Agency transitioning authentication services to Login.gov
The Social Security Administration is set to implement new rules to make it easier for beneficiaries to access certain benefits and increase the payments some may receive.
The new changes affect Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which provides more than 7 million Americans with monthly benefit checks. Those benefits are for seniors ages 65 and up, or adults and children who are disabled or blind, and who have little or no income or resources.
“We already know that the benefit amounts that are available to people receiving SSI are incredibly low,” said Lydia Brown, director of public policy at the National Disability Institute.
“They’re not as high as perhaps they could be to fully account for the needs that people have,” Brown said.
The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit is currently $943 per eligible individual and $1,415 for an eligible individual and eligible spouse.
The changes, which are slated to go into effect September 30, are a “positive move in the right direction,” Brown said.
Updates to definition of public-assistance household
The agency on Thursday announced a new rule to expand the definition of a public-assistance household. Now, households that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, payments and those where not all members receive public assistance will be included.
With the change, more people may qualify for SSI, current beneficiaries may see higher payments and individuals who live in public-assistance households may have fewer reporting requirements, according to the Social Security Administration.
The previous policy required all household members to receive public assistance.
A public-assistance household will be defined as one with both an SSI applicant or beneficiary, as well as at least one other member who receives one or more forms of means-tested public income maintenance payments.
“By simplifying our policies and including an additional program geared towards low-income families, such as the SNAP, we are removing significant barriers to accessing SSI,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a statement. “These changes promote greater equity in our programs.”
The definition of a public-assistance household has not been updated in a very long time, according to Darcy Milburn, director of Social Security and health-care policy at The Arc, a nonprofit organization serving people with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
“I would characterize this as just good policy and commonsense changes to update this definition,” Milburn said.
What’s more, there are many ways in which SSI is still operating under rules devised in the 1980s, said Brown of the National Disability Institute.
SNAP is the first public income maintenance benefit to be added to the public-assistance household definition since 1980, according to the Social Security Administration.
Other rule changes to help beneficiaries
The Social Security Administration is also working to address outdated practices through two other rules that are set to go into effect on September 30.
One change will expand the SSI rental subsidy policy to make it less likely that renting at a discounted rate or other rental assistance will affect a beneficiary’s SSI eligibility or monthly payment amount. That policy, which was already available in seven states, will apply nationally.
Another change will make it so the SSA no longer counts food assistance toward support beneficiaries receive from other parties that may reduce their SSI benefit amounts.
The Social Security Administration keeps track of the resources SSI beneficiaries receive outside of their federal benefits, formally known as in-kind support and maintenance, or ISM.
The purpose of ISM is to reduce SSI benefits if a recipient receives support from family and friends by treating that as unearned income, Milburn said.
That support can reduce an individual’s monthly benefit by as much as one-third, Milburn said. And because the SSA keeps track of that support every month, it’s a lot for the agency to monitor, she said.
When the changes go into effect this fall, SSI beneficiaries should notice they have less paperwork to fill out, receive more accurate monthly payments and are faced with fewer administrative burdens, Milburn said.
By LORIE KONISH/NBC News
Message from O’Malley
The Social Security Administration announced this week that customers who created an online account (e.g., my Social Security account) before September 18, 2021, will soon be required to transition to a Login.gov account to continue access to their online services. Over five million of these account holders have already transitioned to Login.gov.
The agency is making the changes to simplify the sign-in experience and align with federal authentication standards while providing safe and secure access to online services.
“my Social Security is a safe and secure way for people to do business with us,” said Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley. “We’re excited to transition to Login.gov to access our online services, streamlining the process and ease of use for the public across agencies.”
Account holders are encouraged to sign-in now. When the user logs in, they will be presented with an option to easily transition to Login.gov. Once their account is successfully linked, a confirmation screen will appear, and they will have immediate access to their personal my Social Security services or other service that they were attempting to access.
Existing Login.gov or ID.me account holders do NOT need to create a new account or take any action.
my Social Security accounts are free, secure, and provide personalized tools for everyone, whether receiving benefits or not. People can use their account to request a replacement Social Security card, check the status of an application, estimate future benefits, or manage the benefits they already receive. For more information visit Create an Account | my Social Security | SSA.
For more information about Login.gov, including their 24/7 customer phone and chat support, visit Help | Login.gov.