution.

Income required for achieving an approved self-support plan for blind or disabled persons.

Work expenses of blind persons.

For blind persons transferred from State programs to SSI, income exclusions

equal to the maximum amount permitted as of October 1972 under the State

programs.

Irregularly or infrequently received income totaling $60 or less of unearned

income and $30 of earned income in a calendar quarter.

Payment for foster care of ineligible child residing in recipient’s home through

placement by a public or private nonprofit child care agency.

One-third of any payment received from an absent parent for the support of a

child eligible for SSI.

Certain earnings of a blind or disabled child under age 22 regularly attending an

educational institution.

State or local government cash payments based on need and designed to supplement SSI payments.
2008 SSI Annual Report

66

Act

1976

Public Law 94-331, 

enacted June 30

Disaster assistance from income for 9 months and application of one-third

reduction for 6 months for certain victims of disasters occurring between January 1, 1976 and December 31, 1976.

Public Law 94-566, 

enacted October 20

Any assistance based on need (including vendor payments) made to or on behalf

of SSI recipients, which is paid and wholly funded by State or local governments.

The value of assistance provided under certain Federal housing programs.

1977

Public Law 95-113, 

enacted September 29

Food stamps, Federally donated food, and the value of free or reduced price

food for women and children under the Child Nutrition Act and National School

Lunch Act.

Public Law 95-171, 

enacted November 12

Provisions for exclusions for support and maintenance under the Disaster Relief

and Emergency Assistance Act of 1974 extended on a permanent basis. Effective January 1, 1978.

1980

Public Law 96-222, 

enacted April 1

Earned income tax credit treated as earned income (temporarily excluded from

1975 through 1980).

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

Remunerations received in sheltered workshops and work activity centers are

considered earned income and qualify for earned income exclusions.

Impairment-related work expenses paid by the individual (including cost for

attendant care, medical equipment, drugs, and services necessary to control an

impairment) are deducted from earnings when determining if an individual is

engaging in substantial gainful activity. Impairment-related work expenses are

excluded in calculating income for benefit purposes if initial eligibility for benefits exists on the basis of countable income without applying this exclusion.

1981

Public Law 97-35, 

enacted August 13

Modifies provision under which irregularly or infrequently received income is

excluded to conform to change from quarterly to monthly accounting; amounts

excludable: $20 or less of unearned income and $10 of earned income in a

month.

1982

Public Law 97-377, 

enacted December 21

From December 18, 1982, to September 30, 1983, certain home energy assistance payments are excluded if a State agency certified that they are based on

need.

1983

Public Law 97-424, 

enacted January 6

Support or maintenance assistance (including home energy assistance) provided

in kind by a nonprofit organization or in cash or in kind by certain providers of

home energy is excluded if the State determines that the assistance is based on

need. Provision is applicable through September 1984.

Certain home energy assistance payments are excluded if a State agency certified that the assistance is based on need. Provision is applicable through June

1985.
67

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1984

Public Law 98-369, 

enacted July 18

The 1983 provisions for support and maintenance and home energy assistance

continue to October 1, 1987.

1986

Public Law 99-498, 

enacted October 17

Educational assistance used for educational expenses under the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

The 1983 provisions for support and maintenance and home energy assistance

made permanent.

Excludes death payments (for example, proceeds from life insurance) from SSI

income determinations to the extent they were spent on last illness and burial.

Modifies the 1982 resource exclusion for burial funds to extend the exclusion to

any burial fund of $1,500 or less maintained separately from all other assets,

thereby allowing interest to be excluded from income if retained in the fund.

1988

Public Law 100-383, 

enacted August 10

Restitution payments made to Japanese internees and relocated Aleutians.

1989

Public Law 101-239, 

enacted December 19

Interest on agreements representing the purchase of an excluded burial space.

Payments from the Agent Orange Settlement.

Value of a ticket for domestic travel received as a gift and not cashed.

1990

Public Law 101-508, 

enacted November 5

Earned income tax credit (including the child health insurance portion).

Payments received from a State-administered fund established to aid victims of

crime.

Impairment-related work expenses excluded from income in determining initial

eligibility for benefits.

Payments received as State or local government relocation assistance.

Payments received under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

Redefines as earned income, royalties earned in connection with any publication

of the individual’s work, and honoraria received for services rendered (previously defined as unearned income).

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Hostile fire pay to members of the uniformed services.

Payments received as State or local government relocation assistance made permanent.

1994

Public Law 103-286, 

enacted August 1

Payments to victims of Nazi persecution.
2008 SSI Annual Report

68

Act

1998

Public Law 105-285, 

enacted October 27

Funds made available to an SSI recipient by a State or local government or a

nonprofit organization as part of the Individual Development Account demonstration project.

Public Law 105-306, 

enacted October 28

In-kind gifts to children with life-threatening conditions by tax-exempt organizations not converted to cash.

The first $2,000 annually of cash gifts by tax-exempt organizations to, or for the

benefit of, individuals under age 18 with life-threatening conditions.

Public Law 105-369, 

enacted November 12

Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998.

2000

Public Law 106-554, 

enacted December 21

Interest on funds deposited in an individual development account.

Any adjustments made to prior payments from other Federal programs to

account for the error in the computation of the Consumer Price Index during

1999.

2001

Public Law 107-16, 

enacted June 7

The refundable child tax credit is excluded in determining eligibility for meanstested programs, including SSI.

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Changes the calculation of infrequent or irregular income from a monthly to a

quarterly basis. Excludes from the determination of an individual’s income all

interest and dividend income earned on countable resources. Effective July

2004.

Permits the student earned income exclusion to apply to any individual under

age 22 who is a student. Thus, students under age 22 who are married or heads

of households would be eligible for the exclusion. Effective April 2005.

Excludes from the determination of income any gift to an individual for use in

paying tuition or educational fees, just as grants, scholarships, and fellowships

for such use are currently excluded from the determination of income. Effective

June 2004.

2005

Public Law 109-64, 

enacted September 20

Amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to specify that assistance

provided under a program for flood mitigation activities with respect to a property would not be considered income or a resource of the owner of the property

when determining eligibility for or benefit levels under any income assistance or

resource-tested program (including SSI) that is funded in whole or in part by a

Federal agency or by appropriated Federal funds.

2006

Public-Law 109-432, 

enacted December 20

Extends the present law that allows combat pay to be considered for Earned

Income Tax Credit (EITC) purposes for one additional year (for taxable years

ending before January 1, 2008). For SSI purposes, EITC payments are excluded

from income, and are not a countable resource for 9 calendar months following

the month of receipt.
69

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

2008

Public Law 110-185, 

enacted February 13

A rebate payment received under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and any

other credit or refund under section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code, would

not be taken into account as income for purposes of SSI.

6. Resources

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Countable resources limited to $1,500 or less for an individual and to $2,250 or

less for a couple.

1984

Public Law 98-369, 

enacted July 18

Limit on countable resources raised by $100 a year for individuals and $150 a

year for couples, beginning in calendar year 1985 through 1989. The respective

limits would become $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple in 1989

and thereafter.

1999

Public Law 106-169, 

enacted December 14

Includes generally in the countable resources of an individual the assets of a

trust which could be used for the benefit of the individual or spouse.

a. General Exclusions

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

A home of reasonable value—established by regulation as not exceeding a fairmarket value of $25,000 ($35,000 in Alaska and Hawaii).

Personal effects and household goods of reasonable value established by regulation as not exceeding a total market value of $1,500.

An automobile of reasonable value—established by regulation as not exceeding

a market value of $1,200.

An automobile may be excluded, regardless of value, if the individual’s household uses it for employment or medical treatment, or if it is modified to be operated by or for transportation of a person with a disability.

Life insurance with face value of $1,500 or less.

1976

Public Law 94-569, 

enacted October 20

The recipient’s home, regardless of value, is excluded from consideration in

determining resources.

1977

Public Law 95-171, 

enacted November 12

Assistance received under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act of

1974 for 9 months following receipt.

1979 Reasonable value for an automobile increased by regulation to $4,500 of current-market value; personal goods and household effects increased to $2,000 of

equity value.

1982

Public Law 97-248, 

enacted September 3

The value, within prescribed limits, of a burial space for the recipient, spouse,

and immediate family is excluded. In addition, $1,500 each (less the value of

already excluded life insurance and any amount in an irrevocable burial arrangement) may be set aside for the burial of the recipient and spouse.
2008 SSI Annual Report

70

Act

1984

Public Law 98-369, 

enacted July 18

The unspent portion of any retroactive title II or title XVI payment is excluded

for 6 months following its receipt, and the individual must be given written

notice of the time limit on the exclusion.

1985 Regulations permit exclusion, regardless of value, of an automobile needed for

essential transportation or modified for a person with a disability. The $4,500

current market value limit applies only if no automobile could be excluded

based on the nature of its use.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Provides for suspension of the 1980 transfer of assets provision, in any month

that it is determined that undue hardship would result.

Real property that cannot be sold for the following reasons: it is jointly owned;

its sale would cause the other owner(s) undue hardship due to loss of housing;

its sale is barred by a legal impediment; or, the owner’s reasonable efforts to sell

have been unsuccessful.

Temporarily extends the 1984 exclusion of retroactive title II and title XVI benefits from 6 months to 9 months (the longer exclusion applies to benefits paid in

fiscal years 1988 and 1989).

1988

Public Law 100-707, 

enacted November 23

Removes the time limit for exclusion of disaster assistance.

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Increases to 9 months and makes uniform the time period for excluding from

resources amounts attributable to payments of past-due Social Security and SSI

benefits and earned income and child tax credits. Effective for such payments

received on or after the date of enactment.

2005 Regulations permit exclusion, regardless of value, of:

 • One automobile if used for transportation for the beneficiary or a member

of the beneficiary’s household; and

 • Personal goods and household effects.

b. Special Exclusions

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Assets of a blind or disabled individual that are necessary to an approved plan of

self-support.

Tools and other property essential to self-support (PESS), within reasonable

limits. Shares of nonnegotiable stock in regional or village corporations held by

natives of Alaska.

For persons transferred from State programs to SSI, resource exclusions equal to

the maximum amount permitted as of October 1972 under the State program.

1988

Public Law 100-383, 

enacted August 10

Restitution payments made to Japanese internees and relocated Aleutians.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1989

Public Law 101-239, 

enacted December 19

Specifies that no limitation can be placed on property essential to self-support

used in a trade or business, or by an individual as an employee (including the

tools of a tradesperson and the machinery and livestock of a farmer).

Payments from the Agent Orange Settlement.

1990

Public Law 101-508, 

enacted November 5

Earned income tax credit excluded for the month following the month the credit

is received.

Payments received from a State-administered fund established to aid victims of

crime excluded for a 9-month period. Individual not required to file for such

benefits.

Payments received as State or local government relocation assistance

excluded for a 9-month period. (The provision expired 3 years after its effective

date.)

Payments received under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Makes permanent the 9-month exclusion of payments received as State or local

government relocation assistance.

1994

Public Law 103-286, 

enacted August 1

Payments to victims of Nazi persecution.

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Dedicated financial institution accounts required to be established for large pastdue benefits for disabled individuals under age 18 with a representative payee.

1998

Public Law 105-285, 

enacted October 27

Funds made available to an SSI recipient by a State or local government or a

nonprofit organization as part of the Individual Development Account demonstration project.

Public Law 105-306, 

enacted October 28

In-kind gifts to children with life-threatening conditions by tax-exempt organizations not converted to cash.

The first $2,000 annually of cash gifts by tax-exempt organizations to, or for the

benefit of, individuals under age 18 with life-threatening conditions.

Public Law 105-369, 

enacted November 12

Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998.

2000

Public Law 106-554, 

enacted December 21

Funds deposited by an individual in an individual development account and the

interest on those funds.

2001

Public Law 107-16, 

enacted June 7

The refundable child tax credit in the month of receipt and in the following

month.
2008 SSI Annual Report

72

Act

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Excludes grants, scholarships, fellowships, or gifts to be used for tuition or educational fees from an individual’s countable resources for 9 months after the

month of receipt.

2008

Public Law 110-185, 

enacted February 13

A rebate payment received under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and any

other credit or refund under section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code, would

not be included as a resource during the month of receipt or the following 2

months.

c. Transfer-of-Resources Penalties

1980

Public Law 96-611, 

enacted December 28

Assets transferred for less than fair market value for the purpose of establishing

eligibility for benefits under the Social Security Act are counted as resources for

24 months after transfer.

1988

Public Law 100-360, 

enacted July 1

Removes the transfer-of-assets penalty for transfers made July 1, 1988, or later.

1999

Public Law 106-169, 

enacted December 14

Provides a penalty under the SSI program for the disposal of resources at less

than fair market value. The penalty is a loss of benefits for up to 36 months. A

formula is provided to determine the number of months.

7. Presumptive and Emergency Payments and Interim Assistance

Reimbursement

a. Presumptive Payments

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

A person applying on the basis of disability who meets all other criteria of eligibility, and is likely to be disabled, may receive payments for 3 months pending

the disability determination.

1976

Public Law 94-569, 

enacted October 20

Presumptive payment provision was extended to persons applying on the basis

of blindness.

1990

Public Law 101-508, 

enacted November 5

Extends the period for receipt of payments to 6 months.

b. Emergency Advance Payments

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

Any applicant who can be presumed to meet the criteria of eligibility, but has

not yet been determined eligible, and who is faced with a financial emergency

may receive an immediate cash advance of up to $100.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Increases the maximum emergency advance payment amount to the maximum

amount of the regular Federal SSI monthly benefit rate, plus, if any, the Federally-administered State supplementary payment.
73

2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1996

Public Law 104-193, 

enacted August 22

Applicants who have a financial emergency may receive an emergency advance

payment in the month of application, which, effective with this law, is always

prior to the first month of eligibility. These advance payments are recouped by

proportional reductions in the recipient’s first 6 months of SSI benefits.

c. Interim Assistance Reimbursement

1974

Public Law 93-368, 

enacted August 7

SSA may enter into agreements with the States to repay them directly for assistance payments made to an SSI applicant while his/her claim is being adjudicated. The repayment is made from the first check due to the individual. This

legislation expires June 30, 1976.

1976

Public Law 94-365, 

enacted July 14

The authority to repay the State for interim assistance is made permanent.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Extends interim assistance reimbursement to situations in which payments are

made by States or political subdivisions to persons whose SSI payments were

suspended or terminated and who subsequently are found to be eligible for such

benefits. Also clarifies that the payment from which the interim assistance reimbursement is paid must be the first payment of benefits relating to the interim

period.

8. Medicaid Eligibility

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

States can provide Medicaid coverage to all recipients of SSI payments. Alternatively, they can limit coverage by applying more restrictive criteria from the

State Medicaid plan in effect on January 1, 1972.

States can accept SSA determination of eligibility, or make their own determination.

1976

Public Law 94-566, 

enacted October 20

Preserves the Medicaid eligibility of recipients who become ineligible for cash

SSI payments due to the cost-of-living increases in Social Security benefits.

1980

Public Law 96-265, 

enacted June 9

Blind or disabled recipients under age 65 no longer eligible for either regular or

special SSI payments because of their earnings may retain SSI recipient status

for Medicaid eligibility purposes under the following conditions: (1) they continue to have the disabling impairment, (2) they meet all nondisability eligibility

criteria except for earned income, (3) they would be seriously inhibited from

continuing employment without Medicaid services, and (4) their earnings are

insufficient to provide a reasonable equivalent of SSI payments and Medicaid.

In States that do not provide Medicaid coverage categorically to all SSI recipients, qualification for Medicaid benefits depends on the State’s specific eligibility and program requirements.
2008 SSI Annual Report

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Act

The Medicaid provision of the 1980 legislation was in effect from January 1,

1981, through December 31, 1983. Under a 1-year demonstration project,

beginning January 1, 1984, this provision was continued for persons already eligible for regular or special SSI payments or for retention of Medicaid eligibility.

1984

Public Law 98-460, 

enacted October 9

Medicaid provision of 1980 legislation extended through June 30, 1987 (retroactive to January 1, 1984).

1986

Public Law 99-272, 

enacted April 7

Restores Medicaid eligibility for some disabled widow(er)s who became ineligible for SSI when their title II benefits increased in 1984 because of a change in

the Social Security disabled widow(er)s benefits reduction factor.

Public Law 99-643, 

enacted November 10

The SSI recipient status for Medicaid eligibility provision of the 1980 amendments is made permanent.

Effective July 1, 1987, certain expenses are excluded from earnings when determining sufficiency of earnings to establish SSI recipient status eligibility for

Medicaid purposes:

 • Impairment-related work expenses of disabled persons;

 • Work expenses of blind persons;

 • Income required for achieving an approved self-support plan; and

 • The value of publicly funded attendant care services.

Effective July 1, 1987, preserves the Medicaid eligibility of recipients who

become ineligible for SSI payments because of entitlement to, or an increase in,

Social Security disabled adult child benefits on or after the effective date.

Effective July 1, 1987, requires all States to provide Medicaid coverage for

recipients in special SSI status (either receiving special SSI payments or in the

special recipient status described for 1980) if they received Medicaid coverage

the month before special SSI status.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Effective July 1, 1988, restores or preserves the Medicaid eligibility of persons

aged 60 or older who are eligible for Social Security benefits as widows or widowers (but not eligible for Medicare) and who become ineligible for SSI payments or State supplementation because of the receipt of old-age or survivors

insurance benefits under Social Security.

1990

Public Law 101-508, 

enacted November 5

Age limit for retention of SSI recipient status for Medicaid eligibility purposes

(1980 and subsequent work incentive provisions, above) is eliminated.

Preserves the Medicaid eligibility of SSI recipients who become ineligible for

payments when they become entitled to Social Security disabled widow(er)s

benefits following the revised definition used for their disability.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

1997

Public Law 105-33, 

enacted August 5

Requires States to continue Medicaid coverage for disabled children who were

receiving SSI payments as of August 22, 1996 and would have continued to be

eligible for such payments except that their eligibility terminated because they

did not meet the revised SSI childhood disability standard established under

Public Law 104-193.

2006

Public Law 109-171, 

enacted February 8

Begins Medicaid coverage for children who are eligible for SSI effective the

month the SSI application is filed or the first month of SSI eligibility, whichever

is later. (Under prior law, Medicaid eligibility for such children began the month

following the month of the SSI application or first eligibility.)

9. State Supplementation

1972

Public Law 92-603, 

enacted October 30

States are given the option of providing supplementary payments both to recipients transferred from the State program and to those newly eligible for SSI.

States may either administer the payments themselves or have the Social Security Administration make payments on their behalf. When State supplementary

payments are Federally-administered, the Social Security Administration makes

eligibility and payment determinations for the State and assumes administrative

costs.

“Hold harmless” protection, which limits a State’s fiscal liability to its share of

OAA, AB, and APTD expenditures for calendar year 1972, is provided to States

electing Federal administration of their supplementary plans. This provision

applies only to supplementary payments that do not, on average, exceed a

State’s “adjusted payment level.” (The adjusted payment level is the average of

the payments that individuals with no other income received in January 1972; it

may include the bonus value of food stamps. Adjustments are provided for payments that had been below State standards.)

1973

Public Law 93-66, 

enacted July 9

Provides for mandatory State supplementation as assurance against reduction of

income for persons who received State assistance in December 1973 and were

transferred to SSI. These supplementary payments must equal the difference

between (1) the amount of the State assistance payment that the individual

received in December 1973 plus other income and (2) his/her Federal SSI payment plus other income.

1976

Public Law 94-585, 

enacted October 21

After June 30, 1977, when the Federal SSI payment level is increased by a costof-living increase, such an increase will be excluded in calculating the “hold

harmless” amount.

Requires States to maintain State supplementation payments at the level of

December 1976 (“maintenance of payments”) or to continue to pay in supplements the same total annual amounts (“maintenance of expenditures”) when the

Federal SSI payment level is increased and thereby pass through any increases

in Federal benefits without reducing State supplements.
2008 SSI Annual Report

76

Act

1982

Public Law 97-248, 

enacted September 3

Begins a 3-year phase out of “hold harmless” protection. Effective with fiscal

year 1985, Wisconsin and Hawaii (the only remaining “hold harmless” States)

assumed the full cost of their supplementary payments.

1983

Public Law 98-21, 

enacted April 20

Federal pass-through law is adjusted (1) by substituting the State supplementary

payment levels in effect in March 1983 for those in effect in December 1976 as

the levels that States must maintain in complying with the pass-through requirements, and (2) with regard to the $20 (individual) and $30 (couple) increase in

the Federal SSI standard in July 1983, by requiring States to pass through only

as much as would have been required if the SSI cost-of-living adjustment had

been made in July 1983.

1987

Public Law 100-203, 

enacted December 22

Provides for Federal administration of State supplements to residents of medical

institutions.

Provides for required pass through of $5 increase in Federal rate for persons

whose care in institutions is paid in substantial part by Medicaid.

1993

Public Law 103-66, 

enacted August 10

Requires States to pay fees for Federal administration of their State supplementation payments. The fees are $1.67 for each monthly supplementary payment in

fiscal year 1994, $3.33 in fiscal year 1995, and $5.00 in fiscal year 1996. Fees

for subsequent fiscal years will be $5.00 or another amount determined by the

Commissioner to be appropriate. The Commissioner may charge the States

additional fees for services they request that are beyond the level customarily

provided in administering State supplementary payments.

1997

Public Law 105-33, 

enacted August 5

Revises the schedule of per-payment fees for Federal administration of State

supplementation for fiscal years 1998 ($6.20) through 2002 ($8.50) and provides a formula for determining the fee beyond fiscal year 2002.

1999

Public Law 106-170, 

enacted December 17

A State which has an agreement with SSA to administer its supplementation

payments, must remit both payments and fees prior to the SSI payment date.

2000

Public Law 106-554, 

enacted December 21

Changes the effective date of above provision from 2009 to 2001.

10. Overpayment Recovery

1984

Public Law 98-369, 

enacted July 18

Limits the rate of recovering overpayments from monthly payments to the lesser

of: (1) the monthly payment, or (2) 10 percent of a recipient’s monthly income.

Permits a higher or lower adjustment at the request of the recipient subject to the

agreement of the Commissioner. The limit does not apply if fraud, willful misrepresentation, or concealment of material information was involved on the part

of the recipient or spouse in connection with the overpayment.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Act

Waives recovery of certain overpayments due to amount of excess resources of

$50 or less.

Provides authority for the recovery of overpayments from tax refunds.

1998

Public Law 105-306, 

enacted October 28

Authorizes SSA to collect SSI overpayments for individuals not currently eligible for SSI cash benefits by offsetting Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) benefits, with a maximum monthly offset of no more than 10

percent of the Social Security benefit. The limit does not apply if fraud, willful

misrepresentation, or concealment of material information was involved on the

part of the recipient or spouse in connection with the overpayment.

1999

Public Law 106-169, 

enacted December 14

Makes a representative payee liable for an SSI overpayment caused by a payment made to the representative payee on behalf of a recipient, after the recipient’s death and requires SSA to establish an overpayment control record under

the representative payee’s Social Security number. 

Requires SSA to recover SSI overpayments from SSI lump-sum amounts by

withholding at least 50 percent of the lump-sum payment or the amount of the

overpayment, whichever is less.

Extends all of the debt collection authorities currently available for the collection of overpayments under the OASDI program to the SSI program.

2004

Public Law 108-203, 

enacted March 2

Provides for recovery of overpayment of SSI benefits by withholding from

OASDI and Special Veterans’ benefits up to 100 percent of any underpayment

of benefits and 10 percent of ongoing monthly benefits. The 10 percent limit

does not apply if fraud, willful misrepresentation, or concealment of material

information was involved on the part of the recipient or spouse in connection

with the overpayment.

Also provides for recovery of overpayment of OASDI or Special Veterans’ benefits by withholding from SSI up to 100 percent of any underpayment of benefits, but limits any recovery from SSI benefits to the lesser of 100 percent of the

monthly benefit or 10 percent of the individual’s total monthly income.

Effective with respect to overpayments that are outstanding at the time of enactment. 
2008 SSI Annual Report

78

B. INCOME AND RESOURCE EXCLUSIONS

1. Earned Income Exclusions

 • Any refund of Federal income taxes received under section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code (relating

to earned income tax credit) and any payment received under section 3507 of the Internal Revenue

Code (relating to advance payment of earned income tax credit);

 • Rebate payment received under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and any other credit or refund

under section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code;

 • Any refundable child tax credit;

 • The first $30 of earned income in a quarter if it is infrequent or irregular, that is, (1) if it is received

only once in a calendar quarter from a single source and is not also received in the month immediately

preceding or the month immediately following the month of receipt regardless of whether or not these

payments occur in different calendar quarters or (2) if its receipt cannot reasonably be expected;

 • Up to $1,5501 per month but not more than $6,2401 in a calendar year received by a blind or disabled

recipient who is a working student under age 22 and regularly attending school;

 • Any portion of the monthly $20 exclusion for unearned income that has not been used;

 • $65 of earned income in a month;

 • Amounts used to pay impairment-related work expenses if a recipient is disabled (but not blind) and

under age 65 or is disabled (but not blind) and receiving SSI (or disability payments under a former

State plan) before age 652;

 • One-half of remaining earned income in a month;

 • Earned income used to meet any expenses reasonably attributable to the earning of the income if the

recipient is blind and under age 65 or if he/she received SSI as a blind person prior to age 652;

 • Any earned income received and used to fulfill an approved plan to achieve self-support if the recipient is blind or disabled and under age 65 or is blind or disabled and received SSI as a blind or disabled

individual in the month before he/she attained age 65; 

 • Any earned income deposited into either a Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) or

Assets for Independence Act individual development account (IDA); and

 • Some Federal laws other than the Social Security Act provide for the exclusion of earned income for

SSI purposes. For the most part, the income received under these laws relates to assistance received in

the form of food, housing and utilities, educational and employment benefits or benefits derived from

being a member of a Native American tribe. A complete list of laws which exclude earned income

under SSI can be found in the Federal Regulations Appendix to Subpart K 20 CFR 416.

