Tracey Gronniger: Hiya everybody. Welcome to at this time’s webinar about overpayments in-kind help and operational impacts. We’re excited to speak to you all at this time about what’s been happening with SSA and completely satisfied to take some questions as nicely. Subsequent slide, please. Earlier than we get began, I needed to do a couple of logistics of the webinar. Everyone seems to be on mute, however you should utilize the questions operate in case you have any substantive questions or questions on technical difficulties. In case you’re having any issues with the webinar, you can too ship an electronic mail to Trainings@JusticeInAging.org. And you may additionally be capable of discover this coaching and previous trainings by going by our useful resource library going to JusticeInAging.org/resource-library. And we may even have a recording of this posted to Justice in Growing older’s Vimeo web page. And in addition you may be receiving the slides later in a couple of days after the webinar. If you should allow closed captions, you are able to do that by deciding on CC from the Zoom management panel.
Subsequent slide, please. So for these of you who will not be aware of our group, Justice in Growing older is a nationwide group. We use legislation to combat senior poverty, and we’re targeted on reasonably priced healthcare, financial safety, together with housing affordability, and in addition entry to the courts. We now have been round since 1972, and our efforts are actually targeted on combating for individuals who have traditionally been marginalized and excluded from justice, together with ladies, individuals of shade, LGBTQ+ people, and other people with restricted English proficiency.
Subsequent slide. We even have as a part of our dedication to justice, the assumption that so as to be sure that all of us have entry to justice, we now have to guarantee that there isn’t any discrimination, that we, no matter race, gender, gender identification, sexual orientation, et cetera, are capable of entry what we have to age with dignity. And so we push for insurance policies that be sure that these experiencing the best limitations to financial safety, healthcare, and housing can train their rights and totally entry the companies and applications that they do want. Subsequent slide, please.
If you wish to know extra, if you wish to obtain supplies from Justice in Growing older, if you wish to find out about trainings which might be happening, you’ll be able to go to JusticeInAging.org and click on on the sign-up button, or you’ll be able to ship an electronic mail to Data@JusticeInAging.org and request to be added to our listserv, and we hope that you will do this. Subsequent slide.
So I’m going to begin us off after which I’ll flip it over to Trinh for a short while. I’m Tracey Gronniger, by the way in which, the Managing Director of Financial Safety and Housing. I needed to speak about at this time simply begin us off with what’s been happening contained in the Social Safety Administration in 2025, and actually simply speak in broad strokes about how 2025 has actually introduced some main operational adjustments that have an effect on how older adults and other people with disabilities entry advantages. This yr, we have seen the influence of actually massive forces colliding, together with insufficient funding, coverage selections that may be considerably dangerous, and a dramatic lack of workers.
By way of the staffing, SSA has seen greater than a 12% drop in staffing in simply this yr, which interprets into round 7,000 staff. This can be a actually sudden contraction of the workforce at a time when there are extra individuals turning to the company for assist with more and more advanced wants. We have additionally seen, on account of that, a lack of experience. In order a part of the shedding of SSA workers by layoffs and attrition, we’re seeing that workers used to have many years of expertise and at the moment are making an attempt to be taught and navigate the complexities of Social Safety coverage with rather a lot much less of that information. And that has been very tough for advocates and for purchasers who’re making an attempt to know what they’re eligible for, guarantee that their advantages are maintained and actually entry the companies of SSA.
On high of the staffing loss, SSA made structural selections that additionally lowered their capability even additional. Up to now, we have seen the discount of the variety of regional places of work from 10 right down to 4, and these had been places of work that will take the extra advanced points you might carry it up the chain and have them cope with that. We have additionally seen the closing of a analysis workplace and an workplace that had been devoted to making an attempt to information modernization of the company responsibly. We’re listening to because of this that customer support is basically taking a success. We’re listening to that individuals are ready on maintain for hours, that subject places of work are turning individuals away as a result of they do not have appointments, that appointments will be weeks or months off, and individuals are actually experiencing important delays getting info or having their issues or points resolved.
We expect that that is one thing that’s not essentially one thing that each single workplace sees. It’s one thing that basically depends upon the place individuals are positioned. And so we have heard some individuals are not experiencing these similar points, and others are actually having a extremely massive burden put upon them as a result of they’re simply seeing so many delays and having a lot hassle entering into see somebody at SSA.
