The 2020-21 Spending Plan

Human Services

SSI/SSP

The spending plan provides a total of $9.8 billion (all funds) for Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) in 2020‑21, which is roughly equal to estimated expenditures in 2019‑20. Similarly, the amount of General Fund for SSI/SSP is relatively flat across 2019‑20 and 2020‑21 ($2.7 billion). These estimates include costs associated with the state-only funded Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI) which provides a monthly cash grant to legal immigrants who are aged, blind, or disabled who meet SSI/SSP eligibility requirements, but who are not otherwise eligible to receive SSI/SSP due to their immigration status.

Maintains SSP Grant Levels and Full-Value of Federal SSI Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA). In past recessions, as a way to generate savings to the General Fund, the state reduced the state SSP portion of the SSI/SSP grant by the amount of the federal SSI COLA increase—effectively not “passing-though” the increase from the federal COLA. This resulted in the total SSI/SSP grant being held flat, despite the federal grant COLA. As a part of the May Revision, the administration proposed to not pass through the expected January 2021 federal SSI grant COLA (an estimated $9 increase in maximum SSI individual monthly grants and $13 increase in maximum SSI couple monthly grants) absent the availability of additional federal economic relief. As shown in Figure 1, we estimate that the May Revision proposal would have resulted in (1) SSP grant levels being reduced to federally required minimum levels ($156.40 for individuals and $396.20 for couples), and (2) total SSI/SSP grants increasing by only a portion of the federal SSI grant COLA (an estimated $5 increase in maximum SSI individual monthly grants and $2 increase in maximum SSI couple monthly grants). The spending plan rejects the Governor’s May Revision proposal, resulting in state SSP levels remaining flat year to year and total SSI/SSP grant levels increasing by the full amount of the federal SSI grant COLA (see Figure 1).

COVID-19-Related Flexibilities. In this section, we summarize the federal and state program flexibilities implemented in SSI/SSP in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

• Federal SSI/SSP Flexibilities. The U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA) largely administers SSI/SSP. The SSA made significant changes to its operations and policies in response to COVID-19 concerns, including no longer providing in-person service to walk-in visitors at all SSA offices. As a result, individuals now receive application assistance and services over the phone and online. (If an individual has a critical situation that cannot be resolved over the phone or online, an SSA office may schedule an in-office appointment.) Additionally, in-person hearings are being rescheduled as telephone hearings or postponed if an individual declines a telephone hearing and prefers to wait until an in-person or video hearing is available. The SSA also is not conducting medical continuing disability reviews and, where possible, suspending processing and collection of overpayments.

• State CAPI Flexibilities. In light of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing, the state has implemented the following flexibilities in CAPI through December 31, 2020: (1) individuals may apply for CAPI via telephone, mail, fax, or e-mail; (2) applicants may attest verbally that they have applied for SSI/SSP and their application is pending final review to satisfy the requirement that applicants submit written documentation of SSI/SSP denial; and (3) counties and CAPI consortia may conduct eligibility interviews electronically, including by telephone or videoconference. Additionally, in March 2020, the Governor issued an executive order which placed a 90-day suspension on the annual CAPI redetermination requirement. As a result, redeterminations scheduled for March, April, May and June 2020 were postponed 12 months and may not occur until the recipient’s scheduled redetermination date in 2021. Upon the expiration of the executive order, however, counties and CAPI consortia were required to resume conducting scheduled CAPI annual redeterminations.