I. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a cash assistance program designed to assist the disabled, blind, and elderly who have little income. Prior to the development of SSI, the Social Security Act, which was established in 1935, had a few programs that had provided assistance to the elderly and blind individuals. These programs had mainly been administered by state and local governments, with minor assistance from the federal government. Throughout the years, problems arose as the programs became increasingly complex and costly. In the early 1970s President Nixon’s administration had seen the need to reform these particular programs and created the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. The Social Security Administration was appointed
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Couples may together receive SSI benefits while living together. If an individual is living with others, and is provided assistance with food and shelter, the payout of SSI benefits may be reduced, which may impact an individual’s decision to remain living with others (CBO, 2012.)
As far as the targeting-isolation conundrum, SSI specifically targets individuals who meet the criteria for disability while living under a specific income threshold. There may be stigma that is associated with having some sort of physical, or especially mental impairment that qualifies a person to receive benefits through SSI. Individuals who receive SSI may be at risk for becoming targeted, labeled, and even stigmatized …show more content…
One critique is that the federal government is able to effectively determine disability eligibility and manage cash payments, but may not be able to provide the different services needed by the family of children who receive SSI. It is suggested that state and local governments meet the needs of the children that are eligible for SSI (CBO, 2012.) They also suggest that the federal government provides block grants to states in order to allow them more discretion in allocating provisions and providing services that individuals who receive SSI need. The idea is to give the states more flexibility in creating system rules, and possibly have the ability to limit
Couples may together receive SSI benefits while living together. If an individual is living with others, and is provided assistance with food and shelter, the payout of SSI benefits may be reduced, which may impact an individual’s decision to remain living with others (CBO, 2012.)
As far as the targeting-isolation conundrum, SSI specifically targets individuals who meet the criteria for disability while living under a specific income threshold. There may be stigma that is associated with having some sort of physical, or especially mental impairment that qualifies a person to receive benefits through SSI. Individuals who receive SSI may be at risk for becoming targeted, labeled, and even stigmatized …show more content…
One critique is that the federal government is able to effectively determine disability eligibility and manage cash payments, but may not be able to provide the different services needed by the family of children who receive SSI. It is suggested that state and local governments meet the needs of the children that are eligible for SSI (CBO, 2012.) They also suggest that the federal government provides block grants to states in order to allow them more discretion in allocating provisions and providing services that individuals who receive SSI need. The idea is to give the states more flexibility in creating system rules, and possibly have the ability to limit