One of many ways in which we now have heard that SSA is making an attempt to answer a few of these challenges is thru elevated use of expertise. And expertise, I might say, will be efficient. And I believe that it’s actually necessary that we do attempt to use expertise to reinforce what people are capable of do, however I believe we additionally want to acknowledge that there are important proportion populations of people that for varied causes are much less capable of interact on-line. And this may be older adults who do not have computer systems or use of the web, people who find themselves homeless or do not have a spot that they will go to go surfing, individuals who have disabilities or different sicknesses that make it more durable for them to make use of on-line companies. There are important parts of individuals which might be simply not going to have the ability to use on-line companies in the identical means.
And so I believe that as we have a look at the wants of the populations that SSA serves, we undoubtedly must guarantee that we’re not leaving individuals behind. And only one minor instance of that’s that SSA lately applied an AI bot. And when it first got here out, it actually led to individuals being unable to entry the telephone strains as a result of the bot could not perceive what individuals had been saying or it wasn’t capable of switch individuals to the proper staffer to deal with their issues. And this barrier actually was pointless as a result of it was one thing that would have been deliberate for prematurely. There was a interval of testing that would have taken place. There have been plenty of methods that you may attempt to implement expertise that takes into consideration how individuals may use a service. And so we’re making an attempt to each marry the expertise and in addition the wants of the populations.
So I believe that that’s one thing that as we go ahead, we should actually be careful for. I put right here within the assets a Nationwide Academy of Social Insurance coverage Report that’s about how one can use expertise responsibly and a few of the ways in which expertise will be useful, but in addition a few of the dangers that it poses, together with dangers of inaccessibility and fairness points. So I believe that I will cease there and simply say that we actually have to make sure that our insurance policies and procedures are serving the those who we would like them to serve.
And that is one thing that we’ll simply must maintain seeking to and interested by as SSA continues to make adjustments to its operations over the following couple of years. I’ll now… Oh, subsequent slide, please. I’ll flip it over to Trinh to speak about some coverage adjustments that we have seen prior to now few years.
Trinh Phan: Okay, nice. Hello, my identify is Trinh Phan. I am the Director of State Earnings Safety at Justice in Growing older. And now I’ll rewind the clock to 2024 to share a few of the constructive adjustments that occurred then, which have been serving to people who find themselves coping with overpayments and who’re coping with the very sophisticated SSI guidelines round in-kind revenue. Issues take some time to settle into place and make it into on a regular basis use, so although these adjustments occurred final yr, they’re nonetheless very present for advocates. We’ll begin with the in-kind help rule adjustments. The Social Safety Administration finalized three SSI guidelines which might be lowering limitations and increasing entry to SSI. These guidelines went into impact on September thirtieth, 2024. So at this time is the one-year, two-month, and 10-day anniversary of the adjustments. And in that point, they’ve been altering in-kind help and upkeep determinations for the higher.
To step again a bit, in-kind help and upkeep or ISM is the place SSA will rely sure forms of help as revenue for SSI functions and can scale back the SSI profit by as much as one third in the event that they decide somebody is getting this in-kind assist. To determine if there’s a discount, SSA has to undergo a sophisticated analysis and ask for lots of detailed info from the person. ISM is basically sophisticated, and these 2024 adjustments are very useful as a result of they make ISM less complicated. ISM continues to be not simple to know, however it is a bit simpler now. And these adjustments are additionally serving to extra older adults and people with disabilities to qualify for SSI and obtain the complete profit, and that is placing a lot wanted a reimbursement into individuals’s pockets.
The primary change is that meals now not counts as revenue that reduces the SSI profit. Earlier than, in-kind help was outlined as meals or shelter, another person supplied or paid for, and now in-kind help is shelter solely, not meals. Earlier than, when meals was counted, there had been exclusions for issues like SNAP advantages or meals that you simply get from a meals financial institution or meals pantry, however any meals that didn’t have a selected exclusion might rely as revenue. For instance, meals from household or mates or different individuals you reside with. It was actually invasive to must ask individuals about this, and it made individuals who obtain SSI fear about accepting meals, which isn’t good. Fortunately now, meals, whatever the supply, will not rely in opposition to your SSI profit. In case you stay with roommates, SSA will not ask precisely how the family grocery payments are being cut up, and if a member of the family or good friend buys you lunch, that is fantastic.
