2007 Annual Report of the SSI Program

CONTENTS

I. INTRODUCTION

II. HIGHLIGHTS

A. RECENT PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

B. SSI LEGISLATION SINCE THE 2006 ANNUAL REPORT

C. CURRENT ISSUES FACING THE SSI PROGRAM

D. KEY RESULTS FROM THE 25-YEAR PROJECTIONS

III. THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM

A. BACKGROUND

B. THE BASIC PLAN

C. UNIFORM STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVE CRITERIA

D. ASSISTANCE OF LAST RESORT

1. Income

2. Resources

3. Filing for Other Benefits

4. Eligibility Issues for Residents of Public Institutions or Medical Facilities

5. Personal Needs Allowance

6. Deeming

a. Spouse-to-Spouse Deeming

b. Parent-to-Child Deeming

c. Sponsor-to-Alien Deeming

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION

1. Earned Income Exclusion

2. Impairment-Related Work Expense Exclusion

3. Work Expenses of the Blind Exclusion

4. Student Earned Income Exclusion

5. Plan to Achieve Self-Support

6. Special Provisions for Disabled People Who Work

7. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program

8. Expedited Reinstatement

F. ADMINISTRATION OF THE SSI PROGRAM

1. Application Process

2. Determination of Eligibility for Benefits

3. Payment of Benefits

4. Ensuring Continued Eligibility for Benefits

5. Representative Payees

6. Appeal Rights

7. Fees for Attorneys and Non-attorney Representatives

8. Advance Payments

a. Emergency Advance Payments

b. Presumptive Disability or Blindness

G. STATE SUPPLEMENTATION

1. Optional State Supplementary Payment Programs

2. Mandatory State Supplementary Payment Programs

3. Administration of State Supplementary Payments

4. Passalong Provisions

H. COORDINATION WITH OTHER PROGRAMS

1. Windfall Offset

2. Medicaid Determinations

3. Food Stamp Applications

4. Interim Assistance Reimbursement

IV. ESTIMATES OF PROGRAM PARTICIPATION AND FEDERAL EXPENDITURES
UNDER THE SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME PROGRAM, 2007-31

A. DEMOGRAPHIC AND ECONOMIC ASSUMPTIONS

B. NUMBERS OF PARTICIPANTS IN THE SSI PROGRAM

C. FEDERAL PAYMENTS UNDER SSI

D. FEDERAL SSI PAYMENTS AS A PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT

E. THE SSI PROGRAM'S SHARE OF SSA'S ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS
AND BENEFICIARY SERVICES COSTS

V. APPENDICES

A. HISTORY OF PROVISIONS

1. Basic Eligibility Requirements

2. Other Eligibility Provisions

a. Citizenship and U.S. Residency

b. Other Benefits

c. Drug Addiction and Alcoholism (DA&A)

d. Institutionalization

e. Vocational Rehabilitation and Treatment

f. Continuing Disability Reviews and Eligibility Redeterminations

g. Deeming of Income and Resources

3. Federal Benefit Payments

a. Windfall Offset

b. Proration of Benefit

c. Retrospective Monthly Accounting

d. Uncashed Checks

e. Rounding of Payment Amounts

f. Penalties for False or Misleading Statements or Withholding of Information

g. Installment Payments

4. Federal Benefit Rates

5. Exclusions from Income

a. General Exclusions

b. Special Exclusions

6. Resources

a. General Exclusions

b. Special Exclusions

c. Transfer-of-Resources Penalties

7. Presumptive and Emergency Payments and Interim Assistance Reimbursement

a. Presumptive Payments

b. Emergency Advance Payments

c. Interim Assistance Reimbursement

8. Medicaid Eligibility

9. State Supplementation

10. Overpayment Recovery

B. INCOME AND RESOURCE EXCLUSIONS

1. Earned Income Exclusions

2. Unearned Income Exclusions

3. Resource Exclusions

C. HISTORICAL ALLOWANCE DATA

1. Technical Notes on the Disability Research File

2. General Considerations

D. HISTORICAL REDETERMINATION AND CONTINUING DISABILITY REVIEW DATA

1. Redeterminations

2. Continuing Disability Reviews

E. INCENTIVES FOR WORK AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR REHABILITATION

1. Work Incentives

a. Numbers of Participants in Work Incentive Programs

b. Average Earnings of Participants in Work Incentive Programs

2. Vocational Rehabilitation/Ticket to Work Program

F. INVOLVEMENT OF SSI RECIPIENTS IN OTHER PROGRAMS

G. RESEARCH ON RELATED TOPICS

1. Ongoing Research

a. Analyses Using Survey of Income and Program Participation Data

b. National Survey of SSI Children and Families

c. Evaluation of the Ticket to Work Program

d. Homeless Outreach Projects and Evaluation (HOPE)

e. Youth Transition Demonstration (YTD)

f. Disability Program Navigators (DPNs)

g. Pediatric Medical Units (PMUs)

2. Bibliography of Recent Publications

H. GLOSSARY

ADDITIONAL STATEMENT BY THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISORY BOARD