The Supplemental Security Income program is a means-tested cash assistance program that forms an integral part of the safety net for the elderly, blind, and disabled. But some aspects of the program have not been kept current and are in need of revisions to better shield these communities from poverty. One aspect of SSI in need of improvement is the restriction placed on the amount of assets individuals may own and still be eligible for the program. This improvement is important to disabled children since the resources of their parents are counted when determining the eligibility of children. The following is a discussion of some shortcomings of the current asset test and ways in which this requirement can be improved.
Pensions fall into the latter category.
In determining the SSI eligibility of a child, most types of the parents' countable resources are taken into account. Limits for countable resources for SSI have risen by a relatively modest amount since the program's inception. These limits took effect in 1974 when the program was implemented. In 1984, Congress enacted legislation that raised the thresholds incrementally based on the schedule in Table 1 . An adjustment could be made in one of two ways.