Second, SSA made a change to a selected scenario the place somebody who receives SSI as a renter and their landlord is their father or mother or their grownup baby. On this scenario, SSA will scale back the SSI profit in the event that they assume the owner is subsidizing the lease due to that particular household relationship. This places individuals in a tough scenario, particularly individuals who stay in areas with larger housing prices the place they’re actually simply making an attempt to lease a room to their father or mother or baby who receives SSI in order that that particular person is just not unhoused. The simplification that occurred right here is that if the particular person pays lease to their father or mother or baby that is the same as or larger than a set quantity, then SSA won’t scale back the SSI profit. That stated quantity is tied to a particular SSI idea known as the presumed most worth or PMV, which is one-third of the SSI federal profit price plus $20. That comes out to $342.33 for an SSI particular person in 2025. And in 2026, that can go as much as $351.33. This helps individuals maintain their full profit when their member of the family is simply making an attempt to assist them have a spot to stay that they will afford, once more, as long as they’re paying lease of at the least that PMB quantity.
The third change is each essentially the most advanced of the three, and additionally it is an important, in that it helps numerous individuals to not have their SSI profit lowered due to in-kind help. This transformation is about low-income public help households. The fundamental thought behind the general public help family rule is that for households the place everyone seems to be low revenue, there is no must do an intensive analysis to determine who’s offering in-kind help to whom inside that family. SSA will simply depart these households to handle their month-to-month bills internally and won’t scale back the SSI profit as a consequence of in-kind help from different family members. That is very useful as a result of plenty of instances individuals handle their inside funds in a means that is sensible for his or her family, nevertheless it does not match nicely into the ISM analysis guidelines. Making an attempt to really comply with the ISM guidelines can really feel such as you’re doing actually sophisticated taxes. That is arduous for everybody, together with low-income seniors and other people with disabilities who obtain SSI. And so it is a lot less complicated to only depart it to those low-income households to determine who does what and who pays what.
SSA made two adjustments to the general public help family rule. First, they added Supplemental Vitamin Help Program or SNAP advantages, also referred to as meals stamps, as a public help profit. Transferring again a bit, public help profit has a selected which means in SSI. It means one in all a sure variety of public help applications, which embrace, amongst different advantages, SSI, momentary help for needy households, normal help, state and native authorities help, Veterans Administration advantages based mostly on want, or now SNAP. So now receiving SNAP can qualify a family for this rule. Second, a public help family is now one the place at the least one different family member receives a public help profit. The prior rule required that or not it’s everybody within the family. These two adjustments are nice and permit many extra individuals to make use of the rule.
Here is an instance of how this performs out. You might need a low revenue family the place when you had been simply taking a look at their revenue, the entire family would undoubtedly qualify for a public help profit. SNAP, for instance. However one family member doesn’t obtain SNAP. Possibly they seem to be a school pupil, however they do not fairly meet all the necessities for faculty college students to obtain SNAP. Possibly their particular immigration standing makes them not eligible, or perhaps they do not need to apply as a result of they don’t seem to be snug receiving a public profit for themself. In any case, you’ve a low revenue family the place some individuals do obtain SNAP, however one particular person doesn’t. And earlier than, these homes couldn’t use this rule. Now with the change, these low revenue homes can use the rule as a result of now you simply want to indicate that at the least one different family member receives a public help profit.
The general public help family rule change helps lots of people. And for advocates, I believe it adjustments what ISM work seems to be like. Now, while you see somebody with an ISM discount, ask your self if the brand new function solves the issue. Does this particular person match into the brand new function or can you alter one thing in order that they match into the brand new function? This can be a nice alternative to display screen individuals to verify they are not lacking out on advantages that may assist them, as a result of that may additionally permit them to make use of this rule. For instance, older adults are very under-enrolled in SNAP. Solely 30% of older adults who qualify for SNAP are literally enrolled. If there’s an older grownup in a family who is not receiving SNAP, it is at all times good to be screening for that in any case. And now there’s an extra SSI-related purpose to guarantee that everybody who qualifies for SNAP and different advantages is aware of concerning the applications and how one can apply for them.
There is a hyperlink on this slide to a brand new useful resource that we simply launched final week on the fundamentals of the in-kind help guidelines. The adjustments I simply described are a part of the broader ISM universe, and this new useful resource describes what that complete ISM universe seems to be like now at a fundamental three to four-page stage. We hope it is a useful information and reminder of the ISM guidelines and the current adjustments.
Now, heading over to overpayment coverage adjustments. SSA made quite a lot of adjustments in 2024 to cut back the burden of SSI and Social Safety overpayments. Typically talking, what these adjustments did is to broaden the pool of people that have entry to choices to cope with an overpayment. Folks theoretically at all times have choices to cope with an overpayment, however asking for an enchantment waiver will be too tough to handle, particularly if you do not have somebody serving to you, and many individuals find yourself not truly benefiting from these choices. So SSA made quite a lot of enhancements to computerized and decrease barrier choices, and since these choices are simple to make use of or simply taking place mechanically, which means many extra individuals are truly benefiting from them.
