A senator from Ohio has renewed his efforts to increase the asset cap that applies to individuals receiving Supplemental Security Income payments. The current federal limits for people to get these funds is $2,000 for a single person and $3,000 for a married couple. If people exceed those asset limits, then they are not eligible for SSI benefits. The limits were established in 1989, so the senator has called them out of date and arbitrary.
He says such a low asset limit prevents those who receive SSI benefits from saving, making them prone to problems in case of emergency. His proposed legislation, called the Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act, would increase the asset limits to $10,000 for a single person and $20,000 for a married couple. The senator has introduced the bill repeatedly since 2014. Other provisions of the legislation include an allowance for SSI recipients to earn up to $399 each month and to receive up to $123 each month from veterans programs or pensions without endangering their benefit payments.
For approximately 60% of the people who receive SSI benefits, those payments are their only source of income. The average monthly benefit across the program is $558 monthly for a single person and $1,157 monthly for a married couple. The maximum SSI benefit available to a single person is $771 per month.
People in Ohio who have questions about SSI or other government benefit programs might want to speak with a lawyer. A lawyer who has experience handling SSI cases might help by examining the client’s situation and communicating with government officials to secure payments. A lawyer may draft and file the necessary legal documentation to state a claim for SSI benefits, argue on the client’s behalf during official proceedings or file an appeal following a denial of benefits.