Senators seek details on SSA’s plan to modernize and simplify disability benefits applications – By Natalie Alms (Nextgov) / Aug 15, 2023
Three Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee asked the Social Security Administration for details on improvements to the Supplemental Security Income application.
Three Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee are pressing the Social Security Administration for more details about its efforts to simplify the application for Supplemental Security Income, or SSI.
The benefit is for elderly adults, as well as adults and children with disabilities or blindness who meet certain low-income thresholds.
“SSI claimants face significant administrative barriers to accessing this critical lifeline,” Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Bob Casey, D-Pa., and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, wrote in an Aug. 8 letter to acting SSA commissioner Kilolo Kijakazi.
“In addition to the program’s stringent income and asset limits, the current SSI application form for evaluating non-medical eligibility criteria is over 20 pages long, and in paper form,” the letter continues. “It is more important than ever that the SSI program is modernized and accessible to all Americans…to expand access for disabled individuals seeking to apply for SSI benefits while lowering administrative costs.”