The primary change was about fee plans. SSA has a simplified course of to request a fee plan over an extended time period, they usually elevated the fee time interval for the simplified course of, so now you should utilize it to request a fee plan of as much as 5 years. Beforehand, this had been three years. SSA additionally made a change to permit extra small greenback overpayments to be waived by a simplified course of. What is taken into account small underneath this rule was once $1,000 and SSA elevated that to $2,000. So in case you have an overpayment that’s mainly a month or two of advantages, you may be capable of get waived underneath this easy course of.
And in addition for somebody who’s requesting that an overpayment be waived, one of many issues that SSA will have a look at is fault. Folks have at all times discovered it very obscure the precise methods SSA seems to be at fault in these overpayment instances. So right here, SSA labored to make issues extra rational and supply a extra impartial and honest method in assessing the circumstances round overpayments that acknowledges how sophisticated overpayments are for anybody to know, and particularly for low-income seniors and other people with disabilities. And at last, there was a change in 2024 the place SSA started offering a extra cheap default withholding for sure beneficiaries who earlier than had been having their full month-to-month verify withheld.
Stepping again a bit, in case you have an overpayment and you’re at the moment receiving SSI, SSA will mechanically withhold 10% of your month-to-month verify to begin amassing on the overpayment. That is SSI. In distinction, if you’re at the moment receiving Social Safety retirement, incapacity, or survivor’s advantages, then what SSA would do earlier than was to mechanically withhold your whole verify to begin amassing on the overpayment, and that in fact would trigger very comprehensible chaos for the particular person. In 2024, SSA decreased the default computerized withholding to 10% of the verify for these beneficiaries. And once more, this transformation impacts individuals at the moment receiving retirement, incapacity or survivor’s advantages. In case you at the moment obtain SSI, computerized withholding was at all times at 10% and nothing modified there. However for the individuals who had been affected, 10% was a way more cheap default withholding quantity, and it saved individuals from dropping into quick disaster.
After which in 2025, we noticed two adjustments to that first returning to 100% of full withholding beginning March twenty seventh, then going to 50% withholding beginning April twenty fifth. 50% default withholding for retirement, incapacity and survivors advantages or overpayments is the place we at the moment are, and that’s higher than withholding all the verify. Nonetheless, individuals usually do rely on that month-to-month verify for basic items like paying their lease. And in order that signifies that even 50% of the verify is just not manageable for a lot of seniors and other people with disabilities in that regard. Hopefully in time, we’ll see SSA carry that down some extra, and we’ll see extra adjustments that make overpayments extra comprehensible and fewer burdensome to seniors and other people with disabilities. And now for the following slide, I will cross it again to Tracey.
Tracey Gronniger: Thanks, Trinh. I needed to take a second to speak about some potential function adjustments that we noticed that will have actually essentially altered who qualifies for incapacity advantages. So I’ll discuss particularly one thing you all could have heard of known as the Mega-Reg, which might have modified how SSA thought-about age and training when figuring out eligibility for incapacity advantages. After which I’ll flip it again over to Trent to speak a few proposed rule that we’re nonetheless anticipating to see and are hoping to actually push again on. The Mega-Reg was a rule, like I stated, that will have made eligibility for incapacity advantages made the regulation change in order that age and training had been much less necessary and fewer of a consider figuring out incapacity. The results of this proposal would have been an general discount within the eligibility of latest candidates by about 20% general. And for older adults specifically, it will have been a discount of as much as 30% for individuals over age 50.
This translated into over one million individuals dropping eligibility based mostly on simply altering the components for the way you identify who qualifies as disabled. And actually for older staff specifically, it will’ve been particularly dangerous as a result of for individuals who labored in notably bodily jobs reminiscent of nursing or building or different jobs that required plenty of bodily exercise, they might’ve needed to mainly scrape by and wait to obtain early retirement advantages relatively than receiving incapacity, which is one thing that many individuals depend on, particularly as they’re getting older and adjustments are taking place they usually’re experiencing the onset of various circumstances. For individuals who settle for, who take early retirement, the precise profit that they obtain is about 30% lower than what they might have obtained if they’d certified for incapacity. And so this actually would’ve had a really adverse and dangerous influence on, like I stated, over one million individuals.