1 Increased from $1,510 and $6,100, respectively, effective January 1, 2008 (72 FR 60705). Under current regulations this exclusion is increased yearly

based on changes in the cost of living.

2 Amounts used to pay impairment-related work expenses are deducted before the one-half of earned income deduction, whereas amounts used to pay the

work expenses of the blind are deducted after the one-half of earned income deduction. In effect, amounts of blind work expenses reduce SSI earned income

twice as much as the same amounts of impairment-related work expenses.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

2. Unearned Income Exclusions

 • Any public agency’s refund of taxes on real property or food; 

 • Assistance based on need which is wholly funded by a State or one of its political subdivisions. This

includes State supplementation of Federal SSI benefits but does not include payments under a Federal/State grant program such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF);

 • Any portion of a grant, scholarship, fellowship, or gift to an individual used for paying tuition, fees or

other necessary educational expenses. Portions set aside for food or shelter are counted;

 • Food raised by a household if it is consumed by that household;

 • Assistance received under the Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act and assistance provided

under any Federal statute because of a catastrophe which the President of the United States declares to

be a major disaster;

 • Assistance received under a program for flood mitigation activities;

 • The first $60 of unearned income in a quarter if it is infrequent or irregular, that is, (1) if it is received

only once in a calendar quarter from a single source and is not also received in the month immediately

preceding or the month immediately following the month of receipt regardless of whether or not these

payments occur in different calendar quarters or (2) if its receipt cannot reasonably be expected;

 • Any unearned income received and used to fulfill an approved plan to achieve self-support if the

recipient is blind or disabled and under age 65 or is blind or disabled and received SSI as a blind or

disabled individual in the month before he/she attained age 65;

 • Periodic payments made by a State under a program established before July 1, 1973, and based solely

on the recipient’s length of residence and attainment of age 65;

 • Payments for providing foster care to an ineligible child who was placed in the recipient’s home by a

public or private nonprofit child placement or child care agency;

 • Any interest earned on excluded burial funds and any appreciation in the value of an excluded burial

arrangement which are left to accumulate and become part of the separately identifiable burial fund;

 • Certain support and maintenance assistance provided in the form of home energy assistance;

 • One-third of support payments made by an absent parent if the recipient is a child;

 • The first $20 of unearned income in a month other than income in the form of in-kind support and

maintenance received in the household of another and income based on need;

 • The value of any assistance paid with respect to a dwelling unit under the United States Housing Act

of 1937, the National Housing Act, section 101 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965,

title V of the Housing Act of 1949, or section 202(h) of the Housing Act of 1959;

 • Any interest accrued on and left to accumulate as part of the value of an excluded burial space purchase agreement (effective April 1, 1990) and any interest earned on the value of nonexcludable

burial funds and burial space purchase agreements is excluded from income (effective July 1, 2004);

 • The value of any commercial transportation ticket, for travel by a recipient or his/her spouse among

the 50 States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and

the Northern Mariana Islands, which is received as a gift and is not converted to cash;
2008 SSI Annual Report

80

 • Payments received from a fund established by a State to aid victims of crime;

 • Relocation assistance provided by a State or local government that is comparable to assistance provided under title II of the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act

of 1970;

 • Hostile fire pay received from one of the uniformed services pursuant to 37 U.S.C. 310 and other

kinds of additional pay received by military personnel in a combat zone;

 • Interest or other earnings on a dedicated account excluded from resources;

 • In-kind gifts not converted to cash and the first $2,000 annually of cash gifts made by tax-exempt

organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to, or for the benefit of, individuals under age

18 with life-threatening conditions;

 • Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998;

 • TANF funds made available to an SSI recipient as part of an individual development account (IDA);

 • Deposits made by a participating individual or a sponsoring nonprofit organization or State or local

government into an IDA under the Assets for Independence Act IDA demonstration project and interest earned on these deposits; 

 • Unearned income excluded by other Federal laws. See Federal Regulations Appendix to Subpart K 20

CFR 416; and

 • Generally, all interest and dividend income earned on countable resources.

3. Resource Exclusions

 • The home in which an individual has ownership interest and which serves as the individual’s principal

place of residence (including the land appertaining thereto);

 • Household goods and personal effects;

 • One automobile if used for transportation for the beneficiary or a member of the beneficiary’s household;

 • Property used in a trade or business which is essential to self-support;

 • Up to $6,000 of nonbusiness property which is essential to self-support;

 • Resources of a blind or disabled individual which are necessary to fulfill an approved plan to achieve

self-support;

 • Stock in regional or village corporations held by natives of Alaska during the 20-year period in which

the stock is inalienable pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act;

 • Life insurance owned by an individual (and spouse, if any) provided that all life insurance on any person does not exceed a face value of $1,500;

 • Restricted allotted Indian lands;

 • Disaster relief assistance;
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2008 SSI Annual Report

 • Assistance received under a program for flood mitigation activities;

 • Burial spaces and certain funds up to $1,500 for burial expenses;

 • Title XVI or title II retroactive payments (for 9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Housing assistance;

 • Refunds of Federal income taxes and advances made by an employer relating to an earned income tax

credit (for 9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Rebate payment received under the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, and any other credit or refund

under section 6428 of the Internal Revenue Code, during the month of receipt or the following 2

months;

 • Refundable child tax credit (for 9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Grants, scholarships, fellowships or gifts to be used for tuition or educational fees (for 9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Payments received as compensation for expenses incurred or losses suffered as a result of a crime (for

9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Relocation assistance from a State or local government (for 9 months following the month of receipt);

 • Dedicated financial institution accounts for disabled children;

 • In-kind gifts not converted to cash and the first $2,000 annually of cash gifts made by tax-exempt

organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to, or for the benefit of, individuals under age

18 with life-threatening conditions;

 • Payments made under the Ricky Ray Hemophilia Relief Fund Act of 1998;

 • Amounts deposited into either a TANF or Assets for Independence Act IDA, including matching

funds and interest earned on such amounts;

 • Certain trusts (e.g., those established by will or certain Medicaid trusts that will repay the State, upon

the death of the beneficiary, for the costs of medical assistance provided to that individual); and

 • Payments or benefits provided under a Federal statute other than title XVI of the Social Security Act

where exclusion is provided by such statute.
2008 SSI Annual Report

82

C. HISTORICAL ALLOWANCE DATA

At the end of 2007, 84 percent of SSI recipients were receiving benefits based on a determination of disability or blindness. Claims are filed at a local Social Security office and claims requiring an evaluation of

disability are sent to the State Disability Determination Services (DDS) for a decision. Initial DDS decisions that are unfavorable to the applicant may be appealed. Historically, all appeals were initiated at the

DDS level with a request for reconsideration of that initial denial. Persons denied at the reconsideration

level could then apply to the Office of Disability Adjudication and Review (ODAR), formerly known as

the Office of Hearings and Appeals (OHA), for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), and

if dissatisfied with the hearing decision could request a review by the Appeals Council. Those dissatisfied

with the Appeals Council’s action could seek further relief via the Federal court system. This appeals process is still in effect for the majority of new applicants.1 However, since the mid-1990s SSA has conducted small pilots testing revisions to this process and introduced a modification of this process that has

been utilized in 10 States for applications filed on or after October 1, 1999. Under this revised process, the

first level of appeal of an initial determination is a request for hearing before an ALJ, thereby eliminating

the reconsideration step.

Such a process of application and appeal can, in some cases, span several years. However, before 1993,

the only data available on the disability determination process resided in files compiled at each separate

stage of the process and only captured various point-in-time snapshots. A complete picture of the disability determination process can be fully understood only by compiling a longitudinal database from administrative records at all levels of appeal. Beginning in 1993, such a longitudinal database (the “Disability

Research File”) was constructed by SSA’s Office of Disability Programs to assist the agency in understanding and managing this process. In constructing this database, some problems were encountered due to

inconsistencies in the data collected from all the respective levels of appeal. The following sections

present some additional details and qualifications essential to a complete understanding of the resulting

data. Following these technical notes are tables based on the Disability Research File which show the latest available summary of results on disability determinations under title XVI.

1. Technical Notes on the Disability Research File

Methods used to build the title XVI Disability Research File—The “base” file for the title XVI research

file is the Supplemental Security Record (SSR). This “base” file is matched against records from various

other administrative sources, including transactions from the disability determination (SSA-831) files,

Social Security number identification records and earnings data, and ODAR case control data. 

The process used to build this research file is cumbersome, involving about 200 steps, and generally

requiring 2 to 4 months to complete. Much of this complexity flows from the fact that the file is assembled

based on filing date cohorts, even though many of the source files do not contain a filing date. The three

most recent calendar year cohorts are completely reassembled from the basic data sources. Older calendar

year cohorts are updated to reflect activity since the last time the file was built. Since the process is so time

consuming, the research file is updated only annually (usually beginning in July). Therefore, research file

data are not yet available for claims filed in 2007.

1 Implementation of the Disability Service Improvement (DSI) process began in the Boston region in August 2006. The DSI process eliminated reconsideration as the first level of appeal of an initial disability determination and introduced review by the Office of the Federal Reviewing Official (OFedRO) in its

place. By final rule published in the Federal Register (73 FR 2411) SSA suspended new claims to the OFedRO level; this change was effective March 23,

2008 (73 FR 10381). For those initial disability appeals that had not been transferred to OFedRO on or before the effective date, the procedure for the first

level of appeal reverted to that which was in place prior to August 2006; i.e., reconsideration. The DSI regulations also modified administrative appeal of an

ALJ's decision or dismissal. These modifications remain in effect in the Boston region.
83

2008 SSI Annual Report

Methods used for estimating results (through February 2008) for claims filed in 2007—Although decision

counts are available for 2007 filers (from many of the “source” files), those counts do not translate directly

into the claims/appeals counts included in the following tables, due to the consolidation of multiple transactions (and application of claims-based tolerance rules) which occurs when the research file is built.

To prepare preliminary estimates of results (through February 2008) for 2007 filers, we started from the

latest available transaction data, such as the SSA-831 data, and took into account recent years’ experience

of the relationship between corresponding earlier transaction data and the resulting claims/appeals data in

completed research files. Estimates of ODAR appeals activity are taken from a file which tracks individual

claimants, rather than individual claims. Therefore, this may result in a slight undercount of ODAR activity. 

While we believe that the methods used are reasonable, it must be emphasized that the resulting estimates

may prove to be of limited reliability, especially in light of the fact that the estimates give results only

through February 2008, whereas the final research files will reflect information through June 2008. Actual

data for 2007 will be available to replace these estimates in the 2009 Annual Report.

2. General Considerations

Some general points that apply to tables V.C1 and V.C2 are as follows:

 • Data for 1988-2006 filers are as of August 2007 for decisions at the DDS and OFedRO levels. Results

for those years’ filers have been updated to include results at the hearing and Appeals Council levels

and Federal courts through September 2007. 

 • Data for 2007 filers are preliminary estimates as of February 2008, and reflect larger numbers of

claims still pending. February 2008 data on number of claims appealed may be too low because larger

numbers of claimants are still within the period allowed for filing an appeal (i.e., larger numbers of

recently denied claimants who have not yet filed an appeal may appeal before the time limit runs out). 

 • Remaining appeals will affect the results. Since allowances are generally processed more quickly than

denials, we expect that the percent allowed will ultimately be lower as all cases are processed. 

 • In certain pilot activities and under the revised process introduced October 1, 1999 in 10 States, initial

denials can be appealed directly to ODAR without a separate reconsideration step. As a result the

appeals of initial denials shown in these tables include cases which will not receive a decision at the

reconsideration level.

 • The cases appealed to the OFedRO level under the DSI process are not shown separately, but are

included in these tables in the reconsideration counts.
2008 SSI Annual Report

84

Table V.C1.—Disabled Adult Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing 1 and Level of Decision

Calendar year

of filing 

Total

claims

filed

Initial decisions

Pending

Allowances Denials Appeals of initial denials

Number Percent 2 Number Percent 2 Number 3 Percent 4

1988 946,603 — 272,204 28.8 674,399 71.2 265,151 39.3

1989 969,218 — 292,044 30.1 677,174 69.9 274,823 40.6

1990 1,099,805 — 347,823 31.6 751,982 68.4 320,207 42.6

1991 1,288,331 — 415,336 32.2 872,995 67.8 383,669 43.9

1992 1,415,624 — 436,888 30.9 978,736 69.1 433,244 44.3

1993 1,503,278 — 416,300 27.7 1,086,978 72.3 485,166 44.6

1994 1,436,958 — 353,995 24.6 1,082,963 75.4 482,533 44.6

1995 1,318,416 — 323,084 24.5 995,332 75.5 439,166 44.1

1996 1,247,926 — 305,351 24.5 942,575 75.5 406,425 43.1

1997 1,110,898 — 292,839 26.4 818,059 73.6 357,973 43.8

1998 1,108,957 — 322,734 29.1 786,223 70.9 339,288 43.2

1999 1,104,975 — 326,607 29.6 778,368 70.4 332,080 42.7

2000 1,139,571 — 344,163 30.2 795,408 69.8 332,935 41.9

2001 1,216,182 — 365,932 30.1 850,250 69.9 355,165 41.8

2002 1,322,683 — 371,233 28.1 951,450 71.9 398,582 41.9

2003 1,403,442 — 378,538 27.0 1,024,904 73.0 424,698 41.4

2004 1,475,930 — 384,208 26.0 1,091,722 74.0 426,986 39.1

2005 1,473,235 — 368,836 25.0 1,104,399 75.0 405,604 36.7

2006 1,470,761 8,347 349,627 23.9 1,112,787 76.1 388,802 34.9

2007 1,467,430 211,598 368,593 29.4 887,239 70.6 276,627 31.2

Calendar year

of filing 

Reconsiderations5 Appeals beyond reconsideration6

Pending

Allowances

Denials

Appeals of

reconsideration denials Allowances

Number Percent 2 Number7 Percent 4 Pending8 Number Percent9 Denials10

1988 — 38,385 14.5 226,766 140,663 62.0 — 82,414 58.6 58,249

1989 — 43,505 15.8 231,318 146,082 63.2 — 90,169 61.7 55,913

1990 — 52,055 16.3 268,152 175,520 65.5 — 109,098 62.2 66,422

1991 — 59,157 15.4 324,512 221,816 68.4 — 139,698 63.0 82,118

1992 — 58,819 13.6 374,425 260,554 69.6 — 159,084 61.1 101,470

1993 — 57,938 11.9 427,228 294,801 69.0 — 170,402 57.8 124,399

1994 — 55,822 11.6 426,711 293,448 68.8 — 164,537 56.1 128,911

1995 — 51,697 11.8 387,469 264,270 68.2 — 143,582 54.3 120,688

1996 — 49,263 12.1 357,162 242,407 67.9 — 133,323 55.0 109,084

1997 — 47,573 13.4 306,561 213,969 69.8 — 121,619 55.8 96,189

1998 — 46,507 13.7 292,272 203,350 69.6 — 115,291 56.6 88,568

1999 — 42,135 13.3 274,269 193,016 70.4 — 118,726 56.9 89,966

2000 — 39,522 14.3 237,714 170,264 71.6 2,339 125,449 56.1 98,175

2001 — 38,987 13.9 241,200 172,082 71.3 2,997 135,759 55.6 108,304

2002 — 40,290 12.9 271,278 193,416 71.3 4,912 152,981 55.5 122,537

2003 — 40,861 12.2 293,433 208,070 70.9 11,652 159,469 55.6 127,353

2004 — 38,858 11.6 295,019 209,106 70.9 48,330 143,780 56.6 110,105

2005 — 36,046 11.3 282,299 196,116 69.5 140,483 85,171 59.6 57,721

2006 22,907 24,683 9.0 251,015 161,749 64.4 218,710 21,073 63.4 12,163

2007 66,120 17,391 11.8 130,240 64,005 49.1 121,716 3,718 72.0 1,447
85

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Data for claims filed in 1988-2006 reflect results as of August 2007 at the DDS and OFedRO levels and as of September 2007 at the hearing and Appeals

Council levels and the Federal courts. The numbers of total claims filed for 2004-06 are subject to change. Data for claims filed in 2007 are preliminary estimates as of February 2008. The ultimate numbers of allowances and denials are subject to change until all initial decisions have been completed and all

appeals are final.

2 Percentage of decisions at this level.

3 Includes certain cases which can be appealed directly to the hearing level.

4 Percentage of denials at this level appealed to next level.

5 Includes cases reviewed by a Federal Reviewing Official (FedRO) as part of the DSI process.

6 Includes cases appealed to the hearing and Appeals Council levels and to the Federal courts.

7 Number of persons appealing beyond the reconsideration level.

8 Includes cases remanded to SSA from the Federal courts.

9 Percentage of decisions at this level. For years in which decisions are still pending, the preliminary percentage shown is expected to ultimately be lower

as all cases are processed. This occurs because allowances are generally processed more quickly than denials.

10 Includes denied claims where the final administrative action was a dismissal of an appeal request (e.g., the appeal was not filed timely or the applicant

failed to appear at the scheduled hearing).

Table V.C1.—Disabled Adult Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing 1 and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Calendar year

of filing 

Selected summary case information by decision status: Numbers of cases

Total

claims

filed

Initial

decisions

pending

Total

initial

decisions Allowances

Denials

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

1988 946,603 — 946,603 393,003 — 553,600

1989 969,218 — 969,218 425,718 — 543,500

1990 1,099,805 — 1,099,805 508,976 — 590,829

1991 1,288,331 — 1,288,331 614,191 — 674,140

1992 1,415,624 — 1,415,624 654,791 — 760,833

1993 1,503,278 — 1,503,278 644,640 — 858,638

1994 1,436,958 — 1,436,958 574,354 — 862,604

1995 1,318,416 — 1,318,416 518,363 — 800,053

1996 1,247,926 — 1,247,926 487,937 — 759,989

1997 1,110,898 — 1,110,898 462,031 — 648,867

1998 1,108,957 — 1,108,957 484,532 — 624,425

1999 1,104,975 — 1,104,975 487,468 — 617,507

2000 1,139,571 — 1,139,571 509,134 2,339 628,098

2001 1,216,182 — 1,216,182 540,678 2,997 672,507

2002 1,322,683 — 1,322,683 564,504 4,912 753,267

2003 1,403,442 — 1,403,442 578,868 11,652 812,922

2004 1,475,930 — 1,475,930 566,846 48,330 860,754

2005 1,473,235 — 1,473,235 490,053 140,483 842,699

2006 1,470,761 8,347 1,462,414 395,383 241,617 825,414

2007 1,467,430 211,598 1,255,832 389,702 187,836 678,294

Calendar year

of filing 

Selected summary case information by decision status

Numbers as a percentage of total claims filed Numbers as a percentage of total initial decisions

Initial

decision

pending Allowances

Denials

Allowances

Denials

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

1988 — 41.5 — 58.5 41.5 — 58.5

1989 — 43.9 — 56.1 43.9 — 56.1

1990 — 46.3 — 53.7 46.3 — 53.7

1991 — 47.7 — 52.3 47.7 — 52.3

1992 — 46.3 — 53.7 46.3 — 53.7

1993 — 42.9 — 57.1 42.9 — 57.1

1994 — 40.0 — 60.0 40.0 — 60.0

1995 — 39.3 — 60.7 39.3 — 60.7

1996 — 39.1 — 60.9 39.1 — 60.9

1997 — 41.6 — 58.4 41.6 — 58.4

1998 — 43.7 — 56.3 43.7 — 56.3

1999 — 44.1 — 55.9 44.1 — 55.9

2000 — 44.7 0.2 55.1 44.7 0.2 55.1

2001 — 44.5 .2 55.3 44.5 .2 55.3

2002 — 42.7 .4 56.9 42.7 .4 56.9

2003 — 41.2 .8 57.9 41.2 .8 57.9

2004 — 38.4 3.3 58.3 38.4 3.3 58.3

2005 — 33.3 9.5 57.2 33.3 9.5 57.2

2006 0.6 26.9 16.4 56.1 27.0 16.5 56.4

2007 14.4 26.6 12.8 46.2 31.0 15.0 54.0
2008 SSI Annual Report

86

Table V.C2.—Disabled Child Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing 1 and Level of Decision

Calendar year

of filing 

Total

claims

filed

Initial decisions

Pending

Allowances Denials Appeals of initial denials

Number Percent 2 Number Percent 2 Number 3 Percent 4

1991 250,962 — 148,220 59.1 102,742 40.9 24,702 24.0

1992 372,971 — 189,079 50.7 183,892 49.3 49,297 26.8

1993 496,131 — 212,268 42.8 283,863 57.2 75,967 26.8

1994 525,013 — 172,219 32.8 352,794 67.2 92,093 26.1

1995 487,730 — 144,231 29.6 343,499 70.4 86,841 25.3

1996 453,473 — 127,416 28.1 326,057 71.9 75,013 23.0

1997 332,032 — 106,528 32.1 225,504 67.9 51,493 22.8

1998 335,732 — 123,249 36.7 212,483 63.3 50,109 23.6

1999 342,153 — 128,543 37.6 213,610 62.4 49,562 23.2

2000 349,288 — 136,989 39.2 212,299 60.8 48,169 22.7

2001 367,751 — 151,288 41.1 216,463 58.9 49,089 22.7

2002 402,130 — 163,772 40.7 238,358 59.3 55,863 23.4

2003 425,365 — 171,183 40.2 254,182 59.8 59,431 23.4

2004 435,629 — 173,163 39.8 262,466 60.2 58,135 22.1

2005 425,474 — 162,452 38.2 263,022 61.8 54,436 20.7

2006 433,285 1,380 159,157 36.9 272,748 63.1 55,589 20.4

2007 436,295 51,834 161,845 42.1 222,616 57.9 37,758 17.0

Calendar year

of filing 

Reconsiderations5 Appeals beyond reconsideration6

Pending

Allowances

Denials

Appeals of

reconsideration

denials Allowances

Number Percent 2 Number7 Percent 4 Pending8 Number Percent9 Denials10

1991 — 5,605 22.7 19,097 9,196 48.2 — 3,884 42.2 5,312

1992 — 9,463 19.2 39,834 19,770 49.6 — 7,523 38.1 12,247

1993 — 11,338 14.9 64,629 31,193 48.3 — 10,638 34.1 20,555

1994 — 11,332 12.3 80,761 38,433 47.6 — 12,954 33.7 25,479

1995 — 10,287 11.8 76,554 35,592 46.5 — 10,924 30.7 24,668

1996 — 9,355 12.5 65,658 27,920 42.5 — 8,853 31.7 19,067

1997 — 8,266 16.2 42,705 18,916 44.3 — 7,027 36.2 12,411

1998 — 7,799 15.6 42,237 18,707 44.3 — 7,032 37.4 11,748

1999 — 7,196 15.5 39,377 17,782 45.2 — 7,832 37.7 12,939

2000 — 6,932 18.3 31,051 14,428 46.5 245 8,921 36.6 15,448

2001 — 6,807 18.7 29,643 13,576 45.8 230 9,328 35.9 16,657

2002 — 7,426 17.9 34,024 15,329 45.1 354 10,384 35.3 19,004

2003 — 7,690 17.1 37,211 16,374 44.0 829 10,543 35.1 19,532

2004 — 7,123 16.2 36,776 15,906 43.3 4,669 9,120 35.8 16,353

2005 — 7,123 17.0 34,778 14,996 43.1 14,659 4,977 38.7 7,895

2006 2,660 6,353 16.0 33,426 13,504 40.4 23,752 1,378 47.5 1,524

2007 7,631 2,731 12.9 18,440 5,432 29.5 14,006 111 29.1 271
87

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Data for claims filed in 1991-2006 reflect results as of August 2007 at the DDS and OFedRO levels and as of September 2007 at the hearing and Appeals

Council levels and the Federal courts. The numbers of total claims filed for 2004-06 are subject to change. Data for claims filed in 2007 are preliminary estimates as of February 2008. The ultimate numbers of allowances and denials are subject to change until all initial decisions have been completed and all

appeals are final.

2 Percentage of decisions at this level.

3 Includes certain cases which can be appealed directly to the hearing level.

4 Percentage of denials at this level appealed to next level.

5 Includes cases reviewed by a Federal Reviewing Official (FedRO) as part of the DSI process.

6 Includes cases appealed to the hearing and Appeals Council levels and to the Federal courts.

7 Number of persons appealing beyond the reconsideration level.

8 Includes cases remanded to SSA from the Federal courts. 9 Percentage of decisions at this level. For years in which decisions are still pending, the preliminary percentage shown is expected to ultimately be lower

as all cases are processed. This occurs because allowances are generally processed more quickly than denials.

10 Includes denied claims where the final administrative action was a dismissal of an appeal request (e.g., the appeal was not filed timely or the applicant

failed to appear at the scheduled hearing).

