Supplemental Security Income and State Supplemental Payment

1. SSI Background
   1. SSI provides federal cash benefits for basic needs to individuals, couples, and children who meet the federal disability criteria as aged, blind, or disabled and have limited income and resources.
2. SSP Background
   1. When federal SSI began, the SSI payment was less than the state disability payment.  The state supplemented the SSI payment to make up the difference.  We call these SSI clients Mandatory Income Level (MIL) SSI clients.
   2. The state must guarantee that these SSI recipients never receive less than they received from the state in December 1973.
3. Federal Disability Criteria
   1. Refer to  WAC 388-511-1105
4. Other SSI Criteria
   1. Essential Person
      1. A person living in the home and needed in the home to care for the SSI client. SSI included essential persons in the federal benefit payment.
   2. An Ineligible Spouse is a spouse of an SSI client, who is not eligible for SSI benefits.  This may include:
      1. A spouse who is relatable to SSI but chooses to be an ineligible spouse, or
      2. A spouse who has not applied for SSI, or
      3. A spouse who has applied for SSI and is waiting for Social Security to make a decision.
   3. Citizenship
      1. SSI clients must meet SSI citizenship criteria, or
      2. SSI clients must meet SSI lawful admittance status criteria.
   4. Refer to WAC 388-474-0015 for more SSI eligibility criteria.
5. SSP Benefit Amount
   1. The department determines the SSP benefit amount.  Refer to WAC 388-478-0055.
   2. The SSI payment and the ineligible spouse or essential person SSP payments belong to the SSI client.
6. SSI and SSP Issuances
   1. SSA issues SSI payments to clients, and
   2. DSHS issues SSP payments to clients.

Worker Responsibilities - WAC 182-510-0005

ACES Information

See ACES Manual, SSP Chapter.

1. When SSI benefits begin:
   
   Example:

   Client gets first SSI cash payment in October 2004. Client’s date of SSI eligibility is September 2, 2004. Open CN Medicaid effective September 1, 2004.

   1. SSA does not pay SSI cash benefits the first month of SSI eligibility;
   2. SSI clients are CN Medicaid eligible from first of the month using the date of SSI eligibility;
   3. SSI eligibility date is on the SDX 1 screen or the SDX page on ACES Online;
   4. Open CN Medicaid using the first of the month listed in the SSI eligibility date field.
2. Medical Eligibility for ineligible spouse:
   1. The ineligible spouse cannot get SSI related CN Medicaid;
   2. Determine MN eligibility for an ineligible spouse applying for medical and meeting SSI related criteria. See ADULT MEDICAL SSI Related Section

 Clarifying Information - WAC 388-474-0010 

1. SSI clients with an ineligible spouse may receive the ineligible spouse payment and TANF for children in their care when the children are not their natural or adopted children.

Clarifying Information - WAC 388-474-0012

ACES Information

See ACES Manual SSP Chapter.

1. Determining SSP eligibility
   1. SSI clients who meet the SSP criteria are eligible for only one SSP payment per month.
   2. SSP eligibility is determined using the following eligibility order:
      1. Mandatory Income Level (Grandfathered) SSI clients; then
      2. Ineligible spouse of SSI clients; then
      3. Aged clients; then
      4. Blind clients.
   3. SSI clients must receive an SSI cash payment in the month and meet the SSP eligibility criteria to be eligible for the SSP.
   4. SSI living arrangement on the SDX must be “A”, ‘B”, or “C”.
   5. No eligibility reviews are required for SSP.

   EXAMPLE

   Married SSI clients both age 65 or older receive SSI at the SSI couples rate.  Each spouse can receive the SSP as an aged SSI client.  Each will receive a separate monthly SSP payment.

2. Eligibility for other cash programs
   1. The ineligible spouse of an SSI client is;
      1. Not eligible for ABD cash; and
      2. Not eligible for the SP-I payment if they apply for TANF for their children.  They must be in the TANF AU with the children;
      3. Eligible for TANF for children in their household and the SP-I if they are not financially responsible for the children in their household;
3. Replacing SSP benefits
   1. Clients receive SSP benefits by warrant or by EFT.
   2. When it is necessary to replace warrants, follow guidelines in WAC 388-412-0035.
   3. CSOs complete replacement affidavits for all cases including WASHCAP cases.
4. Overpayments

   There are no ACES overpayments for the SSP program and no overpayments for other programs can be recouped from SSP.

   See ACES Manual SSP Overpayment instructions

5. Who Authorizes SSP
   1. Economic Services Administration (ESA) authorizes SSP using ACES to issue benefits for:
      1. Mandatory Income Level SSI clients;
      2. Ineligible Spouse clients;
      3. Aged SSI clients; and
      4. Blind SSI clients.
   2. The Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) authorizes SSP using SSPS to issue benefits for their SSI clients who have developmental disabilities.
   3. The Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) authorizes SSP to eligible foster children who are:
      1. Receiving specific services from Children’s Administration Behavior Rehabilitation Services (BRS) for part or all of a month; and,
      2. Are not eligible for foster care reimbursement under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act.
6. How does ESA authorize SSP benefits?

   Most ESA SSP cases are automatically opened by ACES. If the system is unable to auto-open SSP, ACES generates an alert for the user of record to manually open SSP benefits.

7. When does the SSP benefit begin and what affect does an SSP have on Basic Food?
   1. SSP begins the first of the month that the SDX shows the SSI client received a federal cash SSI payment.
   2. We do not approve SSP retroactively.
   3. Count all SSP benefits as unearned income for Basic Food and WASHCAP.
   NOTE:

   SSP funds issued by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (DDD) are countable unearned income for Basic Food and WASHCAP.

8. SSP Benefit Amounts
   1. ESA uses a single SP payment standard for Ineligible spouse, aged, and blind SSI clients.
   2. ESA’s Mandatory Income Level SSI client benefit amounts vary between $0.54 cents and  $199.77.   This is because of special federal requirements for these cases.

Clarifying Information - WAC 388-474-0020 

1. How DSHS recovers interim assistance paid under GA, DL, or ABD cash;
2. A signed DSHS 18-235(X) authorizes recovery of state funds when GA clients are approved for SSI.
3. The Office of Financial Recovery receives SSI retroactive payments from SSA.