Now, I discuss this as a result of that is truly one of many highlights or a constructive story that we now have to inform for 2025 as a result of there was sturdy advocacy from getting older and incapacity organizations amongst others. There was public training from specialists and from researchers, specifically, a report from the City Institute that talked concerning the influence of this proposal, after which additionally a number of media protection that basically highlighted the influence on older staff. And due to this, SSA ended up scrapping this proposal and saying that they weren’t going to maneuver ahead with these adjustments and that due to this fact we can’t see older staff who’re dropping entry to incapacity advantages just because SSA determined to alter its coverage. And I actually needed to take the second to speak about that as a result of it reveals how with public strain and actually listening to specific points, we are able to typically have a extremely necessary influence and assist the individuals who really want it essentially the most.
And I do know that there is a lot that’s taking place that we’re all actually pissed off by, however I believe it will be negligent of us to not take only a second to actually rejoice that we had been capable of cease this rule. And now that is the excellent news. I’ll flip it over again to Trinh to speak for a second about some work that is nonetheless left to be accomplished when it comes to SSA insurance policies and rules.
Trinh Phan: Okay. So on the much less excellent news finish, and simply briefly, one other space that SSA has flagged is the general public help family rule. This rule was finalized final yr and SSA has indicated that they need to rescind it. As I discussed earlier, this rule is extremely useful. As soon as totally applied, it is estimated that it’s going to assist practically 400,000 individuals to obtain the complete SSI profit or to qualify for some SSI. This transformation is making an enormous distinction in these irritating, complicated, and typically unimaginable ISM conditions, and it’s eradicating ISM reductions for a lot of older adults and people with disabilities. It is price being conscious of the potential of the rule being rescinded whereas additionally retaining in thoughts that we have no idea if that can transfer ahead or not. It is also price retaining in thoughts that the brand new and higher rule is in impact proper now. And one factor we are able to do is to verify individuals find out about it as a result of the extra individuals who know concerning the rule, the extra individuals who can profit. One other bonus of outreach is that it helps individuals to know the worth of the rule and what’s at stake if the rule is rescinded.
And now onto the following slide, the-
Tracey Gronniger: I believe we’re already-
Trinh Phan: Yeah, we’re switching it up and speaking concerning the SSI asset restrict. Specifically, an upcoming change that can assist many individuals to save cash above the very low SSI asset restrict. And that’s elevated to the eligibility age for ABLE accounts. To start out from the start, the Reaching a Higher Life Expertise or ABLE Act permits individuals whose incapacity started earlier than a selected age to open ABLE accounts and save as much as $100,000 in these accounts with out affecting eligibility for SSI and with out affecting eligibility for many different federal public advantages as nicely. However since this presentation is for individuals working with SSI and Social Safety, essentially the most related facet is that important safety from the SSI asset restrict.
The historical past of this transformation is that in 2022, the end-of-year appropriations invoice included a provision to extend that particular incapacity onset age from earlier than age 26 to earlier than age 46, with this transformation turning into efficient in 2026. That was in 2022, and now 2026 is lastly upon us. It’s estimated that this transformation will make six million extra individuals eligible for ABLE accounts, together with one million veterans. The six million newly eligible individuals are not all receiving SSI, however there are undoubtedly plenty of SSI recipients within the combine. What this implies is that beginning in 2026, in order that’s subsequent month, there’s a change to the age threshold to open an ABLE account. Proper now, the brink is that the particular person’s incapacity needed to have begun earlier than age 26 to open an ABLE account. And beginning in January, individuals whose incapacity started earlier than age 46 can open ABLE accounts.
That is actually nice information. Many extra individuals will be capable of use this feature now, together with seemingly a few of your shoppers. ABLE accounts have been round for a decade now. They are often actually useful when individuals have an SSI useful resource difficulty due to a small inheritance or different sudden useful resource, and you are attempting to determine a means for them to carry onto that useful resource and the safety that useful resource represents to them. And now when you think about choices, take into consideration if the particular person’s incapacity started earlier than the age of 46, making them eligible to save lots of that cash in an ABLE account. You may present that incapacity started earlier than age 46 by exhibiting that you simply obtain Social Safety Incapacity advantages or SSI based mostly on incapacity, or by having your physician signal a incapacity certificates stating that you’ve a everlasting incapacity that causes marked or extreme practical limitations and which started earlier than age 46.
So what are ABLE accounts precisely? At a fairly fundamental stage, an ABLE account is simply an extra financial savings account you’ll be able to open up to save cash into, and you should utilize cash in that account to pay for belongings you want. So if you have already got a checking account now, you’ll have your common checking account, after which additionally the ABLE Financial savings account. There are guidelines about how a lot cash you and different individuals can put into that ABLE account every year. The contribution restrict is pretty excessive, particularly in comparison with how the common SSI asset restrict is. However for instance, the fundamental contribution restrict this yr is $19,000. After which in 2026, it goes as much as $20,000. On high of that, if somebody works and does not contribute to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, they will contribute an extra chunk above that. You may have as much as $100,000 within the ABLE account and nonetheless maintain your SSI.