Table V.C2.—Disabled Child Claims: Disposition of Applications for SSI Disability Benefits by 

Year of Filing 1 and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Calendar year

of filing 

Selected summary case information by decision status: Numbers of cases

Total

claims

filed

Initial

decisions

pending

Total

initial

decisions Allowances

Denials

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

1991 250,962 — 250,962 157,709 — 93,253

1992 372,971 — 372,971 206,065 — 166,906

1993 496,131 — 496,131 234,244 — 261,887

1994 525,013 — 525,013 196,505 — 328,508

1995 487,730 — 487,730 165,442 — 322,288

1996 453,473 — 453,473 145,624 — 307,849

1997 332,032 — 332,032 121,821 — 210,211

1998 335,732 — 335,732 138,080 — 197,652

1999 342,153 — 342,153 143,571 — 198,582

2000 349,288 — 349,288 152,842 245 196,201

2001 367,751 — 367,751 167,423 230 200,098

2002 402,130 — 402,130 181,582 354 220,194

2003 425,365 — 425,365 189,416 829 235,120

2004 435,629 — 435,629 189,406 4,669 241,554

2005 425,474 — 425,474 174,552 14,659 236,263

2006 433,285 1,380 431,905 166,888 26,412 238,605

2007 436,295 51,834 384,461 164,687 21,637 198,137

Calendar year

of filing 

Selected summary case information by decision status

Numbers as a percentage of total claims filed Numbers as a percentage of total initial decisions

Initial

decision

pending Allowances

Denials

Allowances

Denials

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

Appeal

decision

pending

No

appeal

pending

1991 — 62.8 — 37.2 62.8 — 37.2

1992 — 55.2 — 44.8 55.2 — 44.8

1993 — 47.2 — 52.8 47.2 — 52.8

1994 — 37.4 — 62.6 37.4 — 62.6

1995 — 33.9 — 66.1 33.9 — 66.1

1996 — 32.1 — 67.9 32.1 — 67.9

1997 — 36.7 — 63.3 36.7 — 63.3

1998 — 41.1 — 58.9 41.1 — 58.9

1999 — 42.0 — 58.0 42.0 — 58.0

2000 — 43.8 0.1 56.2 43.8 0.1 56.2

2001 — 45.5 .1 54.4 45.5 .1 54.4

2002 — 45.2 .1 54.8 45.2 .1 54.8

2003 — 44.5 .2 55.3 44.5 .2 55.3

2004 — 43.5 1.1 55.4 43.5 1.1 55.4

2005 — 41.0 3.4 55.5 41.0 3.4 55.5

2006 0.3 38.5 6.1 55.1 38.6 6.1 55.2

2007 11.9 37.7 5.0 45.4 42.8 5.6 51.5
2008 SSI Annual Report

88

D. HISTORICAL REDETERMINATION AND CONTINUING DISABILITY REVIEW DATA

1. Redeterminations

Redeterminations are reviews of all of the nonmedical factors of eligibility to determine whether a recipient is still eligible for SSI and still receiving the correct payment amount. There are two types of redeterminations: scheduled and unscheduled. Except for certain institutionalized individuals, all recipients are

periodically scheduled for a redetermination. Every year SSA schedules for redetermination the cases

most likely to have payment error, but even the cases unlikely to have payment error are scheduled for

review at least once every 6 years. Unscheduled redeterminations are completed on an as needed basis

when recipients report, or we discover, certain changes in circumstances that could affect the continuing

SSI payment amount. The numbers of redeterminations completed are subject to some year-to-year fluctuation because of variation in the numbers of unscheduled redeterminations completed and in the numbers

of scheduled redeterminations that were completed during the fiscal year due to administrative resource

limitations and the impact of other workload requirements on the field offices. When redeterminations

cannot be completed in the fiscal year scheduled, they are carried over into the next fiscal year. Table

V.D1 provides historical data on numbers of redeterminations completed by fiscal year. 

1 Decrease in number of redeterminations completed in fiscal

year 1994 due to low-error profile redeterminations not being

completed from January through September 1994.

2 Effective fiscal year 1995, approximately 200,000 fewer redeterminations were selected annually due to a change from a 3-year

to a 6-year redetermination cycle for low-error profile cases.

3 Fewer redeterminations were selected in fiscal years 2005-

2007 due to limitations on administrative funding.

During periods between scheduled redeterminations, SSA uses the limited issue process to detect situations that have the potential to affect the continuing eligibility of SSI recipients and SSI payment amounts.

SSA conducts periodic computer matches between its own systems and the systems of other Federal and

State agencies to determine if the income and resources information on SSI recipients’ records is in conflict with data obtained from the other systems. Matches detecting conflicting information usually result in

the posting of an indicator to the Supplemental Security Record of the SSI recipient. The limited issue

case is then selected for a field office review of the issue for which the indicator was posted. In fiscal year

2007, SSA released over 328,000 limited issue cases for development by field offices. The field offices

processed over 345,000 limited issue cases.1

Table V.D1.—SSI Redeterminations Completed, Fiscal Years 1986-2007

[In thousands] 

Fiscal year

Number of

redeterminations

1986................................................. 2,278

1987................................................. 2,244

1988................................................. 1,997

1989................................................. 2,226

1990................................................. 2,103

1991................................................. 2,138

1992................................................. 2,321

1993................................................. 2,223

1994................................................. 1 1,900

1995................................................. 2 1,597

1996................................................. 1,763

1997................................................. 1,773

1998................................................. 1,853

1999................................................. 2,122

2000................................................. 2,182

2001................................................. 2,316

2002................................................. 2,311

2003................................................. 2,450

2004................................................. 2,279

2005................................................. 31,725

2006................................................. 31,071

2007................................................. 31,039

1 Beginning with fiscal year 2007, SSA measures the total number of limited issues processed by field offices instead of the percent of the selected limited

issues processed by the field offices.
89

2008 SSI Annual Report

2. Continuing Disability Reviews

Following enactment of the Social Security Disability Amendments of 1980, section 221(i) of the Social

Security Act generally requires SSA to review the continuing eligibility of title II disabled beneficiaries at

least every 3 years. A similar requirement was not put in place at that time for disabled title XVI recipients. Although the Committee on Finance of the Senate stated in its report on this legislation that the same

continuing disability review (CDR) procedures should be applied with respect to both the title II and

title XVI programs, title XVI was not amended to accomplish this. Section 1614(a)(4) of the Act gives

SSA discretionary authority to conduct periodic CDRs on SSI recipients. On September 28, 1994, SSA

issued a Federal Register notice that periodic SSI CDRs would begin on October 1, 1994. In 1994 and

again in 1996 legislation was enacted adding some mandates for the performance of CDRs under the SSI

program.

Public Law 103-296 specified that during each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, and 1998, SSA was required to

conduct CDRs on a minimum of 100,000 SSI recipients. In addition, during the same period, SSA was

required to redetermine the SSI eligibility of at least one-third of all SSI child recipients who reached age

18 after April 1995 during the 1-year period following attainment of age 18. Such redeterminations for

persons turning age 18 could count toward the 100,000 CDR requirement.

Public Law 104-193 extended the requirement of redetermination of SSI eligibility to all SSI child recipients who reach age 18, with such redetermination being based on the adult eligibility criteria. This law

also added the requirement that a CDR be performed:

 • At least once every 3 years for SSI recipients under age 18 who are eligible by reason of an impairment which is likely to improve, and

 • Not later than 12 months after birth for recipients whose low birth weight is a contributing factor

material to the determination of their disability unless the Commissioner determines that the impairment is not expected to improve within 12 months of the child’s birth.

Public Law 105-33 gave SSA some additional flexibility in the scheduling of these categories of CDRs.

In order to handle the large CDR workload mandated under these various provisions, SSA developed,

beginning in 1993, a process by which certain title II cases scheduled for a CDR would be screened using

the results of a profiling process which included a mailer interview for some cases. In 1996 the profiling

process was extended to title XVI adults who were scheduled for a CDR. The screening process resulted

in the deferral of full medical reviews for 103,119 cases for which a scheduled title XVI CDR was processed in fiscal year 2007.

For cases involving individuals who receive both title II and title XVI benefits, CDRs are typically initiated as title II CDRs with the results of the review affecting eligibility for benefits under both programs.

Tables V.D2 and V.D3 present the latest available summary of results1 on CDRs of title XVI recipients

performed under titles II and XVI since 1993. These tables include only cases for which a full medical

review was conducted. In particular they do not include:

 • Cases for which a mailer was completed, but for which a full medical review was deferred;

 • CDRs initiated as the result of work activity on the part of the beneficiary/recipient; and

1 The numbers of SSI recipients whose benefits are ceased as a result of CDRs are included in these tables. Estimates of Federal SSI program savings

resulting from the cessation of benefits are reported to Congress in the Annual Report of Continuing Disability Reviews. The most recent such report was

issued November 5, 2007, presenting estimates of the effects of CDRs conducted in fiscal year 2006.
2008 SSI Annual Report

90

 • Miscellaneous other CDRs processed by the State Disability Determination Services but not as part of

the normal CDR scheduling process (such as voluntary and third-party reports of medical improvement, post-transplant end-stage renal disease cases, and vocational rehabilitation reports).

In contrast with the allowance data presented in section V.C, the CDR data is tabulated on a cohort basis

by the date of initial decision.
91

2008 SSI Annual Report

Table V.D2.—SSI Disabled Adult Reviews: Disposition1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision

Fiscal year of

initial DDS

decision

Initial decisions

Total initial

DDS decisions

Continuations Cessations Appeals to reconsideration

Number Percent 2 Number Percent 2 Number Percent 3

Reviews of concurrent title II/XVI cases initiated under title II

1993 1,143 1,083 94.8 60 5.2 52 86.7

1994 10,945 9,127 83.4 1,818 16.6 1,253 68.9

1995 16,736 12,484 74.6 4,252 25.4 2,905 68.3

1996 26,884 20,636 76.8 6,248 23.2 4,119 65.9

1997 51,466 40,741 79.2 10,725 20.8 7,344 68.5

1998 81,185 68,533 84.4 12,652 15.6 8,723 68.9

1999 80,816 70,353 87.1 10,463 12.9 6,201 59.3

2000 105,787 93,962 88.8 11,825 11.2 6,851 57.9

2001 110,341 99,666 90.3 10,675 9.7 6,294 59.0

2002 103,947 92,069 88.6 11,878 11.4 7,090 59.7

2003 72,175 63,021 87.3 9,154 12.7 5,448 59.5

2004 84,622 75,047 88.7 9,575 11.3 5,920 61.8

2005 80,597 70,687 87.7 9,910 12.3 6,033 60.9

2006 71,825 63,789 88.8 8,036 11.2 5,026 62.5

2007 26,469 22,893 86.5 3,576 13.5 1,687 47.2

Title XVI initiated reviews

1993 — — — — — — —

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 4,287 3,277 76.4 1,010 23.6 665 65.8

1996 55,025 46,273 84.1 8,752 15.9 6,146 70.2

1997 69,557 57,662 82.9 11,895 17.1 8,722 73.3

1998 75,071 64,829 86.4 10,242 13.6 7,239 70.7

1999 140,429 125,079 89.1 15,350 10.9 10,292 67.0

2000 173,470 156,065 90.0 17,405 10.0 10,923 62.8

2001 143,902 126,610 88.0 17,292 12.0 10,262 59.3

2002 172,527 150,837 87.4 21,690 12.6 13,342 61.5

2003 213,212 191,061 89.6 22,151 10.4 14,682 66.3

2004 221,129 199,938 90.4 21,191 9.6 14,636 69.1

2005 110,072 97,330 88.4 12,742 11.6 8,205 64.4

2006 40,605 35,957 88.6 4,648 11.4 2,916 62.7

2007 18,172 16,006 88.1 2,166 11.9 1,109 51.2

Total reviews, SSI disabled adults

1993 1,143 1,083 94.8 60 5.2 52 86.7

1994 10,945 9,127 83.4 1,818 16.6 1,253 68.9

1995 21,023 15,761 75.0 5,262 25.0 3,570 67.8

1996 81,909 66,909 81.7 15,000 18.3 10,265 68.4

1997 121,023 98,403 81.3 22,620 18.7 16,066 71.0

1998 156,256 133,362 85.3 22,894 14.7 15,962 69.7

1999 221,245 195,432 88.3 25,813 11.7 16,493 63.9

2000 279,257 250,027 89.5 29,230 10.5 17,774 60.8

2001 254,243 226,276 89.0 27,967 11.0 16,556 59.2

2002 276,474 242,906 87.9 33,568 12.1 20,432 60.9

2003 285,387 254,082 89.0 31,305 11.0 20,130 64.3

2004 305,751 274,985 89.9 30,766 10.1 20,556 66.8

2005 190,669 168,017 88.1 22,652 11.9 14,238 62.9

2006 112,430 99,746 88.7 12,684 11.3 7,942 62.6

2007 44,641 38,899 87.1 5,742 12.9 2,796 48.7
2008 SSI Annual Report

92

Table V.D2.—SSI Disabled Adult Reviews: Disposition 1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Fiscal year of

initial DDS

decision

Reconsiderations Appeals beyond reconsideration 4

Pending

Continuations

Cessations

Appeals to beyond

reconsideration

Pending

Continuations

Number Percent Cessations 2 Number 5 Percent 3 Number Percent

Reviews of concurrent title II/XVI cases initiated under title II

1993 — 22 42.3 30 14 46.7 — 9 64.3 5

1994 — 541 43.2 712 399 56.0 — 177 44.4 222

1995 — 1,245 42.9 1,660 1,007 60.7 — 382 37.9 625

1996 — 1,875 45.5 2,244 1,313 58.5 — 427 32.5 886

1997 — 4,297 58.5 3,047 2,257 74.1 — 973 43.1 1,284

1998 — 5,503 63.1 3,220 2,466 76.6 — 1,158 47.0 1,308

1999 — 3,974 64.1 2,227 1,542 69.2 — 679 44.0 863

2000 3 4,427 64.6 2,421 1,556 64.3 — 659 42.4 897

2001 6 4,177 66.4 2,111 1,240 58.7 — 494 39.8 746

2002 12 4,787 67.6 2,291 1,450 63.3 3 589 40.7 858

2003 8 3,575 65.7 1,865 1,177 63.1 3 477 40.6 697

2004 42 3,781 64.3 2,097 1,409 67.2 67 544 40.5 798

2005 182 3,833 65.5 2,018 1,407 69.7 310 455 41.5 642

2006 419 3,042 66.0 1,565 1,050 67.1 535 243 47.2 272

2007 189 1,104 73.7 394 155 39.3 124 14 45.2 17

Title XVI initiated reviews

1993 — — — — — — — — — —

1994 — — — — — — — — — —

1995 — 241 36.2 424 267 63.0 — 87 32.6 180

1996 — 3,289 53.5 2,857 1,946 68.1 — 623 32.0 1,323

1997 — 5,271 60.4 3,451 2,575 74.6 — 986 38.3 1,589

1998 — 4,527 62.5 2,712 1,987 73.3 — 781 39.3 1,206

1999 — 6,610 64.2 3,682 2,508 68.1 — 973 38.8 1,535

2000 — 6,823 62.5 4,100 2,778 67.8 — 1,057 38.0 1,721

2001 — 6,224 60.7 4,038 2,618 64.8 — 934 35.7 1,684

2002 31 8,160 61.3 5,151 3,322 64.5 2 1,099 33.1 2,221

2003 18 9,656 65.8 5,008 3,334 66.6 2 1,212 36.4 2,120

2004 12 9,405 64.3 5,219 3,763 72.1 138 1,337 36.9 2,288

2005 131 5,237 64.9 2,837 2,000 70.5 413 553 34.8 1,034

2006 155 1,801 65.2 960 625 65.1 303 105 32.6 217

2007 80 755 73.4 274 134 48.9 116 4 22.2 14

Total reviews, SSI disabled adults

1993 — 22 42.3 30 14 46.7 — 9 64.3 5

1994 — 541 43.2 712 399 56.0 — 177 44.4 222

1995 — 1,486 41.6 2,084 1,274 61.1 — 469 36.8 805

1996 — 5,164 50.3 5,101 3,259 63.9 — 1,050 32.2 2,209

1997 — 9,568 59.6 6,498 4,832 74.4 — 1,959 40.5 2,873

1998 — 10,030 62.8 5,932 4,453 75.1 — 1,939 43.5 2,514

1999 — 10,584 64.2 5,909 4,050 68.5 — 1,652 40.8 2,398

2000 3 11,250 63.3 6,521 4,334 66.5 — 1,716 39.6 2,618

2001 6 10,401 62.8 6,149 3,858 62.7 — 1,428 37.0 2,430

2002 43 12,947 63.5 7,442 4,772 64.1 5 1,688 35.4 3,079

2003 26 13,231 65.8 6,873 4,511 65.6 5 1,689 37.5 2,817

2004 54 13,186 64.3 7,316 5,172 70.7 205 1,881 37.9 3,086

2005 313 9,070 65.1 4,855 3,407 70.2 723 1,008 37.6 1,676

2006 574 4,843 65.7 2,525 1,675 66.3 838 348 41.6 489

2007 269 1,859 73.6 668 289 43.3 240 18 36.7 31
93

2008 SSI Annual Report

1 Data reflect results as of February 2008. The ultimate numbers of continuations and cessations are subject to change until all appeals are final. 2 Percentage of decisions at this level.

3 Percentage of cessations at this level appealed to next level.

4 The status and disposition of cases in the Federal courts are not reflected here. However, for cases remanded by the courts to SSA, the status and disposition at ODAR are included. The excluded experience in the Federal courts has a minimal impact on the number of continuations.

5 Number of persons appealing beyond the reconsideration level.

6 Less than 0.05 percent.

Table V.D2.—SSI Disabled Adult Reviews: Disposition 1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Fiscal year of

initial DDS

decision

Total initial

decisions

Selected summary case information by decision status as of February 2008

Numbers of cases Numbers as a percentage of total initial decisions

Continuations

Cessations

pending an

appeal decision

Cessations

with no

appeal pending Continuations

Cessations

pending an

appeal decision

Cessations

with no

appeal pending

Reviews of concurrent title II/XVI cases initiated under title II

1993 1,143 1,114 — 29 97.5 — 2.5

1994 10,945 9,845 — 1,100 89.9 — 10.1

1995 16,736 14,111 — 2,625 84.3 — 15.7

1996 26,884 22,938 — 3,946 85.3 — 14.7

1997 51,466 46,011 — 5,455 89.4 — 10.6

1998 81,185 75,194 — 5,991 92.6 — 7.4

1999 80,816 75,006 — 5,810 92.8 — 7.2

2000 105,787 99,048 3 6,736 93.6 6/ 6.4

2001 110,341 104,337 6 5,998 94.6 6/ 5.4

2002 103,947 97,445 15 6,487 93.7 6/ 6.2

2003 72,175 67,073 11 5,091 92.9 6/ 7.1

2004 84,622 79,372 109 5,141 93.8 0.1 6.1

2005 80,597 74,975 492 5,130 93.0 .6 6.4

2006 71,825 67,074 954 3,797 93.4 1.3 5.3

2007 26,469 24,011 313 2,145 90.7 1.2 8.1

Title XVI initiated reviews

1993 — — — — — — —

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 4,287 3,605 — 682 84.1 — 15.9

1996 55,025 50,185 — 4,840 91.2 — 8.8

1997 69,557 63,919 — 5,638 91.9 — 8.1

1998 75,071 70,137 — 4,934 93.4 — 6.6

1999 140,429 132,662 — 7,767 94.5 — 5.5

2000 173,470 163,945 — 9,525 94.5 — 5.5

2001 143,902 133,768 — 10,134 93.0 — 7.0

2002 172,527 160,096 33 12,398 92.8 6/ 7.2

2003 213,212 201,929 20 11,263 94.7 6/ 5.3

2004 221,129 210,680 150 10,299 95.3 .1 4.7

2005 110,072 103,120 544 6,408 93.7 .5 5.8

2006 40,605 37,863 458 2,284 93.2 1.1 5.6

2007 18,172 16,765 196 1,211 92.3 1.1 6.7

Total reviews, SSI disabled adults

1993 1,143 1,114 — 29 97.5 — 2.5

1994 10,945 9,845 — 1,100 89.9 — 10.1

1995 21,023 17,716 — 3,307 84.3 — 15.7

1996 81,909 73,123 — 8,786 89.3 — 10.7

1997 121,023 109,930 — 11,093 90.8 — 9.2

1998 156,256 145,331 — 10,925 93.0 — 7.0

1999 221,245 207,668 — 13,577 93.9 — 6.1

2000 279,257 262,993 3 16,261 94.2 6/ 5.8

2001 254,243 238,105 6 16,132 93.7 6/ 6.3

2002 276,474 257,541 48 18,885 93.2 6/ 6.8

2003 285,387 269,002 31 16,354 94.3 6/ 5.7

2004 305,751 290,052 259 15,440 94.9 .1 5.0

2005 190,669 178,095 1,036 11,538 93.4 .5 6.1

2006 112,430 104,937 1,412 6,081 93.3 1.3 5.4

2007 44,641 40,776 509 3,356 91.3 1.1 7.5
2008 SSI Annual Report

94

Table V.D3.—SSI Disabled Child Reviews: Disposition 1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision

Fiscal year of

initial DDS

decision

Initial decisions

Total initial

DDS decisions

Continuations Cessations Appeals to reconsideration

Number Percent 2 Number Percent 2 Number Percent 3

Reviews of low-birth-weight children

1994 1,225 771 62.9 454 37.1 159 35.0

1995 4,231 2,083 49.2 2,148 50.8 665 31.0

1996 5,709 2,491 43.6 3,218 56.4 904 28.1

1997 7,091 4,482 63.2 2,609 36.8 821 31.5

1998 17,620 6,092 34.6 11,528 65.4 3,640 31.6

1999 9,773 4,114 42.1 5,659 57.9 1,639 29.0

2000 10,178 4,566 44.9 5,612 55.1 1,561 27.8

2001 9,086 4,152 45.7 4,934 54.3 1,404 28.5

2002 12,732 5,869 46.1 6,863 53.9 1,959 28.5

2003 7,283 3,516 48.3 3,767 51.7 1,028 27.3

2004 12,060 6,075 50.4 5,985 49.6 1,784 29.8

2005 13,710 6,540 47.7 7,170 52.3 2,033 28.4

2006 8,303 4,030 48.5 4,273 51.5 1,277 29.9

2007 3,175 1,368 43.1 1,807 56.9 387 21.4

Redeterminations at age 18

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 71 64 90.1 7 9.9 5 71.4

1996 12,640 8,158 64.5 4,482 35.5 2,055 45.9

1997 48,834 22,431 45.9 26,403 54.1 16,741 63.4

1998 40,945 21,453 52.4 19,492 47.6 10,915 56.0

1999 49,557 27,413 55.3 22,144 44.7 10,879 49.1

2000 51,713 28,863 55.8 22,850 44.2 11,022 48.2

2001 48,944 28,167 57.5 20,777 42.5 10,052 48.4

2002 54,947 32,388 58.9 22,559 41.1 11,572 51.3

2003 53,905 31,862 59.1 22,043 40.9 11,762 53.4

2004 53,232 31,890 59.9 21,342 40.1 11,592 54.3

2005 55,331 31,434 56.8 23,897 43.2 12,577 52.6

2006 40,640 21,796 53.6 18,844 46.4 9,599 50.9

2007 71,359 36,339 50.9 35,020 49.1 16,757 47.8

All other reviews of SSI disabled children

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 3,535 2,501 70.7 1,034 29.3 541 52.3

