While run by the Social Security Administration, the program receives funding from federal general revenue funds, not Social Security taxes.
Some states supplement the basic federal benefits.
Aside from age and disability, eligibility hinges on a person s level of income and personal assets. The government considers income as earnings, pensions, government checks, and non-cash goods like food, shelter, and clothing, if provided by someone else. To be SSI eligible, this total income cannot exceed the basic SSI monthly benefit. The program, however, does exclude some items from the income total. Personal assets or resources include cash, vehicles, stocks, bonds, and real and personal property.