You should use the cash within the account for issues that enhance the standard of life for the person, what they name certified incapacity bills. The principles round what’s a certified incapacity expense are pretty cheap. For instance, you should utilize it to pay for meals or shelter bills, like utilizing it to pay your lease and utilities. You open up an ABLE account with an ABLE plan. ABLE plans must be arrange by a state. Most all the states provide ABLE funds, so chances are high your state has one. It may be a good suggestion to have a look at your state plan first to see if it affords incentives or protections for in state residents. For instance, quite a lot of state plans present safety in opposition to Medicaid payback, which will be an necessary consideration.
In case your state doesn’t have a plan, many ABLE plans additionally settle for out of-state residents. Many plans additionally embrace funding choices. If you wish to make investments the cash within the account and investments which might be provided by that ABLE plan, you’ll be able to select to take action, and any earnings from the account are tax-free when you use them to pay for a certified incapacity expense. Now is a good time to be taught extra about ABLE accounts, even when so far you have not seen many people who find themselves ABLE eligible. Going ahead, that may change as a result of so many extra individuals will now be eligible. For instance, with an estimated a million veterans with disabilities turning into eligible, veteran-serving organizations are a brand new outreach space, however an excellent variety of eligible veterans might need already come to you as a service supplier in one other space. For instance, when you serve people who find themselves unhoused, together with disabled veterans. So now ABLE accounts are one thing so that you can find out about simply because out of the blue an excellent variety of the individuals you already work with might now open one in all these accounts.
I believe step one is simply ensuring individuals know what ABLE accounts are. The ABLE Nationwide Useful resource Middle web site has plenty of fundamental info in addition to detailed info. There’s additionally an ABLE Immediately web site that is www.ABLEtoday.org. It is run by the Nationwide Affiliation of State Treasurers, which is an effective useful resource as a result of it’s the state treasurers who’re managing the state ABLE applications. That may be an excellent place to search out normal info as nicely. You possibly can additionally attempt reaching out to a contact at your state ABLE plan to see what assist they will provide with outreach and training. Now is a good time for everybody to be interested by outreach to verify all of the individuals who newly qualify have the data and help they should resolve if an ABLE account is sensible for them.
So in conclusion, it is a nice new possibility beginning subsequent yr that may relieve the harshness of the low SSI asset restrict and assist individuals to save cash, pay for what they want and plan for the longer term. Once more, as long as they’re in that particular class of individuals whose incapacity started earlier than the age of 46. I will cross it again to Tracey.
Tracey Gronniger: Thanks, Trinh. I needed to speak a few proposal, a invoice that will deal with one thing that ABLE is just not at the moment capable of have an effect on. The issue with ABLE in some conditions is, to Trinh’s level, individuals might not be coated. Additionally, there is a stage of complexity to having to take steps proactively to create an account. And for some individuals, these steps will be actually prohibitive and tough. One factor that we want to see is only a broadening mechanically and categorically of the people who find themselves capable of save so as to meet their wants. The SSI Financial savings Penalty Elimination Act is a proposal that we now have been advocating for, and that really at the moment has bipartisan help in Congress, in each the Home and the Senate. And it will elevate the asset restrict for all SSI recipients to $10,000 for a person and $20,000 for a pair. And it doesn’t, as you’ll be able to inform, go as excessive as ABLE when it comes to the quantity that folks can put away, nevertheless it does considerably elevate the present limits.
The present limits have not been modified since 1989. So you’ll be able to think about how rather more that was for individuals over 35 years in the past, how rather more it was for them to have the ability to save and to have the ability to use for no matter emergencies or different bills got here up. The invoice would additionally alter the asset restrict quantity for inflation yearly. So we would not find yourself within the place that we’re in now the place it has been a couple of many years and the quantity is not altering and is dropping its capability to assist individuals put apart a big sum of money. There are plenty of causes that I believe this invoice is sensible and why it has bipartisan help. One among them is simply that we need to permit individuals, low revenue, individuals with disabilities, older adults, to have the ability to be ready and make their very own sound monetary determination in order that when one thing comes up like a house restore or a automotive restore or simply the bills of life, they’ve some form of cushion that they will go to in order that they are not in fixed financial peril. The aim right here is for individuals to have one thing in order that they will lower your expenses and never worry dropping their advantages.
