Many New Yorkers Could Lose SSI Benefits Under New Rules

There's bad news for New Yorkers who receive Supplemental Security Income, also known as SSI. The current administration is looking to make rule changes that could reduce benefits for many elderly and disabled New Yorkers. Many programs that benefit the poor and working poor are being cut or eliminated. This is not coming from the State of New York; the federal government has proposed the rule change.

As working New Yorkers struggle, this change could hurt the vulnerable among us who may not have the ability or opportunity to work. It seems that low-income New Yorkers are the target of resource cuts and increased taxes, not billionaires. The federal government now seems to be hyper focused on taking away resources from the elderly, disabled, children, and low-income people.

We've spent hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on golfing (an estimated $77 million), rained out military parades (between $25 and $45 million), rolling out the red carpet for a dictator ($2 million), paying the National Guard to pick up trash in Washington, DC ($1 million per day), and for certain officials to go on multiple vacations. But, I guess it's the responsibility of the less fortunate to cover the cost of all those things, right?

KEEP READING: New York Is Holding Onto Residents’ Money

Federal Government Is Targeting SSI Benefits, Reducing A Lifeline For New Yorkers

The federal rule change will essentially punish people who are poor and/or disabled. It will reduce or eliminate SSI benefits for hundreds of thousands of people, according to Newsweek. As if it's not already difficult to make ends meet, the federal government is hell-bent on making it harder. Under the current rule,

"SSI benefits can be reduced by up to one-third—about $300 if receiving the maximum benefit of $967 per month—if recipients receive 'in-kind support and maintenance', such as housing or food from relatives. Benefits may also be reduced based on the income of a parent or spouse."

But the current administration is looking to hold SNAP benefits of a household against SSI recipients. If they live in a household that receives SNAP, those benefits could reduce their SSI benefits, per the Center on Budget and Policies Priorities.

KEEP READING: How Little Money Do You Have To Make In New York To Be 'Poor'?

Here is an example of how the rule could significantly hurt elderly and disabled New Yorkers,

"Consider an adult with Down Syndrome requiring daily support from her parents, who themselves have low incomes and receive SNAP. Today, her monthly SSI benefit is $967, the full federal benefit rate — which is only about three-quarters of the poverty line for a single person. But because she lives with her parents, the expected Trump rule would subject her to the in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) penalty, which would count the cash value of her bedroom and reduce her SSI benefit. She could see her benefits slashed by one-third, leaving her with less than $700 a month to get by."

In New York, there were 559,604 people who received SSI in 2024.

Aged - 113,359
Blind and disabled - 446,245
Under 18 - 69,745
18–64 - 255,733
65 or older - 234,126

Many of them, who also live in a household that receives SNAP, could see their benefits reduced due to the federal rule change being implementedby the current administration.  The maximum SSI benefit equals $11,604, $4,046 less than the annual income that's considered the poverty level.

For 2025, a New Yorker who earns $1,304.17 or $15,650 per year is considered poor.

This rule change clearly targets people who live below the poverty level. It is targeting people who likely cannot work. It is targeting people who are already struggling. The budget savings from cutting SSI will not even put a small dent in the skyrocketing national debt. But, it will harm people who already face enough challenges surviving on next to nothing each month.

You can read more about how the proposed rule will affect SSI recipients here.

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