2 weeks ago

2024 Election Has High Stakes For Disability Benefits

The Biden administration in September finalized new rules for disability benefits, reducing penalties for people who receive federal food aid or informal assistance 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 shift.

“I have four children at home, along with special needs,” Torres told HuffPost. “I think it’s very good that they made this change.”

The extra cash for Torres offers a small illustration of the stakes of Tuesday’s presidential election for SSI and a range of safety net programs that are never discussed on the campaign trail. When he was president, Donald Trump tightened rules for food and disability benefits, while President Joe Biden reversed most of those changes and made programs more generous.

“By simplifying and expanding our policies, we are making SSI smarter, removing barriers to accessing payments, and reducing the burden on the public and agency staff,” Social Security Administration commissioner Martin O’Malley said when he announced the most recent 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 as well as Social Security Disability Insurance, in addition to the better-known retirement insurance program.

More than 7 million Americans with disabilities receive SSI, with payments averaging less than $700 per beneficiary. The government reduces benefits and can withdraw beneficiaries if they earn more than $2,000 per month or pile up more than $2,000 in savings — rules that Democrats and Republicans alike say force SSI recipients to remain in near poverty.

Until Sept. 30, program beneficiaries had to tell the government if anyone helped them out with food, such as by providing meals or groceries, with such assistance typically resulting in a one-third reduction of benefits. Another change that took effect the same day exempts households from having to disclose such in-kind support if household members are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits. All told, the changes will benefit hundreds of thousands of households.

Republicans are furious about the administrative reforms, with GOP lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee pointing to the $37 billion estimated cost and calling it a “parade of regulatory overreach that circumvents Congress and costs taxpayers billions just months before the 2024 election.”

Biden also oversaw an administrative expansion of SNAP benefits that infuriated Republicans. Because they weren’t done by Congress, Trump could likely undo the changes in both programs without Congress if reelected.

Torres found out she was eligible for a higher monthly SSI benefit, which she receives on behalf of a daughter with special needs, after her monthly payments were reduced as a result of child support payments she began receiving this year. She sought help from Community Legal Services, a Philadelphia nonprofit that assists low-income families, and found out that because she gets SNAP benefits, her SSI payments would no longer be reduced because of her income from working as an Instacart shopper. An attorney with CLS said Torres’ benefit will increase by $140 to $783 starting in December.

In a statement, the SSA said that eligible SSI recipients would automatically benefit from the policy change without having to contact the government.

“People do not need to apply or contact us to request the new regulatory changes to be applied to their record,” an SSA spokesperson said. “We will notify them directly if there is a change in their monthly benefit amount.”