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geography

geography In 1972, Congress replaced the State-administered programs with the Federally administered Supplemental Income (SSI) program as an assistance source of last resort for the aged, blind, or disabled whose income and resources are below specified levels. The SSI program went into effect in January 1974, administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). SSI has been highly successful in helping society’s most vulnerable citizens. These individuals rely on SSI benefits in order to purchase the basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter. The program targets those who are the neediest, those who are too limited by their disabilities or too elderly to be expected to provide fully for their own needs. Supplemental Security Income went in to operation as a result of the Social Security Amendments of 1972. SSI is like Social Security in that both programs pay monthly benefit payments and both are administered by the SSA. There are four reasons why SSI is different form Social Security benefits. The first reason is that SSI payments are not based on your prior work or a family member’s prior work. The second reason is to get SSI, you must have limited income and resources and you must be at least 65 years old, blind or disabled. The third reason is that in most states, SSI recipients also can get Medicaid (medical assistance) to pay for hospital stays, doctor bills, prescription drugs, and other health costs. Lastly, SSI recipients may also be eligible for food stamps in every state except California. To be eligible for SSI benefits, an individual must be at least age 65, blind or disabled, a United States citizen or an eligible noncitizen and reside in the United States. To ensure that SSI benefits are directed towards the neediest, an individual must also meet income and resource limits. Children as well as adults can get benefits because of blindness and disability. Blind means you are either blind or have very poor eyesight. Disabled means you have a physical or mental problem that keeps you from working and is expected to last a year or to result in death. For a child, Social Security looks at how his or her disability affects everyday life. Individuals’ monthly SSI benefit amounts are also affected by their income, resources, and living arrangements. The more income you have, the less your SSI payment will be. If your income is over the allowable limit, you cannot receive SSI. The value of a persons resources (the things they own) determines whether they are eligible for SSI payments. The limit for countable resources is $2000 for an individual, and $3000 for a couple. The living arrangements are important because payments vary depending if you live in your own place such as a house, apartment, or trailer; or in someone else’s household; or in an institution. The benefits are financed from general revenues, and some states supplement the Federal benefit. When states add to the federal SSI payment, then the SSI payment levels are higher in those states. The maximum federal payment changes yearly. As of January 1, 2000, the federal benefit rate was $512 for an individual and $769 for a couple. Factors such as race, gender and education all play a part in who participates in the SSI program. African Americans, other nonwhites, and those of Hispanic origin have a significantly higher inclination to participate in SSI. Being female also increases participation. Those with less than a high school diploma are significantly more likely to participate in SSI. Those who completed at least some college are less likely to participate compared to those who completed only high school, but the difference in participation rates is not as dramatic. The map presented displays the total amount of federal payments as of March 2000. The highest payments, which were over $100,000, were in California, Texas, Illinois, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York. According to the United States Census 2000, the population for California was 33,871,648, the population for Texas was 20,851,054, the population for New York was 18,976,457, the population for Florida was 15,982,378, and the population for Illinois was 12,419,293. These states were the five most populous states in 2000. The most populous states had the most SSI federal payments and the least populous states had the least SSI federal payments. Another reason why SSI payments are higher in those states is because the number of SSI disabled recipients is higher than all of the other states. In December of 2000, California had the highest number of disabled recipients, which was 760,995 followed by New York with 484,262 disabled recipients. The long-term growth of the SSI program has occurred because of an increase in the number of disabled recipients, most of whom are under age 65. The Supplemental Security program provides critical financial support to those in our society whose needs are greatest. The eligibility criteria is strict to ensure that only the ones that are in need receive payments. By evidence of the map, the states with the greatest amount of SSI federal payments had the largest population. SSI continues to grow to help those that really need it. Bibliography: Bibliography Cubeddu, Luis. “Intragenerational Redistributionoin Unfunded PensionoSystems.” International Monetary Fund Staff Papers March 2000: 90. Fast Facts and Figures about Social Security. August 2000. http://www.ssa.gov/statistics/ fast_facts/2000/ff2000.pdf. Social Security Online. July 1999 http://www.ssa.gov/disability/. The Office of Policy. http://www.ssa.gov/statistics/fast_facts/1999/index.html Understanding SSI. http://www.ssa.gov/notices/supplemental-security-income/text- Understanding-ssi.htm#top. Yax, Laura K. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division and Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division. March 2001. http://www.cache.census.gov/ftp/pub/ Population/www/pop-profile/profile 1999.html.

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