The SSA has announced three major changes to Social Security payments that will affect a lot of people in the United States. These changes are meant to make it easier for people to get benefits, especially those who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
It is important to know how these changes might affect your benefits as they happen. We’ll explain each of these new rules below.
Public Assistance Household Definition
One big change is that the definition of a household receiving public aid has been changed. The new rule says that a family that gets help from programs like SNAP can include that help in their SSI applying for their household income.
It will bring benefit to for people and families on public assistance to receive their Social Security payments by simplifying the process of getting qualified. There is the likelihood of this change affect the method of computation of benefits because, in essence, more families would be encased into these new definitions.
Expanded Rental Subsidy Policies
The SSA also came up with a change for rentals subsidies which mainly affected individuals who are helped by rental aid in seven states. This is because under the new rule, the payments will not necessarily put it beyond anyone’s ability to receive SSI benefits.
The goal of this change is to make it easier for low-income families who need rental help to get the most out of their benefits.
Exclusion of Food Gifts from Unearned Income
The third update changes how the amount of unearned income is found. Before, food gifts that SSI recipients got were counted as unearned income, which meant that their monthly benefit could go down. From September 2024 on, food gifts will not affect how much SSI someone gets.
This change helps keep benefits stable so that people who get them aren’t punished for getting food from family or friends.
| Change | Affected Beneficiaries | New Policy | Expected Impact | Start Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public Assistance Household | SSI recipients | Expanded definition | More households qualify | Second half 2024 |
| Rental Subsidy Policy Expansion | Low-income households | Broader subsidy rules | Fewer eligibility issues | September 2024 |
| Exclusion of Food Gifts | SSI recipients | Food gifts not counted | Stable benefit amounts | September 2024 |
The goal of these new rules is to make Social Security payments more stable and easier to get, especially for low-income families that depend on SSI. The SSA aims to remove barriers that previously made it hard for people and families to get public aid, help with rent, and unofficial food gifts.
FAQs On 3 big changes in Social Security at the end of 2024
Q. How does the redefined public assistance household affect SSI?
A. More households receiving SNAP or other public assistance can now qualify for SSI, making benefits more accessible.
Q. Will rental subsidies affect my Social Security eligibility?
A. The extended rental subsidy policy makes rental assistance less likely to affect SSI eligibility, especially in seven states that just implemented it.
Q. What about food donation, does SSI consider it as earned income?
A. The food donations are not part of the unearned income that will be effective from September 2024 that will help maintain SSI benefits.
Q. When is it possible to talk about these modifications?
A. The majority of changes began in September 2024; the rest of those enrolled in the recipients fell in the second semester.
Q. How can I tell whether these upgrades affect me?
A. If these changes apply to you, you can go to the SSA website or create a My Social Security Account to learn about the changes.