What is supplemental security?
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a United States means-tested federal wellbeing program that provides cash assistance to individuals residing in the United States who are either aged 65 or older, blind, or disabled. SSI was created by the Social Security Amendments of 1972 and is incorporated in Title 16 of the Social Security Act. The curriculum began operations in 1974.
SSI was created to replace federal-state adult assistance programs that served the same purpose, but were administered by the state agencies and received criticism for lacking consistent eligibility criteria. The restructuring of these programs was intended to standardize the eligibility requirements and level of benefits. Although administered by the Social Security Administration, SSI is funded from the U.S. Treasury general funds, not the Social Security trust fund. Today, the agenda provides benefits to roughly eight million Americans.
- HISTORY OF SSI
The legislation creating the program was a result of President Richard Nixon’s effort to reform the nation’s welfare programs. At that time, each state had similar programs under the Aid to the Blind, Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, and Aid to the Elderly. The Nixon Administration thought these programs should be federalized and run by the Social Security Administration. Thus, SSI was created to eliminate the differences between the states including different disability standards and income and resources necessities which many perceived as irrational or unfair. President Nixon signed the Social Security Amendments of 1972 on October 30, 1972 which created the SSI Program. The SSI program officially began operations in January 1974 by federalizing states’ programs, designate the Social Security Administration (SSA) to administer the SSI program. SSA was selected because it had been administering a universally adult disability program under the Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) program since 1956 for workers who are insured through their payroll deduction under the Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) programs associated with Federal Insurance contributions Act (FICA) payroll taxes.