The opposite purpose that I believe the proposal is sensible is as a result of there’s additionally an administrative burden that’s on SSA to trace month-to-month bills and actually maintain this type of microscopic eye on individuals’s month-to-month funds that is not truly useful and might trigger plenty of overpayments and errors which might be taxing to the company unnecessarily. And we see that they’re already burdened by different issues. That is one thing that I believe we might do that will assist the company and would assist SSI recipients and their households to have the ability to have a bit of extra stability. So to the extent that you’re ready and , while you speak to individuals in Congress, or if you’re writing letters or speaking about methods to enhance the SSI program, that is a technique that you may recommend that will actually make a distinction and create a bit of bit extra respiratory room for people who find themselves receiving SSI and are additionally making an attempt to avoid wasting cash. So subsequent slide.
All proper. I believe we’re on the questions portion and we’ll attempt to get by some questions. We additionally noticed there are a good variety of detailed eventualities within the questions that we obtained, and I need to use this chance to plug our case session service. So when you electronic mail Data@JusticeInAging.org with particular questions, we are able to attempt to put you in contact with Trinh or me or another person or somebody who can deal with particular questions. We will attempt to maintain it a bit of extra normal for these questions, however hopefully that can nonetheless be useful. I’ll begin… Let’s have a look at, plenty of these questions are for Trinh, so I’ll simply begin throwing a few of them out. Oh, this one is a straightforward one. It was, what was the 2026 quantity of PMV?
Trinh Phan: The 2026 quantity for the PMV is $351.33 for an SSI particular person.
Tracey Gronniger: One other ISM query. Does the ISM rule for lease being over the PMV solely apply if they’re renting to a father or mother or baby, or might it apply to a brother, sister, or perhaps a good friend?
Trinh Phan: Yeah, I believe it actually applies to that father or mother or baby landlord. And the rationale why is as a result of it was solely that particular relationship that had this additional burdensome function. So when you had been renting from anyone else, your grandparent, your brother or sister, any random particular person, you’ll simply run by the common ISM rental legal responsibility guidelines, and it will be fantastic. So it isn’t going to get any worse in any of different locations. What that modified it’s simply to make that one particular scenario that had this additional burdensome rule, much less arduous. So that you’re renting from a father or mother or a baby, you may make certain to have a look at that rule so that you perceive how Social Safety’s going to have a look at it and what you are able to do to ensure you’re paying what you should additionally be capable of maintain your full profit.
Tracey Gronniger: And I believe that is the final ISM query. In case your group has a fund to assist shoppers with emergency conditions like automotive repairs, tows, paying electrical energy payments, again lease, giving Visa reward playing cards for individuals to make use of as they please, does that rely as in-kind help?
Trinh Phan: There’s truly a selected exclusion for help from nonprofits. And so when you’re a nonprofit and also you’re offering help, so within the sophisticated ISM universe is exclusions and issues that do not rely. So that you’re taking a look at for the help and upkeep help exclusion of their roles. It excludes assist from nonprofits for a fairly broad vary of help. So check out that. And I believe plenty of what you talked about with mentioning the query must be coated by [inaudible 00:45:18].
Tracey Gronniger: And that is one thing that is included… That is one thing we are able to add to the assets that we ship out later additionally.
Trinh Phan: Yeah. Tracey, there are additionally quite a lot of questions on how advocates ought to cope with customer support points as a consequence of adjustments at SSA, any suggestions on what to do when somebody on the subject workplace is just not responding to… Social Safety subject workplace is not responding to letters or calls on a difficulty you are making an attempt to assist a consumer with. Do you’ve any suggestions for that?
Tracey Gronniger: Yeah, that is one thing actually that we now have been listening to plenty of lately. The delays are intense. The power of the workers to have interaction has been actually short-circuited. One of many issues that we now have heard that may be useful goes by the regional communications administrators. So now there’s details about regional communications administrators who can attempt that can assist you deal with your considerations. And I can not assure that that is going to be the be all, finish all reply, however it’s one other avenue that you may attempt to get virtually like an escalation of your difficulty. That is a spot that it’s best to undoubtedly attain out. I believe one other factor is that advocates have actually simply stated that it takes a lot extra time and power to get by and speak to individuals, however that it makes a distinction as a result of the advocates are knowledgeable they usually know what the foundations are presupposed to be.
And as I discussed, individuals at the moment are, at SSA, overworked. The workers is just not essentially working in an space that they’ve as a lot expertise in. And so you should have an enormous vary of individuals and capability and time and power and information. And so your work as an advocate is so crucial. You could be the one who’s informing the SSA staffer a few specific rule or telling them about one thing that has occurred that will have an effect on how they’re working. And that is a extremely necessary function that you may play and one thing that we’re actually concerned about listening to about. In order you are having these sorts of points, telling us what you are experiencing will be actually useful as a result of we do take that info and we use it in our advocacy to speak about why SSA wants extra funding, why they need to be targeted on ensuring that their workers is skilled on specific points, why they can not merely depend on expertise to reply all of their issues.
