Over 100,000 Individuals Cut From Supplemental Security Income Program In a Year

Clear Facts

• Over 100,000 individuals have been removed from the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program in the past year, as per the Social Security Administration (SSA).
• SSI benefits decreased by 119,395 between May 2023 and May 2024.
• The majority of SSI claimants, estimated at around 6.1 million people, are adults and children with disabilities or are blind and have little to no income.

More than 100,000 recipients have been removed from receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in the past year, as confirmed by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The figures show a drop in SSI claimants from 7,380,737 in May 2023 to 7,261,342 in May 2024, a decrease by 119,395.

“Adults and children with disabilities, or who are blind, with little to no income are eligible to receive SSI.” The majority of SSI claimants fall into this category, with approximately 6.1 million out of the 7.2 million beneficiaries. The remaining 1.1 million are in the 65 and over category.

In terms of eligibility categories, the number of disabled or blind recipients who ceased to collect benefits in 2024 was higher, with a total decline of 140,034. On the other hand, the number of claimants in the 65 plus category saw a rise of 20,639, from 1,099,669 to 1,120,308.

The reasons behind the substantial decrease in the number of disabled or blind SSI recipients are not immediately clear. The SSA is yet to provide further comments on this issue.

A higher number of individuals stopping to collect SSI benefits was observed in several states. California, which has the largest number of claimants among all 50 states, witnessed a reduction of 16,573 SSI claims over the same period. Most of these were classified as blind or disabled, with a decrease from 708,695 to 690,351, indicating that over 17,000 are no longer receiving disability benefits.

Texas also saw a decrease of 14,587 in SSI claims from May 2023 to 2024, while other densely populated states like New York also reported a reduction in the number of claimants. On the other hand, in states like North Dakota, the number of SSI recipients remained relatively stable, with only a minor reduction.

Changes to the SSI and Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits were announced by the SSA last month. Some obsolete or infrequently performed jobs such as “reptile farmer and railroad telegrapher,” will be removed from a list used to determine whether an applicant for disability benefits can perform that job based on their abilities. These changes have been in effect since June 22, 2024, as confirmed by an SSA spokesperson.

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