SSI and Children with Disabilities: Just the Facts
End Notes
[1] Nicholas D. Kristof, “Profiting From a Child’s Illiteracy,” New York Times, December 7, 2012.
[2] For more background about SSI, see Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, “Introduction to the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Program,” January 10, 2011, https://www.cbpp.org/cms/index.cfm?fa=view&id=3367.
[3] Social Security Administration, “SSI Monthly Statistics, October 2012,” http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_monthly/2012-10/index.html; Office of the Chief Actuary, Annual Report of the Supplemental Security Income Program, May 2012, Table IV.B7, http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ssir/SSI12/ssi2012.pdf.
[4] The rate of child poverty rose gradually from 16.2 percent in 2000 to 19 percent in 2008, then spurted to about 22 percent in both 2010 and 2011. See www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/data/historical/hstpov3.xls.
[5] Shawn Fremstad and Rebecca Vallas, “Supplemental Security Income for Children with Disabilities,” National Academy of Social Insurance, November 2012, http://www.nasi.org/sites/default/files/research/SSI_For_Children_Disabilities.pdf.
[6] Annual Report, Table V.C2.
[7] Code of Federal Regulations, § 416.994a.
[8] Annual Report, Table V.D3.
[9] Average amount from SSI Monthly Statistics, October 2012; maximum amount from SSI Federal Payment Amounts, 1975-2013, http://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/SSIamts.html.
[10] CBPP analysis of the March 2010 Current Population Survey and SSI income data from the Urban Institute/HHS Transfer Income Model version 3, downloaded from the TRIM3 project website, trim3.urban.org, on 12-10-12. This result is consistent with earlier statistics presented in Anne DeCesaro and Jeffrey Hemmeter, “Characteristics of Noninstitutionalized DI and SSI Program Participants,” Social Security Administration Research and Statistics Note No. 2008-02, Table 11, http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/rsnotes/rsn2008-02.html.
[11] Mark Stabile and Sara Allin, “The Economic Costs of Childhood Disability,” in Future of Children, Volume 22 Number 1 Spring 2012, http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journals/journal_details/index.xml?journalid=77.
[12] Arloc Sherman, “Poverty in Early Childhood Has Long and Harmful Reach,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Off the Charts blog, March 15, 2011, http://www.offthechartsblog.org/poverty-in-early-childhood-has-long-and-harmful-reach/.
[13] Susan L. Parish et al., cited in Fremstad and Vallas.
[14] A summary of these so-called “deeming” rules may be found at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/ssi/text-child-ussi.htm.
[15] Social Security Administration, SSI Annual Statistical Report, 2011 (September 2012), Tables 25 and 26, http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2011/.
[16] Christopher Georges, “A Media Crusade Gone Haywire,” Forbes Media Critic, September 1995; U.S. General Accounting Office, B-271255 (March 5, 1996) (letter report to Rep. Lincoln); U.S. General Accounting Office, “Social Security: New Functional Assessment Process” (February 1995); U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, “Concerns about the Participation of Children with Disabilities in the Supplemental Security Program,” A-03-94-02602 (October 1994); Social Security Administration, “Findings from the Study of Title XVI Childhood Disability Claims” (May 1994).
[17] “Supplemental Security Income: Better Management Oversight Needed for Children’s Benefits,” U.S. Government Accountability Office, June 2012, http://www.gao.gov/assets/600/591872.pdf.
[18] Kalman Rupp et al., “A Profile of Children with Disabilities Receiving SSI: Highlights from the National Survey of SSI Children and Families,” Social Security Bulletin, Vol. 66 No. 2, 2005/2006, http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v66n2/v66n2p21.html.
[19] Social Security Administration, “Annual Report of Continuing Disability Reviews,” May 1, 2012, http://www.socialsecurity.gov/legislation/FY%202010%20CDR%20Report.pdf.
[20] Letter from Douglas W. Elmendorf, Director, Congressional Budget Office, to the Honorable John Boehner and the Honorable Harry Reid, August 1, 2011, http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/cbofiles/ftpdocs/123xx/doc12357/budgetcontrolactaug1.pdf.
[21] Kathy A. Ruffing, “Social Security Disability Insurance is Vital to Workers With Severe Impairments,” Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 9, 2012, https://www.cbpp.org/cms/?fa=view&id=3818.