1996 789 399 50.6 390 49.4 210 53.8

1997 14 8 57.1 6 42.9 3 50.0

1998 91,157 67,203 73.7 23,954 26.3 13,267 55.4

1999 183,211 129,420 70.6 53,791 29.4 28,410 52.8

2000 140,699 106,583 75.8 34,116 24.2 17,015 49.9

2001 95,835 72,896 76.1 22,939 23.9 11,815 51.5

2002 163,768 130,434 79.6 33,334 20.4 17,931 53.8

2003 127,444 100,522 78.9 26,922 21.1 14,911 55.4

2004 103,437 80,748 78.1 22,689 21.9 12,853 56.6

2005 61,387 45,597 74.3 15,790 25.7 8,493 53.8

2006 19,384 14,428 74.4 4,956 25.6 2,606 52.6

2007 4,440 3,161 71.2 1,279 28.8 468 36.6

Total reviews, SSI disabled children

1994 1,225 771 62.9 454 37.1 159 35.0

1995 7,837 4,648 59.3 3,189 40.7 1,211 38.0

1996 19,138 11,048 57.7 8,090 42.3 3,169 39.2

1997 55,939 26,921 48.1 29,018 51.9 17,565 60.5

1998 149,722 94,748 63.3 54,974 36.7 27,822 50.6

1999 242,541 160,947 66.4 81,594 33.6 40,928 50.2

2000 202,590 140,012 69.1 62,578 30.9 29,598 47.3

2001 153,865 105,215 68.4 48,650 31.6 23,271 47.8

2002 231,447 168,691 72.9 62,756 27.1 31,462 50.1

2003 188,632 135,900 72.0 52,732 28.0 27,701 52.5

2004 168,729 118,713 70.4 50,016 29.6 26,229 52.4

2005 130,428 83,571 64.1 46,857 35.9 23,103 49.3

2006 68,327 40,254 58.9 28,073 41.1 13,482 48.0

2007 78,974 40,868 51.7 38,106 48.3 17,612 46.2
95

2008 SSI Annual Report

Table V.D3.—SSI Disabled Child Reviews: Disposition 1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Fiscal year of 

initial DDS 

decision

Reconsiderations Appeals beyond reconsideration 4

Pending

Continuations

Cessations

Appeals to beyond

reconsideration

Pending

Continuations

Number Percent Cessations 2 Number 5 Percent 3 Number Percent

Reviews of low-birth-weight children

1994 — 44 27.7 115 51 44.3 — 15 29.4 36

1995 — 184 27.7 481 219 45.5 — 53 24.2 166

1996 — 329 36.4 575 232 40.3 — 44 19.0 188

1997 — 292 35.6 529 235 44.4 — 50 21.3 185

1998 — 1,231 33.8 2,409 1,142 47.4 — 244 21.4 898

1999 — 607 37.0 1,032 488 47.3 — 83 17.0 405

2000 — 609 39.0 952 452 47.5 — 99 21.9 353

2001 1 504 35.9 899 405 45.1 — 61 15.1 344

2002 6 698 35.7 1,255 549 43.7 — 111 20.2 438

2003 3 364 35.5 661 301 45.5 2 59 19.7 240

2004 3 644 36.2 1,137 555 48.8 28 72 13.7 455

2005 61 703 35.6 1,269 603 47.5 139 67 14.4 397

2006 94 421 35.6 762 355 46.6 160 34 17.4 161

2007 94 116 39.6 177 61 34.5 52 1 11.1 8

Redeterminations at age 18

1994 — — — — — — — — — —

1995 — 2 40.0 3 2 66.7 — 1 50.0 1

1996 — 707 34.4 1,348 584 43.3 — 119 20.4 465

1997 — 4,591 27.4 12,150 6,429 52.9 — 1,517 23.6 4,912

1998 — 3,070 28.1 7,845 4,388 55.9 — 1,026 23.4 3,362

1999 — 3,356 30.8 7,523 4,304 57.2 — 1,059 24.6 3,245

2000 2 3,575 32.4 7,445 4,033 54.2 — 1,015 25.2 3,018

2001 3 3,256 32.4 6,793 3,724 54.8 1 966 25.9 2,757

2002 25 3,819 33.1 7,728 4,127 53.4 6 1,089 26.4 3,032

2003 24 3,818 32.5 7,920 4,298 54.3 14 1,108 25.9 3,176

2004 12 3,532 30.5 8,048 4,672 58.1 207 1,158 25.9 3,307

2005 384 3,772 30.9 8,421 4,873 57.9 1,040 967 25.2 2,866

2006 744 2,590 29.2 6,265 3,401 54.3 1,671 429 24.8 1,301

2007 6,434 3,326 32.2 6,997 2,610 37.3 2,214 93 23.5 303

All other reviews of SSI disabled children

1994 — — — — — — — — — —

1995 — 177 32.7 364 202 55.5 — 52 25.7 150

1996 — 69 32.9 141 55 39.0 — 17 30.9 38

1997 — 1 33.3 2 1 50.0 — — — 1

1998 — 4,456 33.6 8,811 5,511 62.5 — 1,305 23.7 4,206

1999 — 9,324 32.8 19,086 11,711 61.4 — 2,615 22.3 9,096

2000 1 6,434 37.8 10,580 6,237 59.0 — 1,427 22.9 4,810

2001 7 4,619 39.1 7,189 4,257 59.2 — 955 22.4 3,302

2002 45 7,238 40.5 10,648 6,152 57.8 3 1,360 22.1 4,789

2003 35 6,248 42.0 8,628 5,003 58.0 11 1,129 22.6 3,863

2004 9 4,871 37.9 7,973 4,981 62.5 246 1,079 22.8 3,656

2005 210 3,123 37.7 5,160 3,209 62.2 834 499 21.0 1,876

2006 131 940 38.0 1,535 912 59.4 473 110 25.1 329

2007 34 187 43.1 247 101 40.9 76 5 20.0 20

Total reviews, SSI disabled children

1994 — 44 27.7 115 51 44.3 — 15 29.4 36

1995 — 363 30.0 848 423 49.9 — 106 25.1 317

1996 — 1,105 34.9 2,064 871 42.2 — 180 20.7 691

1997 — 4,884 27.8 12,681 6,665 52.6 — 1,567 23.5 5,098

1998 — 8,757 31.5 19,065 11,041 57.9 — 2,575 23.3 8,466

1999 — 13,287 32.5 27,641 16,503 59.7 — 3,757 22.8 12,746

2000 3 10,618 35.9 18,977 10,722 56.5 — 2,541 23.7 8,181

2001 11 8,379 36.0 14,881 8,386 56.4 1 1,982 23.6 6,403

2002 76 11,755 37.5 19,631 10,828 55.2 9 2,560 23.7 8,259

2003 62 10,430 37.7 17,209 9,602 55.8 27 2,296 24.0 7,279

2004 24 9,047 34.5 17,158 10,208 59.5 481 2,309 23.7 7,418

2005 655 7,598 33.8 14,850 8,685 58.5 2,013 1,533 23.0 5,139

2006 969 3,951 31.6 8,562 4,668 54.5 2,304 573 24.2 1,791

2007 6,562 3,629 32.8 7,421 2,772 37.4 2,342 99 23.0 331
2008 SSI Annual Report

96

1 Data reflect results as of February 2008. The ultimate numbers of continuations and cessations are subject to change until all appeals are final. 2 Percentage of decisions at this level.

3 Percentage of cessations at this level appealed to next level.

4 The status and disposition of cases in the Federal courts are not reflected here. However, for cases remanded by the courts to the SSA, the status and disposition at ODAR are included. The excluded experience in the Federal courts has a minimal impact on the number of continuations. 5 Number of persons appealing beyond the reconsideration level.

6 Less than 0.05 percent.

Table V.D3.—SSI Disabled Child Reviews: Disposition 1 of Continuing Disability Medical Reviews by Fiscal Year of 

Initial Decision and Level of Decision (Cont.)

Fiscal year of

initial DDS

decision

Total initial

decisions

Selected summary case information by decision status as of February 2008

Numbers of cases Numbers as a percentage of total initial decisions

Continuations

Cessations

pending an

appeal decision

Cessations

with no

appeal pending Continuations

Cessations

pending an

appeal decision

Cessations

with no

appeal pending

Reviews of low-birth-weight children

1994 1,225 830 — 395 67.8 — 32.2

1995 4,231 2,320 — 1,911 54.8 — 45.2

1996 5,709 2,864 — 2,845 50.2 — 49.8

1997 7,091 4,824 — 2,267 68.0 — 32.0

1998 17,620 7,567 — 10,053 42.9 — 57.1

1999 9,773 4,804 — 4,969 49.2 — 50.8

2000 10,178 5,274 — 4,904 51.8 — 48.2

2001 9,086 4,717 1 4,368 51.9 6/ 48.1

2002 12,732 6,678 6 6,048 52.5 6/ 47.5

2003 7,283 3,939 5 3,339 54.1 0.1 45.8

2004 12,060 6,791 31 5,238 56.3 .3 43.4

2005 13,710 7,310 200 6,200 53.3 1.5 45.2

2006 8,303 4,485 254 3,564 54.0 3.1 42.9

2007 3,175 1,485 146 1,544 46.8 4.6 48.6

Redeterminations at age 18

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 71 67 — 4 94.4 — 5.6

1996 12,640 8,984 — 3,656 71.1 — 28.9

1997 48,834 28,539 — 20,295 58.4 — 41.6

1998 40,945 25,549 — 15,396 62.4 — 37.6

1999 49,557 31,828 — 17,729 64.2 — 35.8

2000 51,713 33,453 2 18,258 64.7 6/ 35.3

2001 48,944 32,389 4 16,551 66.2 6/ 33.8

2002 54,947 37,296 31 17,620 67.9 .1 32.1

2003 53,905 36,788 38 17,079 68.2 .1 31.7

2004 53,232 36,580 219 16,433 68.7 .4 30.9

2005 55,331 36,173 1,424 17,734 65.4 2.6 32.1

2006 40,640 24,815 2,415 13,410 61.1 5.9 33.0

2007 71,359 39,758 8,648 22,953 55.7 12.1 32.2

All other reviews of SSI disabled children

1994 — — — — — — —

1995 3,535 2,730 — 805 77.2 — 22.8

1996 789 485 — 304 61.5 — 38.5

1997 14 9 — 5 64.3 — 35.7

1998 91,157 72,964 — 18,193 80.0 — 20.0

1999 183,211 141,359 — 41,852 77.2 — 22.8

2000 140,699 114,444 1 26,254 81.3 6/ 18.7

2001 95,835 78,470 7 17,358 81.9 6/ 18.1

2002 163,768 139,032 48 24,688 84.9 6/ 15.1

2003 127,444 107,899 46 19,499 84.7 6/ 15.3

2004 103,437 86,698 255 16,484 83.8 .2 15.9

2005 61,387 49,219 1,044 11,124 80.2 1.7 18.1

2006 19,384 15,478 604 3,302 79.8 3.1 17.0

2007 4,440 3,353 110 977 75.5 2.5 22.0

Total reviews, SSI disabled children

1994 1,225 830 — 395 67.8 — 32.2

1995 7,837 5,117 — 2,720 65.3 — 34.7

1996 19,138 12,333 — 6,805 64.4 — 35.6

1997 55,939 33,372 — 22,567 59.7 — 40.3

1998 149,722 106,080 — 43,642 70.9 — 29.1

1999 242,541 177,991 — 64,550 73.4 — 26.6

2000 202,590 153,171 3 49,416 75.6 6/ 24.4

2001 153,865 115,576 12 38,277 75.1 6/ 24.9

2002 231,447 183,006 85 48,356 79.1 6/ 20.9

2003 188,632 148,626 89 39,917 78.8 6/ 21.2

2004 168,729 130,069 505 38,155 77.1 .3 22.6

2005 130,428 92,702 2,668 35,058 71.1 2.0 26.9

2006 68,327 44,778 3,273 20,276 65.5 4.8 29.7

2007 78,974 44,596 8,904 25,474 56.5 11.3 32.3
97

2008 SSI Annual Report

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION

1. Work Incentives

Since the beginning of the SSI program, a number of disabled or blind recipients have worked and

received SSI payments. Initially, the program contained a basic earned income exclusion that recognized

the additional costs associated with employment. In addition, the law contained a number of special

income exclusions which were intended as work incentives. Among these provisions were the income

exclusion for blind work expenses (BWE), plan to achieve self-support (PASS), and student earned

income exclusion (SEIE).

In the 1980 amendments to the Social Security Act, Congress provided additional incentives to help SSI

disabled recipients become self-supporting. These incentives included:

 • Providing for an earned income exclusion for impairment-related work expenses (IRWE);

 • Changing the treatment of sheltered workshop earnings from unearned income to earned income,

thereby qualifying sheltered workshop earnings for the earned income exclusion;

 • Providing for the continuation of SSI payments for certain disabled individuals enrolled in vocational

rehabilitation programs whose disability ceased due to medical recovery (extended to SSI blind recipients, effective April, 1988);

 • Establishing section 1619 which provided:

 — In subsection 1619(a), special SSI cash benefits to disabled individuals who lose eligibility for

SSI payments because they have earnings exceeding the level that is ordinarily considered to

represent substantial gainful activity (SGA), and

 — In subsection 1619(b), special SSI recipient status for Medicaid purposes to working disabled or

blind individuals when their earnings make them ineligible for cash payments.

The incentives for work and opportunities for rehabilitation are discussed in more detail in section III.E. In

the tables that follow we provide historical information on participation by SSI recipients in work incentive programs.1

a. Numbers of Participants in Work Incentive Programs

In this section, we present historical data on participation by SSI recipients in work incentive programs.

Table V.E1 presents historical numbers of SSI recipients categorized according to their section 1619 status. Figure V.E1 presents this information in graphical form.

1 More detailed information on participation by SSI recipients in work incentive programs is provided in the SSI Annual Statistical Report. Pub. No. 13-

11827, prepared by the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Administration.
2008 SSI Annual Report

98

1 Increases in 2001 and subsequent years are based on increases in the national average wage index.

2 Workers’ earnings are above SGA level.

3 Workers’ earnings are at or below SGA level.

4 1619(b) recipients are not in current-payment status but retain SSI recipient status for Medicaid purposes.

5 Increased to $700 in July 1999.

Table V.E1.—SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Working Recipients as of December, 1987-2007

Year

SGA

level 1

In current-payment status 1619(b)

workers 4 Total1619(a) workers workers 2 Other workers 3

1987...................................... $300 14,559 142,664 15,632 172,855

1988...................................... 300 19,920 153,599 15,625 189,144

1989...................................... 300 25,655 161,928 18,254 205,837

1990...................................... 500 13,994 182,421 23,517 219,932

1991...................................... 500 15,531 186,824 27,264 229,619

1992...................................... 500 17,603 199,665 31,649 248,917

1993...................................... 500 20,028 210,322 35,299 265,649

1994...................................... 500 24,315 217,478 40,683 282,476

1995...................................... 500 28,060 223,573 47,002 298,635

1996...................................... 500 31,085 225,310 51,905 308,300

1997...................................... 500 34,673 228,093 57,089 319,855

1998...................................... 500 37,271 229,662 59,542 326,475

1999...................................... 5 700 25,528 245,825 69,265 340,618

2000...................................... 700 27,542 249,313 83,572 360,427

2001...................................... 740 22,100 247,555 76,455 346,110

2002...................................... 780 17,271 241,462 82,177 340,910

2003...................................... 800 17,132 235,453 71,097 323,682

2004...................................... 810 17,114 237,409 73,681 328,204

2005...................................... 830 17,621 240,744 78,205 336,570

2006...................................... 860 17,394 242,676 89,350 349,420

2007...................................... 900 16,939 242,854 97,551 357,344

 Figure V.E1.—SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Working Recipients 

as of December, 1987-2007

[In thousands]

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

400

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

Year

1619(b) workers

1619(a) workers

Recipients in current-pay

working at or below SGA
99

2008 SSI Annual Report

Table V.E2 presents historical numbers of SSI recipients who benefit from other selected work incentive

provisions: (1) plan to achieve self-support (PASS), (2) impairment-related work expense exclusion

(IRWE), and (3) blind work expense exclusion (BWE). These recipients may be benefiting from more than

one of these selected work incentive provisions. This information is available only for calendar years 1990

and later.

1 For years 1990 through 1996, data do not include PASS plans which exclude only resources. 

Note: Working recipients participating in these other work incentives may be 1619(a) recipients, 1619(b) recipients or working

recipients whose earnings are at or below the SGA level.

b. Average Earnings of Participants in Work Incentive Programs

In this section, we present historical data on average earnings of SSI working recipients. Table V.E3 presents average earnings of SSI recipients categorized according to their section 1619 status.

1 In January, 1990, the SGA level was raised from $300 to $500 and section 1619(a) participants with earnings at or below $500

became eligible for regular SSI benefits rather than the special cash payments under section 1619(a). The SGA level was further

increased to $700 in July 1999, with increases in 2001 and subsequent years based on increases in the national average wage index.

In January 2008 the SGA level was increased to $940.

2 Workers’ earnings are at or below the SGA level. 3 1619(b) recipients are not in current-payment status but retain SSI recipient status for Medicaid purposes. 4 Estimated.

Table V.E2.—SSI Federally-Administered Blind or Disabled Individuals with SSI Recipient Status Participating 

in Other Work Incentives as of December, 1990-2007

Year

PASS 1

Non-workers Workers Total IRWE BWE

1990 ..................................... 1,215 1,040 2,255 5,384 4,385

1991 ..................................... 1,969 1,601 3,570 6,546 4,330

1992 ..................................... 3,189 2,658 5,847 7,813 4,454

1993 ..................................... 4,528 3,602 8,130 8,629 4,406

1994 ..................................... 5,842 4,487 10,329 9,484 4,380

1995 ..................................... 5,719 4,603 10,322 9,940 4,433

1996 ..................................... 2,760 1,944 4,704 9,799 4,230

1997 ..................................... 1,290 708 1,998 9,637 4,116

1998 ..................................... 712 362 1,074 9,301 3,802

1999 ..................................... 698 347 1,045 9,520 3,971

2000 ..................................... 862 520 1,382 9,422 3,895

2001 ..................................... 1,024 576 1,600 8,798 3,642

2002 ..................................... 1,150 571 1,721 8,047 3,386

2003 ..................................... 1,181 524 1,705 7,604 3,074

2004 ..................................... 1,112 486 1,598 6,874 2,827

2005 ..................................... 1,089 493 1,582 6,310 2,552

2006 ..................................... 1,098 485 1,583 5,650 2,370

2007 ..................................... 1,003 512 1,515 5,161 2,142

Table V.E3.—Average Monthly Earnings of SSI Federally-Administered Blind or

Disabled Working Recipients, as of December, 1987-2007 

Year

Blind or disabled workers with SSI recipient status

In current-payment status 1619(b)

workers 3 Total

1619(a) workers workers 1 Other workers 2

1987..................................... $494 4 $124 $739 4 $211

1988..................................... 522 4 127 721 4 218

1989..................................... 518 4 131 712 4 231

1990..................................... 712 145 746 245

1991..................................... 724 148 780 262

1992..................................... 726 150 781 271

1993..................................... 728 153 784 280

1994..................................... 746 157 803 301

1995..................................... 754 160 834 322

1996..................................... 764 162 881 344

1997..................................... 772 164 932 367

1998..................................... 772 182 954 390

1999..................................... 926 207 980 418

2000..................................... 945 239 1,048 481

2001..................................... 1,004 252 1,043 475

2002..................................... 1,043 253 1,094 495

2003..................................... 1,059 241 1,081 469

2004..................................... 1,076 246 1,070 474

2005..................................... 1,111 255 1,118 500

2006..................................... 1,166 258 1,193 542

2007..................................... 1,193 262 1,267 581
2008 SSI Annual Report

100

2. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program 

Provisions designed to make vocational rehabilitation (VR) services available to SSI blind or disabled

recipients have been part of the SSI program since its inception. From the beginning, SSI recipients were

referred to State VR agencies, which provided services to those recipients who were accepted as clients.

Prior to 1981, SSA made block grants to VR agencies to fund services to disabled beneficiaries. The 1981

amendments changed this and established a “cost” reimbursement provision. VR agencies would be

reimbursed for the cost of VR services furnished to blind or disabled SSI recipients only if the services

resulted in the recipient returning to work. For reimbursement purposes, recipients are considered to have

returned to work if they have had earnings exceeding the SGA level for 9 continuous months. 

The 1984 amendments authorized reimbursement for cases1 where the recipient medically recovers while

engaged in a program of rehabilitation services approved by SSA and SSA determines that continuation or

completion of such a program would increase the likelihood the individual will be permanently removed

from the rolls. Effective with the 1990 amendments, reimbursement for the cost of VR services was authorized for services provided in months in which the individual was not receiving Federal SSI benefits if the

individual: 

 • Had special SSI recipient status for Medicaid purposes under section 1619(b) of the Social Security

Act; 

 • Received a Federally-administered State supplementary payment; or 

 • Had SSI benefits suspended for fewer than 13 consecutive months for a reason other than cessation of

disability or blindness. 

In 1994, the regulations were amended to include reimbursement to alternate private and non-State public

VR providers (referred to as “alternate participants”) that provided VR services to recipients that a State

VR agency had not accepted as clients. The alternate provider program has subsequently been replaced by

the Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (Ticket to Work program) established by the Ticket to

Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999.

Under the Ticket to Work program, a disabled beneficiary may obtain vocational rehabilitation,

employment and other support services from qualified private or public providers that are referred to as

“Employment Networks” (ENs). The Ticket to Work program authorized the Commissioner to provide

payments to ENs under either an outcome payment system or an outcome-milestone payment system.

(State VR agencies were provided the option to elect on a case-by-case basis to be paid either under the

traditional VR reimbursement system, or either the outcome or outcome-milestone payment system.) By

expanding the pool of providers and giving the providers incentives for achieving success, this program

expands access to these services for persons with disabilities to assist them in finding, entering, and

retaining employment as well as reducing their dependence on cash benefits. 

The Ticket to Work program was implemented on a State-by-State basis beginning in February 2002 and

has been fully implemented nationwide since November 2003. As the Ticket to Work program was

implemented in a State, the alternate provider and the traditional VR referral process described earlier

were eliminated. SSA provided eligible individuals who received SSI benefits due to blindness or

disability in such State with a Ticket to Work document (“ticket”). Beneficiaries who receive a ticket may

use it to obtain from ENs or their State VR agencies vocational rehabilitation services, employment

services and other support services needed to return to work or go to work for the first time. Individuals

1 The 1980 amendments provided for benefit continuation for such SSI recipients who were continuing in a VR program after their disability had ceased.

The provision was extended to blind recipients effective April, 1988.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

not eligible for a ticket may still request services from a State VR agency; the VR agency continues to

decide whether each beneficiary is eligible for services under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 

The Ticket legislation required that SSA establish a corps of work incentives specialists to disseminate

accurate information about work incentives. In addition, the Social Security Protection Act of 2004

mandated that SSA provide a work report receipt to the beneficiary. In response to these mandates, SSA:

 • In fiscal year 2003, established the Area Work Incentives Coordinator (AWIC) position and trained a

total of 58 AWICs, with at least one AWIC being assigned to each Area Office. The AWIC position

was created to improve the quality of employment support services provided to beneficiaries through

training, outreach, and better coordination of support services. As of fiscal year 2008, there are 54

AWICs on duty.

 • In fiscal year 2004, released a web-based design application known as eWork that provides the

Agency with a uniform electronic system to process and control title II return to work cases. Since

eWork does not communicate with any title XVI systems, the Agency developed a web-based application, the SSI Monthly Wage Verification (SSIMWV), to process and control SSI work reports. The

SSIMWV allows SSA employees to issue the mandated work report receipt in addition to processing

the wage report. The SSIMWV was released nationally in November 2006. 

 • In fiscal year 2006, SSA awarded cooperative agreements under the new Work Incentives Planning

and Assistance (WIPA) program, which replaced and enhanced the former Benefits Planning, Assistance, and Outreach (BPAO) program. The WIPA program provides information as well as planning

and assistance services in all States and Territories to SSA’s beneficiaries with disabilities who want

to work.

In fiscal year 2003, AWIC employees provided refresher training on employment supports to the local

Work Incentive Liaisons (WIL) located in each of the 1,335 local field offices. The systems application

phase of this training was updated beginning in fiscal year 2004 with the release of eWork. Training has

been provided to all direct service employees in field offices, teleservice centers and the payment processing centers. This training initiative was completed in November 2004.

AWICs have also been very active in participating in outreach activities in their local areas and continue to

be the primary point of contact for public information outreach in the communities. They have strengthened the relationship with our Ticket to Work partners: the ENs; WIPAs; Protection and Advocacy (P&A)

agencies and Disability Program Navigators. AWICs also work closely with the regional Plan to Achieve

Self-Support (PASS) cadres in SSA to make joint educational presentations to the community about our

employment support programs. The partnership has strengthened support of one of the objectives of the

Ticket to Work program which is to educate the public about the benefits of returning to work and becoming self-sufficient. Presentations that have been made directly to persons with disabilities and/or entities

that provide services to this target group include presentations at:

 • Disability Employment Fairs

 • Disability Forums and Expos

 • Technical Colleges

 • Universities

 • Disability Resource Centers

 • One-Stop Career Centers
2008 SSI Annual Report

102

 • Small Business Administration Groups

 • Workforce Investment Fairs

 • Independent Living Councils’ Conferences

 • United Way Agencies

 • State Advocacy Groups

In 2008, SSA revised the Ticket to Work regulations to enhance beneficiary choice and improve the 

effectiveness of the program. The revisions extended the program to all adult SSDI and SSI blind or 

disabled beneficiaries, removed disincentives for Employment Networks to participate in the program, 

provided incentives for them to support beneficiaries through a more gradual return to work and positioned 

them to better support ongoing retention of employment.

See section V.G.1.d for information on the evaluation of the Ticket to Work program.

Table V.E4 provides historical data on the number of reimbursement claims allowed and the amount of

such awards for SSI recipients.

1 For concurrent title II/XVI claims, amounts shown represent title XVI portion of claim.

2 For fiscal years 1987-89, data on title II reimbursement claims involving concurrent title XVI reimbursement claims are not available.

Note: Totals do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

Table V.E4.—Vocational Rehabilitation Reimbursement Claims Allowed, Fiscal Years 1987-2007

Fiscal year

Concurrent title II/XVI claims Title XVI only claims Total claims

Number

Amount 1

(in thousands) Number

Amount

(in thousands) Number

Amount 1

(in thousands)

1987 .............. 2/ 2/ 1,493 $10,010 2/ 2/

1988 .............. 2/ 2/ 1,720 14,831 2/ 2/

1989 .............. 2/ 2/ 1,871 18,366 2/ 2/

1990 .............. 1,267 $3,290 2,819 22,832 4,086 $26,122

1991 .............. 1,445 4,325 2,171 20,615 3,616 24,940

1992 .............. 1,634 5,312 2,834 28,276 4,468 33,588

1993 .............. 1,928 6,670 2,158 22,264 4,086 28,934

1994 .............. 1,880 7,057 2,074 23,400 3,954 30,457

1995 .............. 2,140 7,761 2,229 26,402 4,369 34,162

1996 .............. 2,033 6,518 2,138 24,334 4,171 30,852

1997 .............. 2,735 8,541 2,914 31,532 5,649 40,073

1998 .............. 3,329 10,089 3,446 36,313 6,775 46,402

1999 .............. 3,572 11,403 4,046 42,281 7,618 53,684

2000 .............. 3,260 11,357 3,589 40,793 6,849 52,150

2001 .............. 2,388 9,590 2,763 34,842 5,151 44,432

2002 .............. 3,241 12,201 3,474 43,244 6,715 55,445

2003 .............. 2,139 8,110 1,993 25,238 4,132 33,348

2004 .............. 1,999 7,759 2,150 26,390 4,149 34,149

2005 .............. 1,883 7,420 1,692 21,866 3,575 29,286

2006 .............. 2,581 10,382 2,257 28,597 4,838 38,979

2007 .............. 2,037 8,407 1,871 26,468 3,908 34,875
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2008 SSI Annual Report

F. INVOLVEMENT OF SSI RECIPIENTS IN OTHER PROGRAMS

In this appendix we present statistics on participation by SSI recipients in other programs based on data

from the Supplemental Security Record (SSR), the main administrative file for the SSI program. Data

summarized from the SSR are representative of the overall SSI recipient population since the information

is generally based on a 100-percent extract; however, information on previous participation in other programs by SSI recipients is based on a 10-percent extract from the SSR. Data from the SSR are presented

below. Since the amount of an individual’s income is used to determine both the eligibility for, and the

amount of his/her SSI benefit, it is necessary for the SSR to contain information on participation by SSI

recipients in certain other programs which may provide countable income to the SSI recipient. A significant number of SSI recipients are Social Security beneficiaries whose total countable income, including

OASDI benefits, is less than the Federal benefit rate plus the amount of applicable Federally-administered

State supplementary payment. A smaller number of SSI recipients participate in other programs and

receive income such as Workers’ Compensation benefits or disability cash benefits from the Department

of Veterans Affairs.

