Applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is expected to become easier for some Americans who will be able to do so online, starting in December, as announced by the Social Security Administration (SSA) on Tuesday.
Under the changes, first-time applicants aged between 18 and almost 65 who never married and are concurrently applying for Social Security benefits and SSI will have access to a fully online, streamlined iClaim application process. This will contain "user-tested, plain-language questions, prepopulated answers where possible, seamless step-by-step transitions, and more."
At the moment, those applying for SSI can do so in person, by phone, mobile and relying on paper-based processes. The SSA expects this online service to reduce the time people spend on the application process as well as the processing time for initial claim decisions.
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"Over the past year, we have asked many applicants and advocates—as well as our workforce—how we could make the SSI application process easier and simpler. Now, we are taking an important first step to do just that," said Martin O'Malley, commissioner of Social Security, in a news release.
"People in our communities who need this crucial safety net deserve the dignity of an application process that is less burdensome and more accessible than what we now have, and we're committed to achieving that vision over the next few years," O'Malley added.
The agency is planning on expanding the online application process to all applicants by late 2025. Newsweek contacted the SSA for comment by email on Wednesday morning, outside of standard working hours.
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The latest data provided by the SSA showed that more than 65 million Americans received Social Security benefits only in July, while 4.9 million received SSI checks only. Over 2.5 million Americans received both Social Security and SSI last month.
Adults aged 65 and older as well as children with a disability or blindness who have limited to no income and resources are eligible to receive monthly payments under the SSI program. The monthly maximum federal amount for this year's SSI checks is $943 for an eligible individual; $1,415 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse; and $472 for an essential person.
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The application process, which is currently on paper, takes about two hours to complete with the help of an SSA employee, as reported by NextGov.com. The new application available online is expected to be shorter.
An appointment with an SSA employee can currently be taken online. While children and applicants who are married are excluded from the December iClaim expansion, the SSA wrote that it is planning on developing a "separate simplified child SSI application."
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
