On March 27, 2024, the Social Security Administration issued a conclusive regulation titled “Exclusion of Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) Assessments.” This is the initial step in a series of revisions to the agency’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) guidelines, which aim to aid current SSI beneficiaries and applicants.
“A vital part of our mission is helping people access crucial benefits, including SSI,” said Martin O’Malley, Commissioner of Social Security. “Simplifying our policies is a common-sense solution that reduces the burden on the public and agency staff and helps promote equity by removing barriers to accessing payments.”
SSI offers monthly allowances to individuals with disabilities or blindness and adults aged 65 and above facing financial constraints. These benefits assist in covering essential expenses such as housing, sustenance, attire, and medication. Eligibility for SSI necessitates meeting specific criteria, encompassing income and asset thresholds. In the previous regulations, In-Kind Support and Maintenance (ISM) comprised food, shelter, or both provided to individuals. The agency categorized ISM as unearned income, potentially impacting eligibility status or diminishing payment amounts for recipients.
Effective September 30, 2024, the agency will implement a final rule excluding food from ISM calculations. This adjustment eliminates a key obstacle to SSI eligibility caused by informal food aid from acquaintances, relatives, and community support networks. The updated policy offers several benefits: it enhances clarity and usability for applicants, recipients, and agency staff; reduces reporting obligations regarding food assistance from personal contacts, thus alleviating a major administrative burden; enhances payment accuracy by minimizing monthly payment fluctuations; and leads to administrative cost savings as less time is devoted to managing food ISM.
The agency continuously examines programmatic policy and approves regulatory and sub-regulatory changes.
To learn more about the SSI program, such as eligibility criteria and application procedures, please visit the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) page on the SSA website. For detailed insights into the final rule titled “Omitting Food from In-Kind Support and Maintenance Calculations,” you can access it via the Federal Register’s page dedicated to this rule.
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