Social Security rule change? How proposed SSI cuts could hit 400,000 disabled and elderly people

The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides monthly financial assistance to disabled and elderly Americans who have little to no income or resources. While the payments aren’t very much, up to $994 for an eligible individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple in 2026, they provide a lifeline to the roughly 7.4 million beneficiaries in the United States.

However, a rule change that the Trump administration is contemplating could result in 400,000 SSI recipients either being cut from the program or seeing their benefit reduced.

Which low-income, disable Americans could lose SSI assistance

In order to qualify for SSI, the Social Security Administration does a thorough analysis of a claimant’s finances, assets and income. One of the forms of income that the agency takes into account is “in-kind support and maintenance,” which can include “food, shelter or both that you get for free or for less than its fair market value,” states the SSA.

So that means SSI beneficiaries that live with a family member rent free, have their value of that room and board deducted from the maximum amount of SSI benefits that they can receive. However, there is an exception to this rule for SSI beneficiaries that live with a family member that receives public assistance like Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) payments.

These households are considered too financially precarious to financially support an SSI recipient. This helps ensure that these disabled or indigent elderly family members are less likely to face homelessness or require institutional care.

The benefits for all involved are enormous. Besides being better for the SSI beneficiary to live with family than in an institution, or God forbid the street, it saves taxpayers hundreds of dollars. ProPublica gave the example of one SSI beneficiary who could lose her benefits under the proposed rule change that her monthly benefit costs taxpayers $11, but if she were to have to be housed in a care facility, it would cost taxpayers hundreds of dollars.

For the moment, the change is being reviewed by the White House Office of Management and Budget. ProPublica says that it could take until next year to finalize the regulation “depending on the amount of opposition it faces.” Once the OMB finishes with the draft legislation, it will be handed over to the SSA to be published at which point their will be a period when the public can make their comments heard.

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