ABSTRACT

Supplemental security income (SSI) is a federally administered program that provides cash assistance to the aged, blind, and disabled. As of July 1981, the SSI program provided a maximum benefit of $265 per month for an eligible individual and $397 per month for an eligible couple. SSI is an appropriated entitlement. To reduce federal spending, the reconciliation act tightened certain eligibility and payment procedures in the basic SSI authorization act. Income calculations for determining eligibility for the SSI program will be based on an applicant's actual past income rather than projected future income. Without the minimum benefit, many social security recipients would meet the income test to qualify for the SSI program. Although the reconciliation act imposed only modest reductions in the SSI program, one program change is likely to have a significant impact. The 1983 Reagan budget proposes additional cuts in the SSI program.