The Biden administration finalized new rules for disability benefits in September, lowering penalties for people who receive federal food assistance or informal help from friends or family.
Juana Torres, a 36-year-old single mother in Philadelphia, expects to receive $140 more per month in Supplemental Security Income as a result of the policy change.
“I have four children at home, along with special needs,” Torres told HuffPost. “I think it’s really good that they made this change.”
The extra money for Torres is a small illustration of the stakes of Tuesday’s presidential election for SSI and a series of safety net programs that never come up during the campaign. When he was president, Donald Trump tightened rules for food and disability benefits, while President Joe Biden reversed most of those changes and made the programs more generous.
“By simplifying and expanding our policies, we are making SSI smarter, removing barriers to access to payments and reducing the burden on the public and government agency staff,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner for the social security, when he has announced the latest change.
Congress has ignored SSI for decades, so the near-term future of the program’s rules depends on whether Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris takes control of the White House. The president appoints the commissioners of the SSA, which oversees SSI and Social Security disability insurance, in addition to the better-known retirement insurance program.
More than seven million Americans with disabilities receive SSI, with payments averaging less than $700 per beneficiary. The government cuts benefits and can withdraw beneficiaries if they earn more than $2,000 a month or accumulate more than $2,000 in savings — rules that both Democrats and Republicans say force SSI recipients to continue living near poverty.
Until September 30, the program’s beneficiaries had to tell the government if anyone helped them with food, for example by providing meals or groceries, with such assistance typically resulting in a one-third reduction in benefits. Another change that took effect on the same day exempts households from the requirement to disclose such in-kind assistance if household members receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. All told, the changes will benefit hundreds of thousands of households.
Republicans are furious about the administrative reforms, which include Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee noting the estimated cost of $37 billion calling it a “parade of regulatory overreach that bypasses Congress and costs taxpayers billions just months before the 2024 elections.”
Biden also oversaw an administrative expansion of SNAP benefits that angered Republicans. Because they were not done by Congress, Trump could likely undo the changes to both programs without Congress if he were re-elected.
Torres discovered she qualified for an increased monthly SSI benefit, which she receives on behalf of a daughter with special needs, after her monthly payments were reduced due to the child support she began receiving this year. She sought help from Community Legal Services, a Philadelphia nonprofit that assists low-income families, and discovered that because she receives SNAP benefits, her SSI payments would no longer be reduced due to her income from working as an Instacart shopper . An attorney with CLS said Torres’ benefits will increase by $140 to $783 starting in December.
In a statement, the SSA said eligible SSI recipients would automatically benefit from the policy change without having to contact the government.
“People do not need to submit an application or contact us to request that the new regulatory changes be applied to their record,” an SSA spokesperson said. “We will notify them immediately if there is any change to their monthly benefit amount.”
