Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Policy Changes for Employment

Supplemental Security Income Program (SSI)

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program makes cash assistance payments to aged, blind, and disabled persons (including children) who have limited income and resources. The Federal Government funds SSI from general tax revenues. Many states pay a supplemental benefit to persons in addition to their Federal benefits. Some of these states have made arrangements with us to combine their supplemental payment with our Federal SSI payment into one monthly check to you. Other states manage their own programs and make their payments separately. Title XVI of the Social Security Act authorizes SSI benefits (SSA Red Book, 2010, p. 12).
Under the current Supplemental Security Income (SSI) policies, persons receiving benefits are not stimulated to seek gainful part or full-time employment. The current policies are not designed to meet the today’s economic events. Under the current policy, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) does not count the first $85 of the earnings you receive in a month, plus one-half of the remaining earnings (SSA Red Book, 2010, p. 35). This means that Supplemental Security Administration (SSA) count less than one-half of your earnings when they figure your SSI payment amount. Persons on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are fearful to seek gainful employment because of the unstable market in job earnings. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is currently a stable source of income for persons receiving this benefit. The current entitlement program is not designed to motivate persons on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to prepare for employment goals. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) should be a source of income to encourage employment opportunities by being supplement resource to unemployment outcomes. Instead of being a discouragement to employment opportunities, the program should promote employment goals for those seeking other financial resources to enhance daily living activities. The goals for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) should be to encourage recipients to get off of the entitlement program, and seek employment opportunities and goals. These employment opportunities among persons on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) could assist in the stimulation of the current economy by increasing the purchasing empowerment for those gaining jobs. These are reasons for developing new policy changes to Supplemental Security Income (SSI).