Ending Hunger in America, 2014 Hunger Report Full Report | Page 112
Todd Post/Bread for the World
Supplemental Security
Income (SSI) provides
cash assistance to
people with disabilities
up to about three-fourths
of the poverty line for
a single person and
slightly over 80 percent
of poverty for a couple.
102? Chapter 3
n
Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) is a federal program that provides modest assistance
to 8.3 million people who are severely disabled with little or no income and assets.46 Roughly
half of all SSI recipients live in households that are below the poverty line after taking into
account all safety-net benefits.47 The maximum monthly SSI benefit for an individual in 2013
is $710,48 which adds up to an income of about three-quarters of the poverty level for a singleperson household ($8,520 annually). By definition, anyone who
receives the full SSI benefit has very
little other income, because once a
person earns $85 in a month, SSI
benefits are reduced by $1 for every
$2 of earnings above that amount.49
Can people in this situation use
savings to help make ends meet?
The answer is essentially “no,”
because SSI, SNAP, and other programs have “asset tests.” To qualify
for SSI, an individual must not have
assets worth more than $2,000;
a couple’s asset limit is $3,000.50
These limits have not been raised
since 1989. This prevents people
from saving for emergencies. It can
leave people with disabilities destitute in the event of a health crisis.
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