SSA does not maintain complete information in its administrative files concerning the involvement of SSI

recipients in other assistance programs, because under the law payments from such programs are excluded

from countable income attributable to the individual. We do, however, have some data with regard to entitlement to benefits under two other programs—Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (which

replaced Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)) and State Interim Assistance Reimbursement—at the point that the individual applied for SSI benefits. TANF (and AFDC previously) is a State

program funded under Part A of title IV of the Social Security Act. Interim assistance is assistance a State

gives to SSI applicants in cash or vendor payments for meeting basic needs while they are awaiting the

outcome of the SSI eligibility determination process.

Table V.F1 presents percentages of SSI recipients who (1) concurrently receive payments from certain

other selected programs or (2) have previously been enrolled in TANF/AFDC or received Interim Assistance Reimbursement.

1 SSI recipients or the households of SSI recipients may participate in more than one of these programs.

2 Less than 0.05 percent of SSI recipients in this gender/age grouping participate in the program.

Note: Total numbers of recipients do not necessarily equal the sums of rounded components.

Table V.F1.—Percentage of SSI Federally-Administered Recipients in Current-Payment Status with Participation 1

in Selected Programs Based on SSA Administrative Records, December, 2007

Age groups

0-17 18-64 All

65 or

older

Number of Federally-administered recipients, 

December, 2007 (in thousands)................................................................................................................... 1,121 4,222 2,017 7,360

Program (In percent)

Program participation by SSI recipients, December, 2007

Federal SSI.............................................................................................................................................. 99.8 96.5 92.7 95.9

Federally-administered State SSI supplementation ................................................................................ 20.2 27.9 44.6 31.3

OASDI .................................................................................................................................................... 7.2 31.7 57.0 34.9

Black Lung.............................................................................................................................................. 2/ 2/ 2/ 2/

Railroad Retirement................................................................................................................................ 2/ 2/ 0.1 2/

Veterans Affairs disability cash benefits................................................................................................. 0.1 0.5 1.8 0.8

Workers’ Compensation.......................................................................................................................... 2/ 0.1 2/ 0.1

Previous program participation by SSI recipients, December, 2007

TANF/AFDC .......................................................................................................................................... 35.3 26.9 9.6 23.4

Interim Assistance Reimbursement ........................................................................................................ 0.6 14.6 10.4 11.3
2008 SSI Annual Report

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There are other potential sources for information on SSI recipients when that information is not available

on the SSI administrative files. One source in particular is the Survey of Income and Program Participation

(SIPP), a U.S. Census Bureau sample survey that collects information such as the source and amount of

income, program participation and general demographic characteristics for the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. Data from the SIPP were last presented in the 2005 SSI Annual Report. 
105

2008 SSI Annual Report

G. RESEARCH ON RELATED TOPICS

The legislative mandate for this report requires inclusion of information about “relevant research on the

SSI program by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and others.” Section 1 of this appendix

describes major ongoing projects. Section 2 presents a bibliography of studies regarding SSI payment levels, recipients, and reform proposals that were published in the past 10 years by both public and private

entities.

1. Ongoing Research

a. SSI Policy Simulations

Using Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data matched to administrative records, SSA

researchers have developed a model of financial eligibility for SSI that has been used to estimate the rate

of participation among the eligible elderly and the effects of various options to modify the SSI program

(see Davies et al. 2001/2002). The model suggests that the rate of participation among the eligible elderly

was about 62 percent in 1991. The comparable participation rate estimate at the end of 1996 was also

62 percent. The model is currently being updated to use the 2004 SIPP matched to administrative records.

The model was also utilized to simulate the potential effects of several approaches to expand the SSI program to fight poverty among the elderly. Approaches focusing on incremental changes in the Federal benefit rate, the general income exclusion, and the resources test appear roughly equally effective in reducing

the poverty gap among the elderly on a cost-equivalent basis, while two approaches focusing on relaxing

the earned income exclusion are less effective (Davies, Rupp, and Strand, 2004). More recently, the model

has been expanded to address SSI participation and financial eligibility among the working-age disabled,

and to assess SSI benefit restructuring options for the entire SSI population. The working-aged model

allows for the identification of working-aged persons by their SSI financial eligibility status, DI insured

status, and participation in both programs. The model is currently being used to assess SSI’s role in complementing and enhancing the safety net for the working-aged population, focusing on the role of SSI in

providing cash benefits to some DI beneficiaries during the 5-month waiting period and beyond, and

increasing health insurance coverage among the disabled by providing access to Medicaid. The model has

been used to simulate the effects of several approaches to changing in-kind support and maintenance rules

and options for altering the calculation of the Federal benefit rate for certain living arrangement categories. Simulation results are applied to current elderly, working-age, and child SSI populations to provide

up-to-date estimates for potential program changes. The financial eligibility model has also been utilized

to study eligibility for Medicare buy-in programs (see Rupp and Sears 2000; Sears 2001/2002). More

recently the model has been extensively utilized to estimate the size of the population potentially eligible

for the Medicare Part D low income subsidy.

b. National Survey of SSI Children and Families

The National Survey of SSI Children and Families (NSCF) was designed to address a number of SSA policy and program objectives. One objective was to address issues specifically pertaining to the effects of the

Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (welfare reform). However, the

survey as designed is useful for the study of a broader range of issues of current interest to policy makers.

Most importantly it allows for the analysis of a nationally representative cross-section of SSI beneficiary

children aged 0-17 and young adults aged 18-23. Among the questions the survey answers are the following: 
2008 SSI Annual Report

106

 • What are the characteristics of SSI children? 

 • What alternative sources of care are available to disabled children who lose SSI benefits?

 • How is quality of life and utilization of medical services impacted by gaining or losing SSI benefits?

 • What is the cost of caring for a child with disabilities?

 • What are the uses of SSI benefits?

 • What is the impact of the nature and severity of the child’s disabilities on parental labor force participation? 

The NSCF data collection began July 2001 and concluded June 2002. The NSCF sample size was considerably larger for SSI children and young adults than the sample size available in other surveys. Altogether,

8,535 interviews were completed for the NSCF, including 5,006 who received SSI benefits in December

2000 and 5,033 who received SSI benefits in December 1996. A public use file and documentation from

the NSCF are available on the SSA website at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/nscf.htm.

Davies and Rupp (2005/2006) provides an overview of the survey and describes some key features. Other

analyses underway using these data are discussed in section c below. Although it was a cross-sectional

data collection effort, longitudinal data on SSI program participation are being added to the NSCF through

continuing efforts to update the match between NSCF and SSI administrative records. 

c. Analytic Studies

SSA researchers have conducted a number of research studies designed to provide a better understanding

of the SSI program, the elderly and disabled target populations, program interactions, and the role of the

SSI program in the United States social safety net. Koenig and Rupp (2003/2004) estimated the prevalence

of households and families with multiple SSI recipients and provided an assessment of the poverty status

of multirecipient households. Rupp and Davies (2004) tracked survey respondents from the 1984 SIPP for

14 years using administrative records on SSI and DI participation and death events to assess the relationship between self-reported health status, disabilities, mortality, and participation in the SSI and DI programs. Weathers et al. (2007) uses a unique longitudinal dataset based on administrative data from the

National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) linked to SSA administrative records to conduct a case

study of SSI children who applied for postsecondary education at NTID.

Several studies focus on the distributional effects of the SSI program through its interactions with other

Federal and State programs. One study is utilizing longitudinal data from the Health and Retirement Study

(HRS) to assess the role of SSI and related social safety net programs in providing a buffer against the

potentially adverse effects of disability shocks in the near-elderly population on financial well-being.

Rupp et al. (2007) provides an empirical analysis of the SSI Federal benefit rate for assessing benefit adequacy among elderly Social Security beneficiaries and the effectiveness of the SSI benefit eligibility

screens for targeting economically vulnerable elderly beneficiaries. Another project highlights the distributional implications of Social Security reform scenarios involving a potential shift from wage indexing to

price indexing or longevity indexing in the establishment of initial benefits. Another study uses matched

SIPP records to examine potential eligibility for three major means-tested programs (SSI, Medicaid, and

Food Stamp) among near retirees aged 55 to 64 and eventual SSI participation upon reaching age 65. A

related research project analyzes interactions between SSI, DI, Medicaid and Medicare on a cohort of SSI

and DI awardees utilizing matched administrative data from SSA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Wamhoff and Wiseman (2005/2006) examines the financial consequences of TANF-to-SSI

transfers and develops new estimates of both the prevalence of receipt of SSI benefits among families

receiving cash assistance from TANF and the proportion of new SSI awards that go to adults and children

residing in families receiving TANF-related benefits. SSA, with the Administration for Children and Fam-
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2008 SSI Annual Report

ilies, is also developing an initiative to find and test ways of more effectively and efficiently addressing

disability issues affecting TANF-related persons who apply for SSI. Related research addresses the connections between the SSI and Food Stamp programs. 

In 2003 and again in 2005 SSA provided funding for interviewing supplemental samples of SSI and DI

beneficiaries to increase the SIPP sample size available for analyses of these target groups. DeCesaro and

Hemmeter (2008) examines the characteristics of DI and SSI program participants using the 2003 supplemental sample combined with the 2001 SIPP, both matched to administrative records. Using data from the

Current Population Survey matched to SSA administrative records, an on-going study assesses the impact

of using administrative records on poverty estimation among elderly SSI recipients using the official and

alternative definitions of poverty.

A number of studies are utilizing the NSCF to focus on children and young adults receiving SSI. Rupp et

al. (2005/2006) presents highlights from the survey characterizing SSI children with disabilities and their

families. Additional research is currently underway to study employment and caregiving patterns of parents of SSI children, to examine employment and program outcomes among young adults after their eligibility redetermination at age 18, and to analyze factors affecting out-of-pocket medical expenses and

unmet health care needs of disabled children. These papers are scheduled to be published in a special issue

of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation devoted to SSI children and young adults and the transition to

adulthood.

d. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program

The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 requires the Commissioner of Social

Security to provide for independent evaluations to assess the effectiveness of the Ticket to Work program

and to submit three separate evaluation reports to Congress. In May 2003, SSA awarded two 5-year contracts to Mathematica Policy Research to conduct the evaluation of the Ticket to Work program. The first

contract focuses on data development, qualitative data collection, and implementation of the comprehensive evaluation analyses. The second contract focuses on a survey of beneficiaries, which is designed to

collect information on the health and well-being of beneficiaries and on how beneficiaries use the Ticket

to Work program. 

Rounds one, two, and three of the National Beneficiary Survey (NBS) have concluded with an overall

response rate of 78 percent. SSA has now completed interviews with more than 20,000 beneficiaries with

disabilities. 

The first evaluation report was submitted to Congress in 2004 (Thornton et al. 2004)1, and SSA also published the first interim evaluation report early in 2006 (Thornton et al. 2006)1. The third, post-FY 2005,

evaluation report was sent to Congress in October 2007. This report confirmed earlier findings of low but

growing participation rates and domination of ticket assignments by State vocational rehabilitation agencies. The findings thus far indicate that the Ticket to Work program has significant potential but improvements in beneficiary awareness and Employment Network (EN) incentives are needed. Survey findings

show that many more beneficiaries are interested in employment and working their way off disability benefits than is reflected in Ticket to Work participation. Most beneficiaries remain unaware of the Ticket to

Work program despite various efforts by SSA to publicize the program. Among those who are aware, a

small, but significant number who have tried to use their ticket have been unable to find an EN to accept it.

Participation by ENs has been anemic and the evaluation indicates that the current payment rules are

insufficient for ENs to cover their costs. SSA initiatives to reduce EN costs have helped but have not yet

significantly affected EN financial viability. The evaluation also found that the recently published changes

1 Available at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/disabilityresearch/research.htm.
2008 SSI Annual Report

108

to the Ticket regulations are likely to significantly increase the early payments to ENs, thereby making the

program more financially attractive to a broader range of service providers. This in turn holds promise for

expanding EN availability and reinvigorating the program.

The fourth evaluation report is near completion and should be available in the summer of 2008. This

report focuses on updating the third report, adding analyses of new administrative data through the end of

2005, and survey data from the second round of the NBS. Work has also begun on the fifth evaluation

report that will use research data files through the end of 2006. The contractor is also collecting information for analyses of Ticket program costs and implementing the fifth round of process interviews. The data

analysis files from the third round of the national NBS have also been completed. This data will be analyzed as part of the fifth report to examine the longitudinal aspects of Ticket program participation by beneficiaries. SSA has also modified the Ticket evaluation contract to include a more comprehensive analysis

of the early Work Incentives Planning and Assistance program. The fifth report will include findings from

those analyses. Release of the fifth report is expected in 2009.

e. Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE)

In fiscal years 2003-2005, SSA’s appropriations included earmarked funds totaling $24 million to conduct

outreach and application assistance to the homeless and other under-served populations in support of the

President’s initiative to end chronic homelessness. In 2004, SSA awarded funds to 41 service providers in

20 States and the District of Columbia that provide services to the homeless. The service providers began

enrolling project participants in September 2004. Of the 41 service providers, 34 provided outreach efforts

through April 2008, and the remaining seven service providers will continue through October 2008. As of

January 2008, HOPE grantees assisted 9,596 homeless individuals with their applications for SSI. Of

those, 3,179 have been awarded benefits based on disability. 

In October 2007, Westat, of Rockville, Maryland released the final evaluation report of the HOPE program. The overall findings of the independent evaluation showed that HOPE programs were more effective than similar programs without HOPE funding in facilitating determinations for benefits and in

obtaining positive housing outcomes.

f. Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD)

To further the President’s New Freedom Initiative goal of increasing employment of individuals with disabilities, SSA created the Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD). The YTD establishes partnerships to

improve employment outcomes for youth ages 14-25 who receive (or could receive) SSI or SSDI payments on the basis of their own disability. The YTD projects include service delivery systems and a broad

array of services and supports to assist youth with disabilities in their transition from school to employment and to help them gain economic self-sufficiency.

YTD began in 2003, with seven projects in six States. In 2007, SSA piloted new projects in five States,

choosing a total of three new projects in Florida, Maryland, and West Virginia. These three projects are

joining three (Colorado and two New York) of the original seven projects in a random assignment study.

This study will produce the first evaluation of the empirical evidence of the effects of youth transition programs and modified SSI work incentives.

The modified SSI program rules that we are testing under the YTD include the following five elements.

 • Despite the finding of a continuing disability review or an age-18 medical redetermination that an

individual is no longer eligible for benefits, SSA will continue paying benefits for as long as the individual continues to be a YTD participant.
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 • The student earned income exclusion (section 1612(b)(1) of the Act), which normally applies only to

students who are under age 22, will apply to all participants who meet school attendance requirements.

 • The general earned income exclusion (section 1612(b)(4) of the Act) permits the exclusion of $65

plus half of what an individual earns in excess of $65. For the YTD, SSA will exclude the first $65

plus three-fourths of any additional earnings.

 • SSA will extend the SSI program’s treatment of Federally supported Individual Development

Accounts (IDA) to IDAs that do not involve Federal funds.

 • Ordinarily, a plan to achieve self-support (PASS) must specify an employment goal that refers to getting a particular kind of job or starting a particular business. For the YTD, SSA will approve an otherwise satisfactory PASS that has either career exploration or postsecondary education as its goal.

Income and assets that an individual uses for PASS expenses do not count when SSA determines SSI

eligibility and payment amount.

As of December 2007, 306 of the 1,317 YTD participants (23 percent) were employed full-time or parttime. Most are students, so the nature of work varies widely and some of it is short term. As a rough comparison, only about 11 percent of all SSI recipients aged 18-21 were working as of December 2006.

g. Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)

The Department of Labor (DOL) and SSA jointly established the Disability Program Navigator (DPN)

position. DPNs are located in DOL's One-Stop Career Centers and help disabled individuals navigate the

challenges of seeking work. The rules surrounding entitlement programs and a fear of losing cash assistance and health benefits often discourage people with disabilities from working. DOL and SSA established the DPN initiative to better inform beneficiaries and other people with disabilities about the work

support programs available at DOL-funded One-Stop Career Centers. This initiative is developing new/

ongoing partnerships to achieve seamless, comprehensive, and integrated access to services, creating systemic change, and expanding the workforce development system’s capacity to serve customers with disabilities and employers. As of October, 2007, there were approximately 500 Navigators in 45 States, the

District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. See http://www.doleta.gov/disability/ for the list of DPN States/contacts.

2. Bibliography of Recent Publications

Alterman, A. I., Q. Shen, J. C. Merrill, A. T. McLellan, J. Durell, and J. R. McKay. “Treatment Services

Received by Supplemental Security Income Drug and Alcohol Clients.” Journal of Substance Abuse

Treatment 18, 3 (2000): 209-215.

American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Children with Disabilities. “The Continued Importance

of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for Children and Adolescents with Disabilities.” Pediatrics 107, 4,

Part 1 of 2 (April 2001): 790-793.

Angel, Ronald J. “Living Arrangements and Supplemental Security Income Use Among Elderly Asians

and Hispanics in the United States: The Role of Nativity and Citizenship.” Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 28, 3 (2002): 553-563.

Angel, Ronald J., Jacqueline L. Angel, Geum-Yong Lee, and Kyriakos S. Markides. “Age at Migration

and Family Dependency Among Older Mexican Immigrants: Recent Evidence from the Mexican American EPESE.” Gerontologist 39, 1 (February 1999): 59-65.
2008 SSI Annual Report

110

Aron, Laudan Y. and Pamela Loprest. Meeting the Needs of Children with Disabilities. Washington, DC:

The Urban Institute Press, 2007.

Autor, David H. and Mark G. Duggan. The Rise in Disability Recipiency and the Decline in Unemployment. JCPR Working Paper No. 226, Joint Center for Poverty Research, June 2001.

Auxter, David, William Halloran, Hugh G. Berry, and Susan O’Mara. “The Precarious Safety Net: The

Supplemental Security Income and Age 18 Redeterminations.” Focus on Autism & Other Developmental

Disabilities 14, 4 (Winter 1999): 194-203, 211.

Balkus, Richard and Susan Wilschke. “Annual Wage Trends for Supplemental Security Income Recipients.” Social Security Bulletin 65, 2 (2003/2004): 49-58.

________. Treatment of Married Couples in the SSI Program. Issue Paper No. 2003-01. Washington, DC:

Office of Disability and Income Assistance Policy, Office of Policy, Social Security Administration,

December 2003.

Balkus, Richard L., L. Scott Muller, Mark Nadel, and Michael Wiseman. “The Challenge of Growth: Public Disability Benefits in the United States.” In Sick Societies? Trends in Disability Benefits in Post-Industrial Welfare States, edited by Peter A. Kemp, Annika Sunden, and Bernhard Bakker Tauritz. Geneva,

Switzerland: International Social Security Association, 2006.

Barrilleaux, Charles and Ethan Bernick. “Deservingness, Discretion, and the State Politics of Welfare

Spending, 1990-96.” State Politics & Policy Quarterly 3, 1 (Spring 2003): 1-23.

Battaglia, Carol. “SSI and Medicaid Recipients Have a Responsibility to Report Changes that Can Affect

Benefits.” Exceptional Parent 37, 2 (February 2007): 47-48.

Beedon, Laurel and Charles Ford. “Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.” Data Digest AARP Public Policy Institute 43 (February 2000): 1-4.

Beekman, John A. and Eli N. Donkar. “The Relationship Between the Supplemental Security Income and

the Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance Programs During the 1990s.” North American Actuarial

Journal 5, 4 (2001): 1-23.

Beers, Nathaniel S., Alexa Kemeny, Lon Sherritt, and Judith S. Palfrey. “Variations in State-Level Definitions: Children with Special Health Care Needs.” Public Health Reports 118, 5 (September/October

2003): 434-447.

Benitez-Silva, Hugo, Moshe Buchinsky, and John Rust. How Large are the Classification Errors in the

Social Security Disability Award Process? National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No.

10219, January 2004.

Berry, Hugh G. “The Supplemental Security Income Program and Employment for Young Adults with

Disabilities: An Analysis of the National Health Interview Survey on Disability.” Focus on Autism &

Other Developmental Disabilities 15, 3 (Fall 2000): 176-182.

Bond, Gary R, Haiyi Xie, and Robert E. Drake. “Can SSDI and SSI Beneficiaries with Mental Illness Benefit from Evidence-Based Supported Employment?” Psychiatric Services 58, 11 (November 2007): 1412-

1420.
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Bound, John and Richard V. Burkhauser. Tracking the Household Income of SSDI and SSI Applicants.

Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 99-03, Michigan Retirement Research Center at

the University of Michigan, May 2001.

Bound, John, Julie Berry Cullen, Austin Nichols, and Lucie Schmidt. “The Welfare Implications of

Increasing Disability Insurance Benefit Generosity” Journal of Public Economics 88, 12 (December

2004): 2487-2514.

Bound, John, Michael Schoenbaum, and Timothy A. Waidman. Health Limitations and Early Retirement.

Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 99-Q2, Michigan Retirement Research Center

at the University of Michigan, September 2000.

Brown, Michael Hayden. Geographic and Group Variation in Supplemental Security Income. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Kentucky, 2002.

Burkhauser, Richard V. and Mary C. Daly. “U.S. Disability Policy in a Changing Environment.” Journal

of Economic Perspectives 16, 1 (2002): 213-224.

Burstein, Nancy R., Erik Beecroft, Jordan Hiller, and Michelle L. Wood. “Effects of the Project NetWork

Demonstration Waiver Provisions: Final Report.” Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates Inc., 1999.

Butrica, Barbara A. and Gordon B.T. Mermin. Annuitized Wealth and Consumption at Older Ages. Center

for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2006-26, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College,

December 2006. 

Campbell, Kevin, Jim Baumohl, and Sharon R. Hunt. “The Bottom Line: Employment and Barriers to

Work among Former SSI DA&A Beneficiaries.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer

2003): 195-240.

Chatterji, Pinka and Ellen Meara. Health and Labor Market Consequences of Eliminating Federal Disability Benefits for Substance Abusers. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 13407,

September 2007.

Clarke, George R.G. “The Effect of Medicaid on Cash Assistance to the Aged and Disabled Poor.” Public

Finance Review 31, 1 (January 2003): 3- 43.

Daly, Mary C. and Richard V. Burkhauser. The Supplemental Security Income Program. Federal Reserve

Bank of San Francisco Working Paper No. 2001-06, September 2000.

Davies, Paul S. “SSI Eligibility and Participation Among the Oldest Old: Evidence from the AHEAD.”

Social Security Bulletin 64, 3 (2001/2002): 38-63.

Davies, Paul S. and Kalman Rupp. “An Overview of the National Survey of SSI Children and Families

and Related Products.” Social Security Bulletin 66, 2 (2005/2006): 7-20.

Davies, Paul S. and Melissa M. Favreault. Interactions between Social Security Reform and the Supplemental Security Income for the Aged. Center for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2004-02, Center

for Retirement Research at Boston College, February 2004.
2008 SSI Annual Report

112

Davies, Paul S. and Michael J. Greenwood. Welfare Reform and Immigrant Participation in the Supplemental Security Income Program. Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 2004-087,

Michigan Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan, September 2004.

Davies, Paul S., Howard Iams, and Kalman Rupp. “The Effect of Welfare Reform on SSA’s Disability

Programs: Design of Policy Evaluation and Early Evidence.” Social Security Bulletin 63, 1 (2000): 3-11.

Davies, Paul S., Kalman Rupp, and Alexander Strand. “The Potential of the SSI Program to Fight Poverty

among the Poorest Elderly.” Journal of Aging and Social Policy 16, 1 (2004): 21-42.

Davies, Paul S., Minh Huynh, Chad Newcomb, Paul O’Leary, Kalman Rupp, and Jim Sears. “Modeling

SSI Financial Eligibility and Simulating the Effect of Policy Options.” Social Security Bulletin 64, 2

(2001/2002): 16-45.

DeCesaro, Anne and Jeffrey Hemmeter. Characteristics of Noninstitutionalized DI and SSI Program Participants. Research and Statistics Note No. 2008-02. Washington, DC: Office of Research, Evaluation, and

Statistics, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration, January 2008. 

Dietz, Tracy L. “Mexican American Elderly and Supplemental Security Income: Reasons and Characteristics Associated with Nonuse.” Journal of Applied Gerontology 20, 3 (September 2001): 292-306.

Dobkin, Carlos and Steven L. Puller. “The Effects of Government Transfers on Monthly Cycles in Drug

Abuse, Hospitalization and Mortality.” Journal of Public Economics 91, 11-12 (December 2007): 2137-

2157.

DosReis, Susan, Julie Magno Zito, Daniel J. Safer, and Karen L. Soeken. “Mental Health Services for

Youths in Foster Care and Disabled Youths.” American Journal of Public Health 91, 7 (July 2001): 

1094-1099.

Duggan, Mark G. and Melissa Schettini Kearney. “The Impact of Child SSI Enrollment on Household

Outcomes.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 26, 4 (Autumn 2007): 861-886.

________. The Impact of Child SSI Enrollment on Household Outcomes: Evidence from the Survey of

Income and Program Participation. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 11568,

August 2005.