And so I suppose my reply is type of attempt persistence, regional communications administrators telling us about what points you are dealing with, making an attempt to escalate in these methods will be useful and they are often one thing that is likely to be efficient, however we hear you when it comes to the challenges that you simply’re dealing with proper now and it’s actually tough.
Trinh Phan: Yeah. And there are additionally a few questions concerning the new regional workplace construction, what the brand new regional places of work are and so forth.
Tracey Gronniger: So there are individuals who cowl varied regional places of work. And so within the hyperlink that I despatched, you will see that the regional places of work, the places of work are damaged out into specific areas, however the individuals that you simply attain out to will be the similar. And so there’s plenty of dialogue in SSA that’s popping out about how they will construction the workload in order that a few of the capability for under-resourced areas will be assisted with different areas which have extra capability. And they also’re doing plenty of restructuring throughout the company, which might make it a bit of tough for individuals externally to see precisely how they’re fixing or altering or making an attempt to cowl the work. However to the extent that you should utilize this info, for instance, reaching out to the regional communications director who’s overlaying the Midwest area, that is one thing that you are able to do to attempt to get help.
Let’s have a look at. Oh, this is a query about SNAP and it asks, might you say, what’s the supply for the 30% of people who find themselves older utilizing SNAP?
Trinh Phan: That was from a 2024 report by the Nationwide Council on Growing older that was developed with the City Institute, and I will put that within the chat. I will put a hyperlink to that within the chat.
Tracey Gronniger: Oh, somebody requested, that is form of a pleasant broad query. Simply explaining the general public help family rule, how it’s useful, what it’s. I suppose a bit of extra background to clarify why we wish that rule to remain the identical.
Trinh Phan: Okay. So what it’s? So what the change was. Oh, so there are two adjustments. One is it added SNAP as a public help profit, and two, it modified it, so as an alternative of getting to have all members of the family obtain one of many public help advantages, you simply must have at the least one family member. And each of these are actually important expansions as a result of SNAP, you’ve much more individuals who perhaps they do not obtain SSI or TANF, however they do obtain SNAP, and in order that brings extra households in. After which the second, it additionally helps increase it due to all these conditions the place not everyone seems to be receiving it for lots of actually good causes, although they’re undoubtedly nonetheless low revenue. And so that you’re ready to herald these households which might be undoubtedly, they’re low revenue, they’ve simply this bizarre structural difficulty the place they are not capable of all obtain SNAP, for instance.
I believe with the brand new adjustments in HR1, we’ll see extra of these the place you’ve extra households the place you’ve a family member dropping SNAP due to a kind of adjustments in HR1. So we’ll see extra of those uneven households the place it is a low-income family, everybody qualifies, everybody wants assist with help, however solely sure individuals truly are receiving that help. So I believe it is a actually important change as a result of many extra individuals could have the general public help rule be relevant to them, which means they will keep away from an ISM discount. After which even specifically going ahead, simply it is a actually necessary stability for these households to know that they will maintain onto their full SSI profit.
Tracey Gronniger: Yeah. I’ll change it up. I believe we now have time for at the least another query. Sorry, it is arduous to learn the questions and get the gist. This one is about, is the $19,000/$20,000 annual contribution restrict for ABLE accounts for every particular person who contributes to an ABLE account or for everybody who is likely to be contributing to the particular person’s ABLE account?
Trinh Phan: That 19,000 or 20,000 is for whole. So the contributions which might be coming from you because the account holder, from the opposite individuals within the family, or simply from household or mates, not from every particular person. However along with the 19,000 or 20,000, when you’re working, you can too probably contribute a piece above that. So I believe there’s some planning round when you’re interested by contribution limits and approaching them, if there’s a way to determine one of the simplest ways to do the contributions to maximise contributions in a yr.
Tracey Gronniger: I believe that’s the most I can do with the questions that I see. We are going to undergo and have a look at the opposite questions, and we’ll ship out supplies so that you’ve extra details about these varied insurance policies and what we have been engaged on, however we actually need to thanks all for taking part at this time. It has been actually useful to see your questions and feedback, and we hope that we are able to come again and do that once more and actually maintain you knowledgeable about what is going on on at SSA as issues are altering. So thanks all for becoming a member of, and I hope you all have a extremely nice vacation.