Elder, Todd and Elizabeth Powers. A Longitudinal Analysis of Entries and Exits of the Low-Income Elderly to and from the Supplemental Security Income Program. Michigan Retirement Research Center

Working Paper No. 2007-156, Michigan Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan, October 2007.

________. “The Incredible Shrinking Program: Trends in SSI Participation of the Aged.” Research on

Aging 28, 3 (May 2006): 341-358.

________. Public Health Insurance and SSI Program Participation Among the Aged. Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 2006-117, Michigan Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan, April 2006.

________. “The Effect of Falling SSI Generosity on SSI Participation Among the Aged Since the 1970s.”

Proceedings of the 98th Annual Conference on Taxation of the National Tax Association (2005): 400-406.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Ettner, Susan L., Karen Kuhlthau, Thomas J. McLaughlin, James M. Perrin, and Steven L. Gortmaker.

“Impact of Expanding SSI on Medical Expenditures of Disabled Children.” Health Care Financing

Review 21 (Spring 2000): 185-201.

Favreault, Melissa M. and Douglas A. Wolf. Living Arrangements and Supplemental Security Income

Receipt Among the Aged. Center for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2004-03, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, February 2004.

Feldstein, Martin S. and Jeffrey B. Liebman. Eds. The Distributional Aspects of Social Security and Social

Security Reform. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2002.

Fernandes, Adrienne L., Scott Szymendera, and Emilie Stolzfus. Child Welfare: Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Benefits for Children in Foster Care. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Report No. RL33855, February 2007.

Fitzpatrick, Collen. “Report Highlights Impact of Welfare Reform on Addicted Population.” Alcoholism &

Drug Abuse Weekly 15, 31 (August 2003): 1-3.

Garrett, Bowen and Sherry Glied. “Does State AFDC Generosity Affect Child SSI Participation?” Journal

of Policy Analysis and Management 19, 2 (Spring 2000): 275-295.

Gibson, Nancy P. “SSI Rules Simplification Provides Helpful Changes.” The Exceptional Parent 35, 4

(April 2005): 64-65.

Giertz, Seth. An Examination of the Impact of Federal Disability Programs On Family Labor Supply: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study, Center for Retirement Research Dissertation, Center for

Retirement Research at Boston College, May, 2001.

Gilmer, Todd, Richard Kronick, Paul Fishman, and Theodore G. Ganiats. “The Medicaid Rx Model: Pharmacy-Based Risk Adjustment for Public Programs.” Medical Care 39, 11 (November 2001): 1188-1202.

Goulet, Joseph L., Robert Rosenheck, and Leslie Douglas. “Effectiveness of a Targeted Mailing Outreach

Program on SSI Applications and Awards.” The Social Service Review 73, 4 (Dec. 1999): 579-587.

Grady, April. Primer on Disability Benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Report

No. RL32279, March 2005.

Gruber, Jonathan and Jeffrey Kubik. Health Insurance Coverage and the Disability Insurance Application

Decision. Center for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2002-04, Center for Retirement Research at

Boston College, September 2002.

Guydish, Joseph, Claudia Ponath, Alan Bostrom, Kevin M. Campbell, and Nancy Barron. “Effects of Losing SSI Benefits on Standard Drug and Alcohol Outcomes Measures.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30,

1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 169-193.

Haider, Steven J., Alison Jacknowitz, and Robert F. Schoeni. The Economic Status of Elderly Divorced

Women. Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 2003-046, Michigan Retirement

Research Center at the University of Michigan, May 2003.
2008 SSI Annual Report

114

Hanrahan, Patricia, Daniel J. Luchin, Lea Cloninger, and James Swartz. “Medicaid Eligibility of Former

Supplemental Security Income Recipients with Drug or Alcoholism Disability.” American Journal of Public Health 94, 1 (January 2004): 46-47.

Hao, Lingxin and Yukio Kawano. “Immigrants’ Welfare Use and Opportunity for Contact with Co-Ethnics.” Demography 38, 3 (August 2001): 376-389.

Herd, Pamela, Robert F. Schoeni, and James S. House. “Upstream Solutions: Does the Supplemental

Security Income Program Reduce Disability in the Elderly?” The Milbank Quarterly 86, 1 (March 2008):

5-45. 

Hill, Steven C. and Judith Wooldridge. “Informed Participation in TennCare by People with Disabilities.”

Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 17, 4 (November 2006): 851-875.

________. “SSI Enrollees’ Health Care in TennCare.” Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved 14, 2 (May 2003): 229-243.

________. “Plan Characteristics and SSI Enrollees’ Access to and Quality of Care in Four TennCare

MCOs.” Health Services Research 37, 5 (2002): 1197-1220.

Hill, Steven C., Craig Thornton, Christopher Trenholm, and Judith Wooldridge. “Risk Selection Among

SSI Enrollees in TennCare.” Inquiry 39, 2 (Summer 2002): 152-167.

Hogan, Sean R., George J. Unick, Richard Speiglman, and Jean C. Norris. “Social Welfare Policy and

Public Assistance for Low-Income Substance Abusers: The Impact of 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation

on the Economic Security of Former Supplemental Security Income Drug Addiction and Alcoholism Beneficiaries. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare 35, 1 (March 2008): 221-24.

Hunt, Sharon R. and Jim Baumohl. “Now Invited to Testify: Former Beneficiaries Appraise the SSI Drug

Addiction and Alcoholism Program.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 

169-193.

Huynh, Minh, Kalman Rupp, and James Sears. The Assessment of Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Benefit Data Using Longitudinal Administrative Records. SIPP Working Paper No. 238.

Census Bureau, 2002.

Inkelas, Moira, Melissa Rowe, Lynn A. Karoly, and Jeannette A. Rogowski. Policy Evaluation of the

Effects of the 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation on SSI Benefits for Disabled Children: Second Round Case

Study Findings. RAND Corporation Report DRU-2224, May 2000.

________. Policy Evaluation of the Effects of the 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation on SSI Benefits for

Disabled Children: First Round Case Study Findings. RAND Corporation Report DRU-2017, June 1999.

Karoly, Lynn A. and Paul S. Davies. Impact of the 1996 Childhood Disability Reforms: Evidence from

Matched SIPP-SSA Data. Michigan Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 2004-079, Michigan

Retirement Research Center at the University of Michigan, June 2004.

Karoly, Lynn A., Randall A. Hirscher, and Jeannette A. Rogowski. A Descriptive Analysis of the SSI

Childhood and Age-18 Disability Redetermination Process: Results through August 28, 1999. RAND Corporation Report DRU-2328, August 2000.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Katz, Marsha R. Don’t Look for Logic: An Advocate’s Manual for Negotiating the SSI and SSDI Programs.

Missoula, MT: University of Montana Rural Institute, 2005.

Kelly, Rachel. Supplemental Security Income: Efforts to Prevent Prisoners from Receiving Benefits. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, 1999.

Kennedy, Lenna D. “Earnings Histories of SSI Beneficiaries Working in December 1997.” Social Security

Bulletin 63, 3 (2000): 34-46.

________. “SSI At Its 25th Year.” Social Security Bulletin 62, 2 (1999): 52-58.

Kijakazi, Kilolo. Women’s Retirement Income: The Case for Improving Supplemental Security Income.

Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 2001.

Kingson, Eric R., Margaret Morse, and Gary Calhoun. The Evolution of Social Security Disabled

Widow(er)s Benefits. Center for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2003-9, Center for Retirement

Research at Boston College, May 2003.

Koenig, Melissa and Kalman Rupp. “SSI Recipients in Households and Families with Multiple Recipients: Prevalence and Poverty Outcomes.” Social Security Bulletin 65,2 (2003/2004): 14-27.

Kornfeld, Robert and Kalman Rupp. “The Net Effects of the Project NetWork Return-to-Work Case Management Experiment on Participant Earnings, Benefit Receipt, and Other Outcomes.” Social Security Bulletin 63, 1 (2000): 12-33.

Kornfeld, Robert J., Michelle L. Wood, Larry L. Orr, and David A. Long. Impact of the Project NetWork

Demonstration: Final Report. Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates Inc., March 1999.

Kubik, Jeffrey D. “Fiscal Federalism and Welfare Policy: The Role of States in the Growth of Child SSI.”

National Tax Journal 56, 1 (March 2003): 61-79.

________. “Incentives for the Identification and Treatment of Children with Disabilities: The Supplemental Security Income Program.” Journal of Public Economics 73, 2 (1999): 187-215.

Lee, Julie, Mark McClellan, and Jonathan Skinner. The Distributional Effects of Medicare. In “Tax Policy

and the Economy,” James Poterba, editor, Volume 13, 1999.

Lewin Group. Evaluation Design for the Ticket to Work Program: Preliminary Process Evaluation. Report

prepared for the Social Security Administration. March 2003.

________. Evaluation Design for the Ticket to Work Program: Preliminary Report on Evaluation Design.

Report prepared for the Social Security Administration. June 2002.

Loprest, Pamela J. Supplemental Security Income for Children with Disabilities: Part of the Federal

Safety Net. Urban Institute Number A-10 in Series Issues and Options for States, 2000.

Loprest, Pamela J. and David C. Wittenburg. “Posttransition Experiences of Former Child SSI Recipients.” Social Service Review 81, 4 (December 2007): 583-608.

________. Choices, Challenges, and Options: Child SSI Recipients Preparing for the Transition to Adult

Life, report prepared under contract to the Social Security Administration, May 2005.
2008 SSI Annual Report

116

Lo Sasso, Anthony T. and Deborah A. Freund. “A Longitudinal Evaluation of the Effect of Medi-Cal

Managed Care on Supplemental Security Income and Aid to Families with Dependent Children Enrollees

in Two California Counties.” Medical Care 38, 9 (2000): 937-948.

Luchansky, Bill, Dan Fordlund, Sharon Estee, Peter Lund, Antoinette Krupski, and Kenneth Stark. “Substance Abuse Treatment and Criminal Justice Involvement for SSI Recipients: Results from Washington

State.” American Journal on Addictions 15, 5 (September-October 2006): 370-379.

Martin, Patricia P. “Hispanics, Social Security, and Supplemental Security Income.” Social Security Bulletin 67, 2 (2007): 73-100.

Martin, Teran and Paul S. Davies. “Changes in the Demographic and Economic Characteristics of SSI and

DI Beneficiaries between 1984 and 1999.” Social Security Bulletin 65, 2 (2003/2004): 1-13.

Matherlee, Karen. Bridging Silos, Part I: Linkages among the DI, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid Programs.

National Health Policy Forum Background Paper. Washington, DC: National Health Policy Forum.

November 2003.

________. Bridging Silos, Part II: DI, SSI, Medicare, and Medicaid Issues and Incentives. National

Health Policy Forum Background Paper. Washington, DC: National Health Policy Forum. November

2003.

Mayer, Susan E. Why Welfare Caseloads Fluctuate: A Review of Research on AFDC, SSI, and the Food

Stamp Program. Joint Center for Poverty Research Working Paper 166 (April 2000).

McGarry, Kathleen. Guaranteed Income: SSI and the Well-Being of the Elderly Poor. National Bureau of

Economic Research Working Paper No. W7574, March 2000.

Mitchell, Jean M. and Darrell J. Gaskin. “Factors Affecting Plan Choice and Unmet Need Among Supplemental Security Income Eligible Children with Disabilities.” Health Services Research 40, 5, pt. 1 (October 2005): 1379-1399.

________. “Do Children Receiving Supplemental Security Income Who Are Enrolled in Medicaid Fare

Better Under a Fee-for-Service or Comprehensive Capitation Model?” Pediatrics 114, 1 (July 2004): 196-

204.

Mitchell, Susan, Colette Lamothe-Galette, and Frank Potter. Survey Response Incentives for a LowIncome Population: What Works? Mathematica Policy Research Issue Brief Number 2003-2. Princeton,

NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. November 2003.

Moffitt, Robert. Economic Effects of Means-Tested Transfers in the U.S. National Bureau of Economic

Research Working Paper No. 8730, January 2002.

Msall, Michael E., Fernando Bobis, and Shelly Field. “Children with Disabilities and Supplemental Security Income.” Infants & Young Children: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Special Care Practices 19, 1

(January-March 2006): 2-15.

Nadel, Mark, Lisa Alecxih, Rene Parent, and James Sears. “Medicare Premium Buy-in Programs: Results

of SSA Demonstration Projects.” Social Security Bulletin 63, 3 (2000): 26-33.
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Nadel, Mark, Steve Wamhoff, and Michael Wiseman. “Disability, Welfare Reform, and SSI.” Social Security Bulletin 65, 3 (2003/2004): 14-29.

Neumark, David and Elizabeth T. Powers. “The Effects of Changes in State SSI Supplements on PreRetirement Labor Supply.” Public Finance Review 33, 1 (January 2005): 3-35.

________. “The Effect of the SSI Program on Labor Supply: Improved Evidence from Social Security

Administrative Files.” Social Security Bulletin 65, 3 (2003/2004): 45-60.

________. “Welfare for the Elderly: the Effects of SSI on Pre-Retirement Labor Supply.” Journal of Public Economics 78, 1,2 (October 2000): 51-80.

Neumark, David, Elizabeth T. Powers, and Klaus F. Zimmermann. “Supplemental Security Income, Labor

Supply, and Migration.” Journal of Population Economics 19, 3 (July 2006): 447-479.

Norris, Jean, Richard Scott, Richard Speiglman, and Rex Green. “Homelessness, Hunger and Material

Hardship Among Those Who Lost SSI.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003):

241-273.

Ozawa, Martha N. “SSI and Adults with Disabilities.” Journal of Disability Policy Studies 13, 3 (2002):

153-162.

________. “SSI for Children with Mental Disorders: Backgrounds and a Study of Participation.” Children

and Youth Review 21, 6 (1999): 437-462.

Ozawa, Martha N. and Hong-Sik Yoon. “Social Security and SSI as Safety Nets for the Elderly Poor.”

Journal of Aging and Social Policy 14, 2 (2002): 1-25.

Parent, Rene. Defined Contribution Pension Plans and the Supplemental Security Income Program. Policy

Brief No. 2006-01. Washington, DC: Office of Disability and Income Assistance Policy, Office of Policy,

Social Security Administration, March 2006.

Perrin, James M., Karen Kuhlthau, Thomas J. McLaughlin, Susan L. Ettner, and Steven L. Gortmaker.

“Changing Patterns of Conditions Among Children Receiving Supplemental Security Income Disability

Benefits.” Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine 153, 1 (January 1999): 80-84.

Podus, Deborah, Eunice Chang, Mary Lynn Brecht, James A. Swartz, and Douglas M. Anglin. “Drug Use

Prevalence among Former SSI DA&A Recipients.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 275-290.

Powers, Elizabeth T. and David Neumark. “The Interaction of Public Retirement Income Programs in the

United States.” American Economic Review 93, 2 (May 2003): 261-265. 

________. The Supplemental Security Income Program and Incentives to Claim Social Security Retirement Early: Empirical Evidence from Matched SIPP and Social Security Administrative Files. Michigan

Retirement Research Center Working Paper No. 2003-036, Michigan Retirement Research Center at the

University of Michigan, January 2003.

________. The Supplemental Security Income Program and Incentives to Take Up Social Security Early

Retirement: Empirical Evidence from Matched SIPP and Social Security Administration Files. National

Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper No. 8670, December 2001.
2008 SSI Annual Report

118

Powers, Elizabeth T. and Todd Elder. SSI for the Aged and the Problem of Take-Up. Michigan Retirement

Research Center Working Paper No. 03-14, Michigan Retirement Research Center at the University of

Michigan, January 2004.

Reichman, Nancy E., Hope Corman, and Kelly Noonan. “Effects of Child Health on Sources of Public

Support.” Southern Economic Journal 73, 1 (July 2006): 136-156.

Roberto, Pamela N., Jean M. Mitchell, and Darrell J. Gaskin. “Plan Choice and Changes in Access to Care

over Time for SSI-Eligible Children with Disabilities.” Inquiry 42, 2 (Summer 2005): 145-159.

Roberts-DeGennaro, Maria. “Welfare Reform: Impact on Children Under Age 18 Receiving SSI.” Journal

of Health and Social Policy 14, 2 (2001): 1-24.

________. “Impact of U.S. Federal Welfare Reform Law on Children with Mental Disorders Receiving

SSI.” Journal of Health and Social Policy 13, 2 (2001): 1-20.

Rogers, Jackie B., Malachy Bishop, and Ralph M. Crystal. “Predicting Rehabilitation Outcome for Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Income Recipients: Implications for Consideration with the Ticket to Work Program.” Journal of Rehabilitation 71, 3 (July/August/September 2005): 5-

10.

Rogowski, Jeannette A., Lynn A. Karoly, Jacob A. Klerman, Moira Inkelas, Melissa Rowe, and Randall A.

Hirscher. Final Report for Policy Evaluation of the Effect of the 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation on SSI

Benefits for Disabled Children. RAND Corporation Report DRU-2559-SSA, March 2002.

Rosen, Marc I., Thomas J. McMahon, and Robert A. Rosenheck. “Homeless People Whose Self-Reported

SSI/DI Status Is Inconsistent with Social Security Administration Record.” Social Security Bulletin 67, 1

(2007): 53-62.

Rosen, Marc I., Thomas J. McMahon, HaiQun Lin, and Robert A. Rosenheck. “Effect of Social Security

Payments on Substance Abuse in a Homeless Mentally Ill Cohort.” Health Services Research 41, 1 (February 2006) 173-191.

Rudbeck, Jason. “Paying Attention to Welfare: Supplemental Security Income, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and the Incentives of Parents” Ph.D. diss., Clemson University, 2006.

Rupp, Kalman, Alexander Strand, and Paul Davies. “Poverty among Elderly Women: Assessing SSI

Options to Strengthen Social Security Reform.” Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences

& Social Sciences 58B, 6 (November 2003): S359-S368.

________. “The Potential of the Supplemental Security Program to Fight Poverty among Elderly

Women.” In Proceedings of the Sixth Women’s Policy Research Conference, The Status of Women: Facing

the Facts, Forging the Future, June 8-9, 2001, by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, pp. 265-269.

Washington, DC: Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Spring 2003.

Rupp, Kalman, Alexander Strand, Paul S. Davies, and James Sears. “Benefit Adequacy Among Elderly

Social Security Retired Worker Beneficiaries and the SSI Federal Benefit Rate,” Social Security Bulletin

67, 3: 29-52.

Rupp, Kalman and James Sears. “Eligibility for the Medicare Buy-In Programs, Based on a Survey of

Income and Program Participation Simulation.” Social Security Bulletin 63, 3 (2000): 13-25.
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Rupp, Kalman and Paul S. Davies. “A Long-Term View of Health Status, Disabilities, Mortality, and Participation in the DI and SSI Disability Programs.” In Research in Labor Economics, Accounting for

Worker Well-Being, Volume 23, edited by Solomon W. Polachek. Amsterdam: Elsevier, JAI Press, 2004.

Rupp, Kalman and Stephen H. Bell eds. Paying for Results in Vocational Rehabilitation: Will Provider

Incentives Work for Ticket to Work? Washington, DC: The Urban Institute, 2003.

Rupp, Kalman, Dianne Driessen, Robert Kornfeld, and Michelle Wood. “The Development of the Project

NetWork Administrative Records Database for Policy Evaluation.” Social Security Bulletin 62, 2 (1999):

30-42.

Rupp, Kalman, Paul S. Davies, Chad Newcomb, Howard Iams, Carrie Becker, Shanti Mulpuru, Stephen

Ressler, Kathleen Romig, and Baylor Miller. “A Profile of Children with Disabilities Receiving SSI Benefits: Highlights from the National Survey of SSI Children and Families.” Social Security Bulletin 66, 2

(2005/2006): 21-36.

Schmidt, Lucie. Effects of Welfare Reform on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program. National

Poverty Center Policy Brief No. 4, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, October 2004.

Schmidt, Lucie and Purvi Sevak. “AFDC, SSI, and Welfare Reform Aggressiveness: Caseload Reductions

vs. Caseload Shifting.” Journal of Human Resources 39, 3 (Summer 2004): 792-812.

Scott, Charles G. “Identifying the Race or Ethnicity of SSI Recipients.” Social Security Bulletin 62, 4

(1999): 9-20.

Scott, Richard and Jim Baumohl. “Decisions to Appeal, Decisions to Approve: Requalification for SSI by

Former DA&A Beneficiaries.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 147-168.

Sears, James. “Comparing Beneficiaries of the Medicare Savings Programs with Eligible Nonparticipants.” Social Security Bulletin 64, 3 (2001/2002): 76-80.

Sim, Joann. “Improving Return-to-Work Strategies in the United States Disability Programs, with Analysis of Program Practices in Germany and Sweden.” Social Security Bulletin 62, 3 (1999): 41-50.

Smeeding, Timothy M. and Susanna Sandstrom. Poverty and Income Maintenance in Old Age: A CrossNational View of Low Income Older Women. Center for Retirement Research Working Paper No. 2004-29,

Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, November 2004.

Smith, Lauren A., Paul H. Wise, and Nina S. Wampler. “Knowledge of Welfare Reform Program Provisions Among Families of Children with Chronic Conditions.” American Journal of Public Health 92, 2

(February 2002): 228-230.

Soss, Joe and Lael R. Keiser. The Political Roots of Disability Claims: How State Environments and Policies Shape Citizen Demand. Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Paper No. 1292-05, January

2005.

Stapleton, David C. and Adam Tucker. “Will Expanding Health Care Coverage for People with Disabilities Increase their Employment and Earnings? Evidence from an Analysis of the SSI Work Incentive Program.” In The Economics of Disability: Research in Human Capital and Development, edited by David S.

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Stapleton, David C., David C. Wittenburg, Michael E. Fishman, and Gina A. Livermore. “Transitions from

AFDC to SSI Before Welfare Reform.” Social Security Bulletin 64, 1 (2001/2002): 84-114.

Stapleton, David C., Michael E. Fishman, Gina A. Livermore, David Wittenburg, Adam Tucker, and Scott

Scrivner. Policy Evaluation of the Overall Effects of Welfare Reform on SSA Programs, final report and

appendix prepared under contract to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation,

Department of Health and Human Services and the Social Security Administration, April 1999.

Strand, Alexander. Social Security Disability Programs: Assessing the Variation in Allowance Rates.

ORES Working Paper No. 98, Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics, Social Security Administration, 2002.

Strand, Alexander and Kalman Rupp. “Disabled Workers and the Indexing of Social Security Benefits.”

(Forthcoming) Social Security Bulletin 67, 4 (2007). 

Swartz, James A., Arthur J. Lurigio, and Paul Goldstein. “Severe Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders Among Former Supplemental Security Income Beneficiaries for Drug Addiction and Alcoholism.”

Archives of General Psychiatry 57, 7 (July 2000): 701-707.

Swartz, James A., Jim Baumohl, and Arthur J. Lurigio. “Termination of Supplemental Security Income

Benefits for Drug Addiction and Alcoholism: Research of a Longitudinal Study of the Effects on Former

Beneficiaries.” Social Service Review 78, 1 (March 2004): 96-124.

Swartz, James A., Kevin M. Campbell, Jim Baumohl, and Peggy Tonkin. “Drug Treatment Participation

and Retention Rates among Former Recipients of Supplemental Security Income for Drug Addiction and

Alcoholism.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 335-364.

Swartz, James A., Peggy Tonkin, and Jim Baumohl. “The Methodology of the Multi-Site Study of the Termination of Supplemental Security Income Benefits for Drug Addicts and Alcoholics.” Contemporary

Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 77-121.

Swartz, James A., Zoran Martinovich, and Paul Goldstein. “An Analysis of the Criminogenic Effects of

Terminating the Supplemental Security Income Impairment Category for Drug Addiction and Alcoholism.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer 2003): 391-424.

Sweeney, Eileen P. and Shawn Fremstad. Supplemental Security Income: Supporting People with Disabilities and the Elderly Poor. Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 2005.

Szymendera, Scott. Potential Effect of Marriage on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Eligibility and

Benefits. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Report No. RL33675,

January 2008.

________. Primer on Disability Benefits: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental

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RL32279, January 2008.

________. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Accounts Not Counted as Resources. Washington, DC:

Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Report No. RS22512, May 2007.
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Szymendera, Scott. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI):

Proposed Changes to the Disability Determination and Appeals Processes. Washington, DC: Library of

Congress, Congressional Research Service Report No. RL33179, April 2006.

________. Social Security Administration: Suspension of Benefits for Fugitive Felons. Washington, DC:

Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service Report No. RS22355, December 2005.

Szymendera, Scott and Carol D. Davis. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Benefit Changes for California Residents, 2006 and 2007. Washington, DC: Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service

Report No. RS22365, January 2006.

Thornton, Craig, Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, John Kregel, Tim Silva, Bonnie O’Day, Thomas

Fraker, W. Grant Revell, Jr., Heather Schroeder, and Meredith Edwards. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work

Program: Initial Evaluation Report. Report prepared under contract to the Office of Disability and Income

Security Programs, Social Security Administration, February 2004.

Thornton, Craig, Gina Livermore, Thomas Fraker, David Stapleton, Bonnie O’Day, David Wittenburg,

Robert Weathers, Nanette Goodman, Tim Silva, Emily Sama Martin, Jesse Gregory, Debra Wright, and

Arif Mamun. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work: Program Assessment of Post-Rollout Implementation and

Early Impacts. Report prepared under contract to the Office of Disability and Income Security Programs,

Social Security Administration, May 2007. 

Thornton, Craig, Thomas Fraker, Gina Livermore, David Stapleton, Bonnie O’Day, Tim Silva, Emily

Sama Martin, John Kregel, and Debra Wright. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program: Implementation

Experience During the Second Two Years of Operation (2003-2004). Report prepared under contract to the

Office of Disability and Income Security Programs, Social Security Administration, January 2006. 

U.S. General Accounting Office. Supplemental Security Income: Sustained Management Attention Needed

to Address Residency Violations. Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee

on Ways and Means. U.S. House of Representatives. GAO-04-789T, 2004.

________. Supplemental Security Income: SSA Could Enhance Its Ability to Detect Residency Violations.

Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S.

House of Representatives. GAO-03-724, 2003.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Progress Made in Detecting and Recovering Overpayments,

but Management Attention Should Continue. Report to the Commissioner of Social Security. GAO-02-

849, 2002.

________. Social Security Administration: Agency Must Position Itself Now to Meet Profound Challenges.

Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Social Security, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S. House of

Representatives. GAO-02-289T, 2002.

________. Major Management Challenges and Program Risks: Social Security Administration. GAO-01-

261, 2001.

________. SSI Disability: Other Programs May Provide Lessons for Improving Return-to-Work Efforts.

Report to Congressional Requesters. GAO-01-153, 2001.
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U.S. General Accounting Office. Social Security Reform: Potential Effects on SSA’s Disability Programs

and Beneficiaries. Report to the Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services,

Education, and Related Agencies, Committee on Appropriations. GAO-01-35, 2001.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Incentive Payments Have Reduced Benefit Overpayments to

Prisoners. GAO/HEHS-00-2, 1999.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Additional Actions Needed to Reduce Program Vulnerability to

Fraud and Abuse. Report to the Honorable Henry Waxman, Ranking Minority Member, Committee on

Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives. GAO/HEHS-99-151, 1999.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Progress Made in Implementing Welfare Reform Changes—

More Action Needed. Report to the Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate, and the Committee on Ways and

Means, U.S. House of Representatives. GAO/HEHS-99-103, 1999.

________. SSI Children: Multiple Factors Affect Families’ Costs for Disability-Related Services. Report

to Congressional Committees. GAO/HEHS-99-99, 1999.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Long-Standing Issues Require More Active Management and

Program Oversight. Statement of Cynthia M. Fagnoni, Director, Income Security Issues, Health, Education, and Human Services Division, Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways

and Means, U.S. House of Representatives. GAO/T-HEHS-99-51, 1999.

________. Supplemental Security Income: Increased Receipt and Reporting of Child Support Could

Reduce Payments. Report to the Committees on Finance, U.S. Senate, and Ways and Means, U.S. House

of Representatives. GAO/HEHS-99-11, 1999.

U.S. Government Accountability Office. SSA Disability Representatives: Fee Payment Changes Show

Promise, but Eligibility Criteria and Representative Overpayments Require Further Monitoring. Report to

Congressional Committees. GAO-08-5, 2007. 

________. TANF and SSI: Opportunities Exist to Help People with Impairments Become More Self-Sufficient. Report to the Chairman, Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, U.S.

House of Representatives. GAO-04-878, 2004.

U.S. Social Security Administration. Trends in the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income Disability Programs. SSA Publication No. 13-11831, Office of Policy, Office of Research, Evaluation, and

Statistics, August 2006.

________. Simplifying the Supplemental Security Income Program: Challenges and Opportunities. SSA

Pub. No. 13-005, Office of Policy, December 2000.

________. The SSI Program at the Millennium. SSA Pub. No. 62-003, Office of Policy, November 2000.

________. Social Security Administration’s Report on Supplemental Security Income: Income and

Resource Exclusions and Disability Insurance Earnings-Related Provisions. Report to the Speaker of the

U.S. House of Representatives and to the President of the U.S. Senate, March 2000.

________. Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin. SSA Pub. No. 13-11700, Annual

Publication of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics.
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U.S. Social Security Administration. SSI Annual Statistical Report. SSA Pub. No. 13-11827, Annual Publication of the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics.

________. SSI Recipients by State and County. SSA Pub. No. 13-11976, Annual Publication of the Office

of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics.

________. State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients. SSA Pub. No. 13-11975, Annual Publication of

the Office of Research, Evaluation, and Statistics.

Van Hook, Jennifer V. “SSI Eligibility and Participation Among Elderly Naturalized Citizens and Noncitizens.” Social Science Research 29, 1 (March 2000): 51-69.

Van Hook, Jennifer V. and Frank D. Bean. “The Growth in Noncitizen SSI Caseloads 1979-1996: Aging

Versus New Immigrant Effects.” Journals of Gerontology Series B – Psychological Sciences and Social

Sciences 54, 1 (January 1999): S16-S23.

Wamhoff, Steve and Michael Wiseman. “The TANF/SSI Connection.” Social Security Bulletin 66, 4

(2005/2006): 21-36.

Watkins, Katherine E., Deborah Podus, and Emilia Lombardi. “The Health and Mental Health of Disabled

Substance Abusers.” Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research 28, 2 (May 2001): 205-211.

Watkins, Katherine E., Deborah Podus, Emilia Lombardi, and Audrey Burnam. “Changes in Mental

Health and Service Use After Termination of SSI Benefits.” Psychiatric Services: A Journal of the American Psychiatric Association 52, 9 (September 2001):1210-1215.

Weathers, Robert R. II., Gerard Walter, Sara Schley, John Hennessey, Jeffrey Hemmeter, and Richard V.

Burkhauser. “How Postsecondary Education Improves Adult Outcomes for Supplemental Security Income

Children with Severe Hearing Impairments.” Social Security Bulletin 67, 2 (2007): 101-131.

Weiner, Barbara. “Protecting SSI Benefits for Elderly and Disabled Refugees.” Human Rights: Journal of

the Section of Individual Rights & Responsibilities 31, 2 (Spring 2004): 11-12.

Wentworth, Seyda G. and David Pattison. “Income Growth and Future Poverty Rates of the Aged.” Social

Security Bulletin 64, 3 (2001-2002): 23-37.

Wheeler, Peter M., John R. Kearney, and Carolyn A. Harrison. “The U.S. Study of Work Incapacity and

Reintegration.” Social Security Bulletin 64, 1 (2001/2002): 32-44.

Wilschke, Susan. How many SSI Recipients Live with other Recipients? Policy Brief No. 2004-03. Washington, DC: Office of Disability and Income Assistance Policy, Office of Policy, Social Security Administration, June 2004.

________. “Improving Child Support Enforcement for Children Receiving SSI.” Social Security Bulletin

64, 1 (2001/2002): 16-26.

Wilschke, Susan and Richard Balkus. Child Support Payments and the SSI Program. Policy Brief No.

2004-02. Washington, DC: Office of Disability and Income Assistance Policy, Office of Policy, Social

Security Administration, February 2004.
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Wittenburg, David. A Health-Conscious Safety Net? Health Problems and Program Use among LowIncome Adults with Disabilities. New Federalism: National Survey of America’s Families No. B-62.

Washington, DC: Urban Institute, September 2004. Available at www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=311065. 

Wittenburg, David and Melissa Favreault. Safety Net or Tangled Web? An Overview of Programs and Services for Adults with Disabilities. Assessing the New Federalism, Occasional Paper Number 68. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. November 2003.

Wittenburg, David and Pamela J. Loprest. “Early Transition Experiences of Transition-Age Child SSI

Recipients: New Evidence from the National Survey of Children and Families.” Journal of Disability Policy Studies 18, 3 (2007): 176-187. 

________. “Policy Options for Assisting Child SSI Recipients in Transition.” Prepared for the Ticket to

Work and Work Incentives Advisory Panel. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. October 2003. Available at

www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=410872.

Wittenberg, David and Sandi Nelson. A Guide to Disability Statistics from the Survey of Income and Program Participation. Washington, DC: Urban Institute. February 2006.

Wittenburg, David, David Stapleton, Adam Tucker, and Rick Harwood. “An Assessment of the Representativeness of the SSI DA&A Study Panels.” Contemporary Drug Problems 30, 1-2 (Spring/Summer

2003): 123-136.
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H. GLOSSARY

Administrative Expenses (or Costs). Expenses incurred by the Social Security Administration (SSA) in

administering the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. Such administrative expenses are initially

paid from the OASI and DI Trust Funds as provided for in section 201(g)(1) of the Social Security Act.

The trust funds are subsequently reimbursed for such expenditures, including any interest lost, from the

General Fund of the Treasury.

Affidavit of Support. A contract under which a United States citizen or legal resident agrees to provide

support to maintain (i.e., to sponsor) an immigrant as a condition of the immigrant’s admission into the

United States.

Aged. Individuals aged 65 or older.

Aid—Old-Age Assistance (OAA), Aid to the Blind (AB), and Aid to the Permanently and Totally

Disabled (APTD). The former Federal-State programs of adult cash assistance under titles I, X, and XVI

respectively, that were replaced in the 50 States and the District of Columbia by the SSI program in 1974.

These programs still operate in Guam, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico and are administered at the Federal level by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence. A noncitizen lawfully accorded the privilege of

residing permanently in the United States. Such individuals may be issued immigrant visas overseas by the

Department of State, or adjusted to permanent resident status while living in the United States by the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Appeal Rights Process. The administrative review process followed by SSA in determining an individual’s rights under the Social Security Act. The administrative review process consists of several steps,

which must be requested after the unfavorable initial determination within certain time periods. 

Assistance Based on Need. Assistance that is provided by certain programs which use income as a factor

of eligibility. The assistance must be funded wholly by a State, a political subdivision of a State, or a combination of such jurisdictions.

Assumptions. Values relating to future trends in certain key factors which affect the eligibility for SSI

benefits and the level of such SSI payments. Demographic assumptions include fertility, mortality, net

immigration, marriage, and divorce. Economic assumptions include unemployment rates, average earnings, inflation, interest rates, and productivity. Program-specific assumptions include rates of application

for and new receipt of various SSI benefits and rates of termination of SSI benefits. The assumptions

underlying the projections presented in this report are consistent with the intermediate assumptions of the

2008 OASDI Trustees Report.

Asylee. A noncitizen already in the United States or at a port-of-entry who is granted asylum in the

United States. Asylum may be granted to an individual who is unable or unwilling to return to his/her

country of nationality, or to seek the protection of that country, because of persecution (or a well-founded

fear of persecution) based on the noncitizen’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social

group or political opinion.

Attendant Care Services. Services (including personal care assistance) that are paid for from Federal,

State or local funds and which are provided by a paid attendant required to assist with work related and/or

personal functions. 

Automatic Cost-of-Living Increase. The annual increase in SSI Federal benefit rates, effective for January of the current year, reflecting the change in the cost of living. The increase equals the percentage

increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers measured from the

average over July, August, and September of the second preceding year to the average for the same
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3 months in the preceding year. If the increase is less than one-tenth of 1 percent, when rounded, there is

no automatic increase for the current year; the increase for the next year would reflect the increase in the

cost of living over a 2-year period.

Award. An administrative determination that an individual is eligible for an SSI benefit.

Blind. For purposes of the SSI program, an individual is considered to be blind if he/she has 20/200 or

less vision in the better eye with the use of a correcting lens, has tunnel vision of 20 degrees or less, or met

the October 1972 State definition of blindness and received benefits under the State’s former program of

Aid to the Blind in December 1973.

Blind Work Expenses (BWE). Any expenses incurred by a blind individual that are reasonably attributable to earning income. The BWE provision permits the exclusion of these expenses from the earned

income of a blind individual. (See “Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE)” for the related exclusions

for disabled individuals.)

Burial Funds. A comprehensive term that for SSI purposes includes revocable burial contracts, trusts and

other burial arrangements (including amounts paid on installment sales contracts for burial spaces), cash,

accounts, or other financial instruments with a definite cash value clearly designated for the individual’s

burial expenses.

Child. A blind or disabled individual who is neither married nor the head of household and who is (1)

under age 18 or (2) under the age of 22 and a student regularly attending a school, college or university, or

a course of vocational or technical training designed to prepare him/her for gainful employment. A child

18 or older is subject to the adult definition of disability and is not subject to parental deeming. 

Comparable Severity. The phrase in the Social Security Act that defined disability for children prior to

the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193).

Under prior law, an individual under age 18 would have been considered disabled if he/she had an impairment of comparable severity to that required for individuals 18 or older.

Constant Dollars. Dollar amounts adjusted by the CPI to the value of the dollar in a particular year.

Consumer Price Index (CPI). An official measure of inflation in consumer prices. In this report, all references to the CPI relate to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers

(CPI-W). Historical values for the CPI-W are published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Department of

Labor.

Continuing Disability Review (CDR). An evaluation of an individual’s impairment(s) to determine

whether the person is still disabled within the meaning of the law for purposes of eligibility for SSI and

OASDI benefits.

Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). See “Automatic Cost-of-Living Increase.”

Countable Income. An individual’s income less all-applicable exclusions. This amount is used to determine SSI eligibility and benefit amount.

Countable Resources. The amount of resources after all exclusions. This amount is used in determining

an individual’s or couple’s SSI eligibility. A resource may be cash or other liquid assets or any real or personal property that an individual (or his/her spouse) owns and could convert to cash to be used for support

and maintenance. SSI law stipulates what items are to be excluded from resources. 

Current Dollars. Amounts expressed in nominal dollars with no adjustment for inflationary changes in

the value of the dollar over time.
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Current-Payment Status. Status of an SSI recipient to whom a benefit is being paid for a given month.

SSI benefits for a month are usually payable on the first day of that month.

Dedicated Account. An account in a financial institution established for a disabled or blind child to contain retroactive SSI payments that exceed six times the Federal benefit rate (FBR) plus State supplementation (certain smaller retroactive payments may be placed in the account once it is established).

Representative payees may only use dedicated account funds for the following allowable expenses: 

 • Education or job skills training;

 • Personal needs assistance;

 • Special equipment or housing modifications;

 • Medical treatment;

 • Therapy or rehabilitation; or

 • Other items or services that the Commissioner deems appropriate—

provided that the expense benefits the child and, in the case of the last five items, is related to the child’s

impairment. Money from a dedicated account which is knowingly misapplied must be repaid. These

accounts are excluded from resources and the interest earned is excluded from income.

Deeming. The process by which the income and resources of an ineligible individual are considered to be

available to a recipient when determining eligibility or payment amount. Deeming applies only between:

 • The living-with ineligible spouse and the eligible spouse;

 • The living-with ineligible parent(s) and eligible child(ren) under age 18; and

 • The immigration sponsors of some noncitizens and the noncitizen(s).

Demographic Assumptions. See “Assumptions.”

Disability. For individuals aged 18 or older, the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity

(SGA) by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected to

result in death or that has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months.

An individual under age 18 must have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which

results in marked and severe functional limitations and that can be expected to result in death or that has

lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months. 

Disability Determination Services (DDS). Federally funded State agencies that make disability determinations for SSA.

Disaster Assistance. Assistance from Federal programs and agencies, joint Federal and State programs,

State or local government programs, and private organizations (e.g., the Red Cross) provided to victims of

a Presidentially declared disaster.

Disposal of Resources for Less Than Fair Market Value. Transferring resources, either liquid, real, or

personal property, for less than the resources are worth.

Earned Income. For SSI purposes, wages, net earnings from self-employment, remuneration for work in

a sheltered workshop, royalties on published work, and honoraria for services rendered are considered

earned income. The distinction between earned and unearned income is significant because more liberal

exclusions are applied to earned income.
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Earned Income Exclusion. The first $65 of a recipient’s monthly earnings and one-half of the earnings

in excess of $65 are excluded in computing the SSI benefit payable.

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). A special tax credit that reduces the Federal tax liability of certain

low-income working taxpayers. This tax credit may or may not result in a payment to the taxpayer.

Economic Assumptions. See “Assumptions.”

Effective Date of Application. An application for SSI benefits is effective on the first day of the month

following the date on which the application is filed, or on which the individual first becomes eligible,

whichever is later. 

Eligible Couple. Two persons married and living together in the same household or living together as

married, both being aged, blind, or disabled and eligible for SSI.

Eligible Individual. An aged, blind or disabled person who meets all the requirements for eligibility

under the SSI program, including filing an application.

Emergency Advance Payments (EAP). Special SSI payments that are available only at the time of initial application for eligible individuals who face financial emergencies and need assistance before their

first benefits would otherwise be received. The amount of the EAP an individual receives is recovered

from subsequent benefit payments.

Essential Person. An individual whose presence in the home of an SSI recipient who was transferred

from a State assistance program to SSI in January 1974 results in an increase in the FBR of the SSI recipient. The essential person must have been (1) living in the household of the SSI recipient in December

1973 and continuously thereafter; (2) never eligible for SSI; (3) not eligible for State assistance in December 1973; and (4) taken into account when the SSI recipient’s need for State assistance was determined in

December 1973.

Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). The basic standard used in computing the amount of Federal SSI benefits

for individuals and couples. The FBRs are increased annually to reflect increases in the cost of living. (See

table IV.A2.)

Fiscal Year (FY). The accounting year of the United States Government. Since 1976, a fiscal year is the

12-month period ending September 30. For example, fiscal year 2008 began October 1, 2007 and will end

September 30, 2008.

Food Stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), under cooperative Federal-State agreements,

issues Food Stamp Program benefits in the form of paper food coupons (commonly known as food

stamps) and through electronic benefit transfer, to provide nutrition for low-income families. Food stamps

can be used only to buy food at stores authorized by USDA to accept them.

General Fund of the Treasury. Funds held by the Treasury of the United States, other than receipts collected for a specific purpose (such as Social Security) and maintained in a separate account for that purpose.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The total dollar value of all goods and services produced by labor and

property located in the United States, regardless of who supplies the labor or property. 

Holding-Out Marriage. A situation in which a man and woman who are not legally married to each

other are living together in the same household and holding out to the community that they are husband

and wife and, as such, are treated as a couple for purposes of determining eligibility and payment amount

under SSI.

Home Energy Assistance. A Federal Government block grant program that provides funds to States for

energy assistance (including weatherization) to low-income households. This assistance may be provided

by a variety of agencies (e.g., State or local welfare offices, community action agencies, special energy
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offices, etc.) and may be known by a variety of names (e.g., Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Project Safe, etc.).

Household. A group of two or more individuals who use a single dwelling unit as primary quarters for

living and eating separate from other individuals’ living units.

Household of Another. An individual is considered to be living in the household of another when the

individual lives with others, does not own or rent the shelter, and does not pay a pro rata share of the

household’s food and shelter expenses. An individual who provides all of his/her own food, or lives in a

public assistance household or in noninstitutional care, is not considered to be living in the household of

another. An individual who is determined to be living in the household of another is considered to be

receiving in-kind support and maintenance from that household, and his/her SSI benefit is reduced by onethird of the FBR. 

Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE). The provision that permits the exclusion from earnings

of the costs of items and services which are needed in order for a disabled individual to work, which are

paid for by the individual, and which are necessarily incurred by that individual because of a physical or

mental impairment. These IRWEs are excluded from earnings when determining substantial gainful activity (SGA) or computing eligibility and ongoing SSI monthly payments. (See “Blind Work Expenses

(BWE)” for the related exclusions for blind individuals.)

Income. See—“Earned Income,” “In-Kind Income” and “Unearned Income.”

Individual Development Account (IDA). A savings account which low-income individuals, including

SSI recipients, may establish in order to save for purchasing a first home, meeting the costs of post-secondary education, or capitalizing a business. An individual’s deposits into an IDA are matched by a sponsoring nonprofit organization, or State or local government participating in the program.

Ineligible Spouse. The husband or wife of an eligible individual who is not eligible for SSI benefits.

Inflation. An increase in the volume of money and credit relative to available goods, resulting in an

increase in the general price level.

Infrequent or Irregular Income. Income that is received either infrequently or irregularly that can be

excluded from the determination of an individual’s income. “Infrequent” means that it is not received

more than once in a calendar quarter from a single source and is not also received in the month immediately preceding or the month immediately following the month of receipt, regardless of whether or not

these payments occur in different calendar quarters.1 “Irregular” means that an individual could not reasonably expect to receive the income. In any given quarter up to $30 of earned and $60 of unearned infrequent or irregular income is excluded.

Initial Determination. A determination SSA makes about an individual’s eligibility for benefits or about

any other matter that gives that person a right to further administrative and/or judicial review.

In-Kind Income. Income that is not cash, but is food or shelter or something an individual can use to

obtain food or shelter.

In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM). Unearned income in the form of food or shelter.

Interim Assistance Reimbursement (IAR). The process used for reimbursing for basic assistance provided by a State to an individual either while the individual’s application for SSI was pending or during

the period in which an individual’s SSI benefits were suspended. SSA may reimburse a State that has provided this assistance. The individual’s retroactive SSI payment is sent to the State as reimbursement if: (1)

1 The definition of infrequent income was modified in final rules published on August 9, 2006 (71 FR 45375). Previously, infrequent income was defined

as income not received more than once a quarter from a single source.
2008 SSI Annual Report

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the State has an agreement with SSA to participate in IAR, (2) the individual has given SSA written authorization to have his/her retroactive payment sent to the State as reimbursement, and (3) the individual is

found eligible for SSI benefits or has had his/her benefits reinstated for the same period of suspense. 

Under IAR, after States reimburse themselves from an individual’s retroactive benefit, they must forward

any remainder to the individual within 10 days.

Living With. A required condition for parent-to-child and spouse-to-spouse deeming. Deeming of

income and resources occurs if an eligible child lives with his/her ineligible parent(s) or an eligible individual lives with his/her ineligible spouse. 

Maintenance-of-Effort. See “Passalong.”

Mandatory State Supplementation. See “State Supplementation.”

Means-Testing. The measuring of income and resources against specified amounts as eligibility factors

for certain assistance benefits. SSI is a means-tested benefit program.

Medicaid. The program authorized under title XIX of the Social Security Act, which provides medical

assistance to certain low-income individuals and families and certain disabled and medically needy individuals. Medicaid is administered by the States with support from the Federal Government in the form of

matching grants. The Federal Government provides guidelines to the States for formulating their programs. Because these guidelines afford great leeway, Medicaid programs vary widely among the States.

Medicaid Facility. A medical treatment facility such as a hospital, extended care facility, nursing home,

or intermediate care facility, where Medicaid pays more than 50 percent of the cost of a person’s care.

Medical Facility. An establishment that makes available some treatment or services in addition to food

and shelter to four or more persons who are not related to the proprietor.

New Recipient. An SSI recipient in the first month of SSI payment receipt.

Noncitizen. An individual who is not a United States citizen. Also referred to in welfare and immigration

law as an alien. (See “Alien Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence,” “Asylee,” “Parolee” and “Refugee.”)

Nonqualified Alien. A noncitizen who is not in a qualified alien category for SSI eligibility purposes. 

OASDI. The Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance programs established under title II of the

Social Security Act.

One-Third Reduction. The reduction of an individual’s SSI payment that occurs when an individual is

living in the household of another. Instead of determining the actual dollar value of in-kind support and

maintenance, one-third of the Federal benefit rate is counted as additional income to an individual living in

another person’s household for a full calendar month and receiving both food and shelter from the household.

Optional State Supplementation. See “State Supplementation.”

Overpayment. The payment of more than the amount due for any period, including any amounts of

Federally-administered State supplementary payments.

Parent. For SSI purposes, the natural mother or father of the child, or the person who legally adopted the

child, or the stepparent who lives in the same household as the child.

Parolee. A noncitizen who appears to be inadmissible to the inspecting USCIS officer but is allowed to

enter the United States under emergency humanitarian conditions or when the noncitizen’s entry is determined to be in the public interest. Parole does not constitute a formal admission to the United States and
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confers temporary admission status only, requiring parolees to leave when the conditions supporting their

parole cease to exist.

Passalong. A requirement that States must meet in order to be eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. Any

State making supplementary payments (see “State Supplementation”) after June 30, 1977, must continue

making such payments and must pass along any cost-of-living increase to the Federal benefit rate. Two

methods are available to ensure that cost-of-living increases are passed on to the recipients.

 • Total Expenditures Method—State expenditures for supplementary payments in the current calendar

year must at least equal expenditures in the preceding calendar year. If expenditures are less in the

current year (shortfall), the State must increase expenditures in the next calendar year by an amount at

least equal to the shortfall.

 • Payment Levels Method—States may not lower their supplementary payment for any of the living

arrangement categories below their adjusted March 1983 levels. The adjusted level is the State’s

March 1983 payment level minus that portion of the July 1983 increase in the Federal benefit rate that

was not attributable to the increase in the cost of living (i.e., $10.30 per individual and $15.40 per

couple).

Personal Needs Allowance. The amount allowed for an institutionalized recipient’s personal needs (currently $30). If an SSI recipient is in a Medicaid facility, the law requires that the SSI benefit be used only

for the recipient’s personal needs (i.e., that the institution cannot retain the benefit in repayment of the cost

of the individual’s care).

Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS). A plan that permits a disabled or blind SSI recipient to set aside

income (earned and/or unearned) and/or resources for a work goal. The income and resources set aside

under a PASS are used to pay for goods or services needed to reach that goal, such as education, vocational training, starting a business, or purchasing work-related equipment. Income and resources set aside

under a PASS are excluded from SSI income and resources. SSA must approve an individual’s PASS.

Presumptive Disability or Blindness. A finding that SSI payments may be made before SSA makes a

formal determination as to whether or not the individual is disabled or blind. The individual’s impairment

must be apparent and meet specified criteria. In addition, the individual must meet all other requirements

for eligibility. These payments may be made for no more than 6 months. The presumptive payments will

not be considered overpayments if SSA later finds that the individual is not blind or disabled.

Property Essential to Self-Support (PESS). The real and personal property used in a trade or business,

nonbusiness income-producing property and property used to produce goods or services essential to the

individual’s daily activities. PESS may be excluded from resources under certain conditions.

Proration of Benefits. The method of computing benefit amounts in months in which the individual reacquires eligibility after a month or more of ineligibility. In such months, an individual’s SSI benefit will be

paid according to the number of days in the month that he/she is eligible, beginning with the first day in

the month on which all eligibility requirements are met. In order to determine the benefit payable in a prorated month SSA counts the number of days an individual is eligible in the month. The amount of the individual’s regular monthly payment is multiplied by the number of days for which he/she is eligible for

benefits. That figure is divided by the number of days in the month for which the benefit is being determined. The resulting amount is the amount due for the prorated month. Effective with claims filed August

22, 1996, proration for months of initial eligibility was eliminated.

Public Educational Institution. An institution that is operated by or controlled by the Federal Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State such as a city or county for the primary purpose of providing educational or vocational training. 
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132

Public Emergency Shelter for the Homeless. A shelter for individuals whose homelessness poses a

threat to their life or health.

Public Institution. An institution that is operated by or controlled by the Federal Government, a State, or

a political subdivision of a State such as a city or county. 

Publicly Operated Community Residence. A facility that provides food and shelter and some other service such as social services, help with personal living activities, training in socialization and life skills, or

occasional or incidental medical or remedial care. In order to be publicly operated it must be operated or

controlled by the Federal Government, a State, or a political subdivision of a State such as a city or county.

The facility must serve no more than 16 residents and must be located in a community setting.

Qualified Alien. An individual who is:

 • Lawfully admitted for permanent residence under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA);

 • A refugee under section 207 of the INA;

 • An asylee under section 208 of the INA;

 • A person whose deportation is withheld under section 243(h) of the INA as in effect prior to April 1,

1997, or whose removal has been withheld under section 241(b)(3) of the INA;

 • A parolee under section 212(d)(5) of the INA for at least 1 year;

 • A person granted conditional entry under section 203(a)(7) of the INA as in effect prior to

April 1, 1980;

 • A Cuban or Haitian entrant as defined by Federal statute, including Section 501(e) of the Refugee

Education Assistance Act of 1980;

 — Former parolees and other aliens who became residents under the Cuban Adjustment Act of

1966;

 — Aliens who became permanent residents under the Nicaraguan and Central American Relief Act;

or

 — Aliens who became permanent residents under the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act.

 • A certain alien, or an alien parent of a child, or an alien child of a parent who:

 — Has been battered or subjected to extreme cruelty in the United States by a spouse, parent, or certain other family members the alien, parent and/or child lived with;

 — Is not living in the same household with the abusive individual;

 — Has been determined to need SSI because of this abuse; and

 — Has a determination from the USCIS for a certain change in status.

Qualifying Quarter of Earnings. Credit for a requisite amount of earnings assigned to a calendar quarter

for the purpose of determining the SSI eligibility of a lawfully admitted permanent resident.

Quarter of Coverage. The crediting of coverage needed for insured status under the Social Security program. In 2008, a worker receives one quarter of coverage (up to four a year) for each $1,050 of annual
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earnings reported from employment or self-employment. The amount of earnings required for a quarter of

coverage is subject to annual automatic increases in proportion to increases in average wages.

Recipient. A person who is receiving awarded SSI payments based on an evaluation of his/her own

countable income and resources, age, and disability status.

Reconsideration. The first step in the administrative review process if an individual is dissatisfied with

SSA’s initial determination.

Redetermination. A periodic review of eligibility for SSI recipients to assure that requirements for eligibility continue to be met and that payment levels are in the proper amount. Income, resources, living

arrangements and other factors are reviewed. The redetermination process does not review the determination of disability. 

Refugee. A noncitizen outside of his/her country of nationality who is unable or unwilling to return to his/

her country of nationality or to seek the protection of that country because of persecution (or a wellfounded fear of persecution) based on the noncitizen’s race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group or political opinion. Unlike asylees, refugees apply for and receive this status prior to

entry into the United States.

Relocation Assistance. A type of assistance provided to persons displaced by projects that acquire real

property. Examples of types of reimbursement, allowances, and help provided are:

 • Moving expenses;

 • Reimbursement for losses of tangible property;

 • Displacement allowances;

 • Amounts required to replace a dwelling which exceed the agency’s acquisition cost for the prior

dwelling;

 • Rental expenses for displaced tenants;

 • Amounts for down payments on replacement housing for tenants who decide to buy;

 • Mortgage insurance through Federal programs with waiver of requirements that borrowers must usually meet; and

 • Replacement housing.

Representative Payee. A person who receives SSI payments on behalf of an SSI recipient. SSA will pay

benefits to a representative payee on behalf of an individual 18 years old or older when it appears that such

method of payment will be in the interest of the individual. A representative payee will be appointed if the

individual is legally incompetent or mentally or physically incapable of managing or directing the management of his/her benefits. Also, in general, if the individual is under the age of 18, a representative

payee will be appointed. The law and regulations require that every beneficiary under age 15 must have a

representative payee.

Resident of a Public Institution. An individual who can receive substantially all of his/her food and

shelter while living in a public institution is considered a resident of the public institution. Generally, an

individual who is a resident of a public institution throughout a month is ineligible for SSI.

Resident of the United States. A person who has established an actual dwelling place within the geographical limits of the United States with the intent to continue to live in the United States. (See “United

States.”)
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134

Resource. The cash or other liquid assets or any real or personal property of an individual (or his/her

spouse, if any) that he/she could use or could convert to cash to be used for his/her support and maintenance.

Retroactive Payments. The SSI payments made in a month later than the month or months in which they

were due. Also referred to as “past-due” benefits.

Retrospective Monthly Accounting (RMA). The calculation method used in the SSI program to determine an individual’s eligibility for each month. RMA has two parts: an eligibility determination and a payment computation. If the individual is ineligible based on the current month’s factors (including the

current month’s countable income), no payment is due and none is paid. If the individual is eligible based

on the current month’s factors, payment is computed. The benefit for a month is generally based on the

countable income from the second month before the current month. The basic formula is to subtract the

countable income from 2 months previous from the current month’s Federal benefit rate.

Section 1619(a) Status. The special SSI cash benefits provided to disabled individuals who lose eligibility for SSI benefits under the regular rules because they have earnings at the level that is ordinarily considered to represent substantial gainful activity.

Section 1619(b) Status. The special SSI recipient status for Medicaid purposes provided to working disabled or blind individuals when their earnings make them ineligible for regular or special cash payments.

Social Security Area Population. The population comprised of (i) residents of the 50 States and the District of Columbia (adjusted for net census undercount); (ii) civilian residents of Puerto Rico, the Virgin

Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands; (iii) Federal civilian employees and

persons in the Armed Forces abroad and their dependents; (iv) crew members of merchant vessels; and (v)

all other U.S. citizens abroad.

Sponsor. An individual who has signed an affidavit of support for a noncitizen entering the country.

State Supplementation. The payments made by a State or one of its political subdivisions to aged, blind,

or disabled individuals.

 • Administration—The governmental unit responsible for administering State supplementary payments

may be either a State or local agency or SSA. Under State administration, the State must absorb both

program benefits and administrative costs. Under Federal administration, the State is responsible for

the program benefits and, as of January 1, 2008, pays a $9.95 administrative fee for each benefit paid.

 • Mandatory Supplementation—The supplementary payments that are made only to beneficiaries who

were converted to the SSI program from former State assistance programs at the inception of the SSI

program. Mandatory minimum State supplementary payments are required to maintain the December

1972 payment levels that these beneficiaries received under the former State assistance programs.

States are required to provide the supplementation to maintain their Federal matching funds for Medicaid.

 • Optional Supplementation—The payments made by States to help persons meet needs not fully covered by Federal SSI benefits. The State determines whether it will make a payment, to whom, and in

what amount. These supplements, paid on a regular basis, are intended to cover such items as food,

shelter, clothing, utilities, and other daily necessities. Some States provide optional supplementary

payments to all persons eligible for SSI benefits, while others may limit them to certain SSI recipients

such as the blind or residents of domiciliary-care facilities, or they may extend payments to persons

ineligible for SSI because of SSI income.

Statutory Blindness. See “Blind.”
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2008 SSI Annual Report

Student. An individual who is regularly attending a school, college or university, or a course of vocational or technical training designed to prepare him/her for gainful employment.

Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE). An earned income exclusion for a student under age 22 with

certain limitations established by regulations. For 2008, up to $1,550 earned income in a month, but no

more than $6,240 per year, may be excluded.

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). The level of work activity used to establish disability. A finding of

disability requires that a person be unable to engage in SGA. For 2008, a person who is not statutorily

blind and is earning more than $940 a month (net of impairment-related work expenses) is ordinarily considered to be engaging in substantial gainful activity.

Supplemental Security Record (SSR). The computerized database maintained by SSA and containing

identifying information, income, resources and other eligibility factors, for all SSI recipients. The SSR

includes the history of SSI payments made to an individual.

Suspension. An ineligibility status which causes the nonpayment of benefits for a period of anywhere

from 1 to 12 months for any of a number of reasons such as income or resources over allowable levels,

absence from the United States, residence in a public institution, etc. Benefits can resume without reapplication, when all requirements for entitlement are again met. Suspense that lasts more than 12 months (24

months for individuals who were made ineligible because of their spouses or parent being called to active

military duty) results in a termination of the SSI record. (Once a record is terminated, reapplication is necessary.)

TANF. See “Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).”

Temporary Absence. An individual’s physical move from his/her permanent place of residence that does

not constitute a change in living arrangement. In general, a temporary absence is an absence from a permanent residence which is not intended to, and does not, exceed a full calendar month. 

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). The State grant program of assistance for needy

families established by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996

(Public Law 104-193). TANF replaced the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program.

Termination. For an individual, cessation of benefits, which can occur for a number of reasons, including

death, medical improvement, or a period of suspension lasting longer than 12 months. 

Terminations. As used in section IV, the net reduction (after accounting for new entrants) in the number

of SSI recipients in current-payment status during a period. 

Ticket to Work Program. The Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act of 1999 established a voluntary Ticket to Work and Self-Sufficiency program (Ticket to Work program) under which a

blind or disabled beneficiary may obtain vocational rehabilitation (VR), employment and other support

services from a qualified private or public provider referred to as an “employment network,” or from a

State VR agency. 

Trusts. A legal arrangement involving property and ownership interests. Generally, property held in a

trust will be considered a resource for SSI purposes if the assets of the trust could be used for the benefit of

the individual or spouse. 

Unearned Income. The income that is not earned income. Unearned income may be in cash or in-kind.

Some examples of unearned income are:

 • Annuities, pensions, and other periodic payments;

 • Retirement and disability benefits;

 • Veterans’, workers’ and unemployment compensation;
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136

 • Alimony and support payments;

 • Dividends, interest and certain royalties; and

 • Rents. 

United States. For purposes of the SSI program, the United States consists of the 50 States, District of

Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR). The process of restoring individuals with disabilities to full capabilities.

VR services are designed to provide an individual with the training or other services that are needed to

return to work, begin working or to enter a new line of work.

Windfall Offset. A provision to prevent a person from receiving monthly SSI and OASDI benefits in

excess of the total amount which would have been paid if the OASDI benefits had been paid when they

were due rather than retroactively. 

Work Incentives. Provisions in the SSI program that are intended to act as incentives for disabled or

blind individuals to work. Examples of work incentives under the SSI program are:

 • Earned income exclusions;

 • Impairment related work expenses;

 • Blind work expenses;

 • PASS;

 • Section 1619 benefits; and

 • Ticket to Work program.
SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD 

STATEMENT ON THE SUPPLEMENTAL 

SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM 

Public Law 104-193 requires that members of the Social Security Advisory Board be 

given an opportunity, either individually or jointly, to include their views in the Social 

Security Administration’s annual report to the President and the Congress on the 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. 

We appreciate the opportunity to present our views on this important program, and we 

have asked the Social Security Administration (SSA) to include in this year’s annual 

report the following statement of views, which focuses on the need for a review of benefit 

levels, asset limits, and income exclusions. 

The need to re-examine the SSI program 

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program was enacted in 1972 and began paying 

benefits in 1974. It replaced federal-state programs of Old-Age Assistance, Aid to the 

Blind, and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled. Since that time, the program 

has changed in ways that were not anticipated by Congress in 1972. Other programs 

have been enacted or amended that impact the same population. At the same time, some 

aspects of the SSI program have not changed over the years. After more than 35 years, it 

is time for the Congress to consider re-examining the SSI program. Congress should 

consider what it wants to accomplish with the SSI program, looking specifically at what 

an SSI check buys now and what Congress intends that it should buy. We recommend 

this review of the SSI program with due regard for budgetary concerns and the 

administrative complexity of the program. At a minimum, any changes to the program 

should avoid adding to that complexity; if possible, they should reduce it. 

The Social Security Advisory Board has begun a review of several aspects of the SSI 

program. In this statement, we discuss three specific aspects of the program that we think 

should receive a fresh look as part of a comprehensive legislative review: 

• benefit levels in households with more than one SSI beneficiary; 

• benefit levels for disabled beneficiaries; and 

• asset limits and excluded amounts of income. 

When the Congress established the SSI program, it saw it as primarily a program for the 

aged, as they were the largest part of the federal-state programs it replaced. Estimates 

provided by the Administration indicated that, while the number of disabled SSI 

beneficiaries would grow, the number of aged beneficiaries would grow even more 
2

rapidly.1 At that time, the attention of the Congress was focused on President Nixon’s 

proposal for a Family Assistance Program, a federally guaranteed minimum income for 

all families with dependent children. The proposed SSI program was overshadowed by 

this proposal and received relatively little attention. The report of the Ways and Means 

Committee stated that the federal-state assistance programs that SSI replaced, 

“characterized as they are by smaller numbers of people, smaller budgets and more nearly 

static beneficiary rolls” were easier to deal with.2 As this chart shows, those estimates 

and expectations were not accurate. The number of disabled beneficiaries has grown 

rapidly, while the number of aged beneficiaries has been fairly stable. By 1982 the 

number of beneficiaries under age 65 equaled the number of those 65 and older. Now 

there are nearly three times as many beneficiaries under 65 than 65 or older. 

SSI beneficiaries by age group, 1974-2006

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

19741976197819801982198419861988199019921994199619982000200220042006

Millions

65 or older

Under 65

The 1972 legislation set initial benefit levels for the new program at $130 per month for 

an individual. At the end of 1971, $130 was approximately the average monthly benefit 

for a retired worker under the Social Security retirement benefits program.3

 The SSI 

benefit amount for a couple was set at $195, one-and-a-half times the individual amount. 

Setting the couple rate at one-and-a-half times the individual rate carried over into the 

 

1

 “The Supplemental Security Income Program: Report of the Staff to the Committee on Finance, United 

States Senate,” Committee Print, April, 1977, p. 117. 

2

 Report of the Committee on Ways and Means, May 26, 1971, p. 146. 

3 Social Security Bulletin, Annual Statistical Supplement, 1976, Table 82. In 1972, Congress also raised 

Social Security retirement benefits by 20 percent and indexed them to the cost of living. In July 1973, 

Congress raised the SSI benefit amount to $140 for an individual, $210 for a couple. In December 1973, it 

raised the SSI benefit amount to $146 for an individual, $219 for a couple, effective July 1974. In August 

1974 it established legislation to automatically increase SSI benefits by the same percentage and at the 

same time as Social Security retirement, survivors, and disability benefits. 
3

new SSI program the practice of the programs it replaced. Payment levels varied widely 

from state to state in the federal-state programs that SSI replaced, but only a few states 

paid couples at twice the rate of an individual. The typical state payment for a couple 

was one-and-a-half times the individual payment.4

 

Setting benefit rates for households with more than one beneficiary

We agree with the principle stated by the Ways and Means Committee when it 

considered the SSI legislation: “The benefit payable to a couple is smaller than the 

combined benefits payable to two individuals in order to take account of the fact that two 

people living together can live more economically than if each lived alone.”5

 The 

question is, how much more economically. In 1972, the Congress exercised its judgment 

in carrying over the practice of paying a couple at one-and-a-half times the individual 

rate. There are tools available now that were not available to the Congress then that 

would enable it to set benefit rates based on actual data rather than past practice. 

Since the early days of the SSI program, much research has been done on the needs of 

low-income individuals and families. In 1995 the National Research Council (NRC) 

issued a report by its Panel on Poverty and Family Assistance, Measuring Poverty: A 

New Approach. The panel looked first at what the appropriate measure of poverty should 

be for an individual. Once the individual threshold was established, the next challenge 

was to develop measures for households. It would not be appropriate simply to multiply 

the individual measure by the number of individuals in a household. A two-member 

family, for example, needs less than twice as much income as a single individual because 

of economies of scale, such as shared housing expenses and utilities. The needs of a 

household grow with each additional member, but not in direct proportion to the number 

of people in the household. 

What the panel did was develop what is known as an equivalence scale. An equivalence 

scale indicates how much more money a household of a given size needs, compared to a 

single individual, in order to have the same standard of living as a single individual. The 

panel recommended an equivalence scale to adjust family poverty thresholds to represent 

equivalent amounts of money for different family types. A similar approach could be 

used in setting SSI benefits. 

The concept of equivalence scales applies to households of all sizes and compositions, 

and the Congress should consider applying equivalence scales to all households. 

Currently, the reduced SSI couple benefit applies only to households with two SSI 

beneficiaries who are legally married or consider themselves married and hold 

themselves out to the community as married. Thus, two single adult SSI beneficiaries 

 

4

 “Social Security and Welfare Reform: Summary of the Principal Provisions of H.R. 1 as Determined by 

the Committee on Finance,” June 13, 1972, pp. 58-59. 

5

 Report of the Committee on Ways and Means, May 26, 1971, p. 150. 
4

who live together are each eligible for a full individual benefit, while each member of a 

married couple is eligible for three-fourths of the full benefit amount. 

The way the SSI program currently treats married couples gives beneficiaries an 

incentive not to marry and gives married couples an incentive to dissolve their marriages. 

The extent to which this incentive is a factor in marriage or dissolution rates is an 

empirical question not addressed in this statement. We note that marriage is, in fact, less 

common among SSI beneficiaries than among the general population. Among SSI 

beneficiaries age 18 to 64, 21 percent are married, compared to 58 percent of the total 

U.S. population in that age group. Among SSI beneficiaries age 65 or older, 32 percent 

are married, compared to 55 percent of the total U.S. population in that age group.6

 

Married couples make up only about 30 percent of households that include more than one 

SSI recipient.7

 Thus, most multi-recipient households are not subject to the same benefit 

reductions as married couples. As a witness told a Ways and Means subcommittee in 

2001, “Economies of scale...apply to almost all sharing arrangements—dormitories, 

retirement homes, cohabitation, and so on. Yet marital vows of allegiance are the only 

type of arrangement that is taxed.”

8

 The Congress should consider applying equivalence 

scales to households without respect to marital status. 

Setting benefit amounts for households with a disabled beneficiary

Another issue of special importance to the SSI program is the additional household costs 

caused by the disability of a beneficiary. In 2004, the Office of Management and Budget 

requested the NRC’s Committee on National Statistics to convene a workshop to obtain 

feedback on alternative measures of poverty.9 One of the papers presented at that 

workshop raised just that issue of particular importance to the SSI program. David M. 

Betson asked if other factors besides the numbers of adults and children should be taken 

into consideration. He suggested that whether a member of the family has a disability 

might be a relevant consideration.10

Additional research on the question of the extra costs of disability has been conducted in 

the United Kingdom, and some has been conducted in other countries.11 A recent article 

 

6

 Office of Policy, SSA, “Treatment of Married Couples in the SSI Program,” Issue Paper, December 2003, 

p. 3. 

7 Ibid., p. 4. 8

 Eugene Steuerle, Testimony before the Subcommittee on Human Resources of the House Committee on 

Ways and Means, Hearing on Welfare and Marriage Issues, May 22, 2001. 

9

 National Research Council, Experimental Poverty Measures: Summary of a Workshop, 2005. 10 “Poverty Equivalence Scales: Adjustment for Demographic Differences Across Families,” 

www7.nationalacademies.org/cnstat/Poverty_Equivalence_Scales_Betson_Paper_PDF.pdf 11 Research in the United Kingdom is summarized in Mike Tibble, “Review of Existing Research on the 

Extra Costs of Disability,” Department for Work and Pensions Working Paper number 21, 

http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP21.pdf. Other research is summarized in Sophie Mitra, “Disability 

and Social Safety Nets in Developing Countries,” The World Bank Social Protection Discussion Paper 
5

reports on research in the United States on the relationship of disability to material 

hardship, defined in terms of ability to meet expenses, ability to pay rent or mortgage and 

utility bills, ability to obtain needed medical or dental care, and food security. The 

research found that working-age people with disabilities have greater basic needs than 

people without disabilities.12 It found that: 

• People with work limitations experience material hardships at a higher rate than 

those without limitations. 

• Disability is an important determinant of material hardship, even after controlling 

for income and other sociodemographic characteristics and receipt of public 

assistance.13

Other recent research in the United States focuses specifically on the additional health 

costs associated with living with a disability.14 It shows that in the period 1996-2004, 

persons with disabilities had substantially higher total health expenditures and out-ofpocket health expenditures than the non-disabled. The authors go on to state that further 

research is needed to estimate the extent to which those expenditures lead to poverty and 

to assess the adequacy of SSI and other benefits. They mention that in some countries, 

such as the United Kingdom and Sweden, separate programs provide additional 

allowances for disability related costs. 

Further research on this important issue is needed to enable Congress to set appropriate 

benefit rates that would reflect additional household needs. This issue has complex 

policy implications. The original concept of SSI was to ensure a specified minimum 

income, regardless of individual expenditures or needs. Implementing rates that vary 

based on disability would make the program more complicated and more difficult to 

administer, and this may best be done outside the SSI program. However, it is important 

to take the first step of doing the research on household needs and then examine potential 

options to meet those needs. 

Frozen income and resource limits

The purpose of the SSI program was to ensure a minimum income for eligible 

beneficiaries. The program established a federal benefit rate, and states may add 

supplemental payments. The federal payments are calculated by subtracting from the 

federal benefit rate any countable income.15 There are two basic exclusions of income 

 Series, number 0509, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DISABILITY/Resources/280658-

1172608763375/DisabilitySSNMitra.pdf. 12 Peiyun She and Gina A. Livermore, “Material Hardship, Poverty, and Disability among Working-Age 

Adults,” Social Science Quarterly, December 2007, p. 971. 13 Ibid., p. 986. 14 Sophie Mitra and Usha Sambamoorthi, “The Extra Health Costs of Living with a Disability: Evidence 

from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, 1996-2004,” June 2007. 

15 To allow time to adjust benefits, they are calculated using income from two months prior to the month 

for which the benefit is paid. Benefits were originally calculated on a quarterly basis; the change to 

monthly computation was enacted in 1981. In addition to the exclusions mentioned in this paragraph, there 
6

that make income not countable for purposes of calculating the benefit. Under the 

general income exclusion, the first $20 per month of any income does not count against 

the monthly benefit. Under the earned income exclusion, the first $65 of earnings in a 

month and half of the amount above $65 does not count against the monthly benefit. 

These amounts were in the original legislation 35 years ago and have never been 

increased. If they had been indexed to inflation since the program began, the general 

exclusion would now be approximately $87 and the earned income exclusion would be 

approximately $284. If they had been indexed to reflect the increase in wages, using the 

Average Wage Index that Social Security uses in calculating initial retirement and 

disability insurance benefits, the general exclusion would now be about $105, and the 

earned income exclusion would now be about $342.16

There is also an asset limit for SSI beneficiaries. When the program began, beneficiaries 

had to have $1,500 or less in countable resources ($2,250 for a couple). That amount was 

increased gradually between 1985 and 1989 to $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a 

couple. The asset limit has not changed since that time. The conference report on the 

legislation for that increase stated that a major purpose of allowing SSI beneficiaries to 

have a certain amount of assets was to help them cover major costs of an urgent nature 

that could not be met from their monthly benefit payments, such as to replace a furnace 

or another essential appliance. The costs of such items have increased considerably since 

1989, and Congress should consider what an appropriate amount would be now. If the 

1989 amounts had been adjusted for inflation, they would now be about $3,500 for an 

individual and $5,250 for a couple. If they had been adjusted by the Average Wage 

Index, they would now be about $4,200 for an individual and $6,300 for a couple. We 

recognize the need to be aware of the costs and impacts of updating the resource limits. 

If Congress decides that an increase in the asset limits is appropriate, it could be done 

gradually, as was done in the 1980s. 

Conclusion

It is time for Congress to consider reviewing some aspects of the SSI program. More 

than 35 years after its enactment, the program is operating in a world that has changed, 

and with a beneficiary population that is much different. New analytical tools and data 

are available that were not available 35 years ago and could be useful to a review of the 

program. 

 are other special exclusions for items such as tax rebates based on real property or food purchase taxes and 

scholarships used to pay tuition at an educational institution. A complete list can be found in Appendix A 

of the 2008 SSI Annual Report. 16 Wage indexed amounts were calculated from historical data at 

http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/awiseries.html and from projections using the intermediate assumption 

in the 2008 Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Federal Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and 

Federal Disability Insurance Trust Funds, available at http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/TR/TR08/index.html, 

Table VI.F6. 
7

Our specific recommendations are, as part of a comprehensive legislative review of the 

SSI program: 

• The Congress should consider how equivalence scales could be applied to the SSI 

benefit structure. Those scales should be applied to households regardless of the 

marital status of the members of the households. 

• Research should be conducted to develop equivalence scales that would reflect 

the additional needs of beneficiaries with disabilities. 

• Income exclusions and asset limits should be re-examined to ensure that they still 

serve the purposes for which they were developed. 

Sylvester J. Schieber 

Chairman 

 Dana K. Bilyeu Jeffrey R. Brown Dorcas R. Hardy 

Marsha Rose Katz Barbara B. Kennelly Mark J. Warshawsky