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<h1 itemprop="headline">Source, Form, and Amount of <span class="nobr">In-kind</span> Support and Maintenance Received by Supplemental Security Income Applicants and Recipients</h1>
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<div id="hByline">by <span itemprop="author">Joyce Nicholas</span><br>Social Security Bulletin, <abbr title="Volume">Vol.</abbr> 74, <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr> 3, 2014 (released August 2014)</div>
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<p id="synopsis" itemprop="description"><span class="nobr">In-kind</span> support and maintenance (<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>) is unearned income received by Supplemental Security Income (<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>) applicants and recipients in the form of food and/or shelter from anyone living within or outside their households. About 9 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients have their benefit rates reduced because of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> during any given year. Using data from the Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System (<abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>), this article quantifies the source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients. As of October 2009, <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> recipients were more likely to receive support from outside than within their households, receive assistance in the form of shelter rather than food, and/or allege assistance equal to or less than the current <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> caps. <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data also reveal that <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients were more likely to receive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> exceeding their <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> cap if they were aged and living in their own home while receiving support from outside of their households and/or in the form of shelter.</p>
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<hr />
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<div class="eightypercent">
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<p>Joyce Nicholas is a social science research analyst in the Office of Research, Demonstration, and Employment Support, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Social Security Administration.</p>
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<p>Contents of this publication are <a href="/policy/accessibility.html">not copyrighted</a>; any items may be reprinted, but citation of the <i>Social Security Bulletin</i> as the source is requested. The findings and conclusions presented in the <i>Bulletin</i> are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the Social Security Administration.</p>
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</div>
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</div>
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<h2>Introduction</h2>
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<div class="abbrtable">
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<table role="presentation">
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<caption>Selected Abbreviations</caption>
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<colgroup span="1" style="width:25%"></colgroup>
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<colgroup span="1"></colgroup>
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<tbody>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">CER</abbr></td>
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<td>Characteristic Extract Record</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr></td>
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<td>federal benefit rate</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr></td>
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<td>federal living arrangement</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr></td>
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<td>General Accounting Office (before July 7, 2004); Government Accountability Office (beginning July 7, 2004)</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></td>
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<td><span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr></td>
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<td>Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr></td>
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<td>presumed maximum value</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr></td>
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<td>Social Security Administration</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr></td>
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<td>Supplemental Security Income</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr></td>
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<td>Supplemental Security Record</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td><abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr></td>
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<td>value of the <span class="nobr">one-third</span> reduction</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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</table>
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</div>
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<p>In January 1974, Congress created the Supplemental Security Income (<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>) program, which provides income of last resort to aged, blind, and disabled persons to help them meet their basic food, clothing, and shelter needs. During December 2012, about 8.3 million persons received <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2014a). Because <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> is means tested, the Social Security Administration (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>) must count all income and support received by an individual, including <span class="nobr">“in-kind</span> support and maintenance” (<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>), to determine his or her monthly payment amount. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> defines <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> as unearned income received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> applicants and recipients<sup><a href="#mn1" id="mt1">1</a></sup> in the form of food and/or shelter from anyone living within or outside their households. To determine the monetary value of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> requires applicants and recipients to answer detailed questions about their household members and expenses: how they divide household expenses and what help they get from others within or outside of their households. About 9 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients have their benefit rates reduced because of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> during any given year (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2013, Table 8).</p>
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<p><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies have several equity, incentive, and administrative issues. Many experts in this field believe that certain <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies place some <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients at an economic advantage, while other <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies may discourage families from assisting low-income relatives on <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> because such contributions can result in dollar-for-dollar reductions in recipient payment amounts (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000b; Balkus and others 2009). Those authors and many others have identified <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy as one of the leading policies that make the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program difficult, time-consuming, and costly to administer (Kennedy 1983; <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> 2002b; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a, 2012b). In fact, the Government Accountability Office (<abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>) and <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s Office of the Inspector General have repeatedly identified <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy as a leading cause of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment errors (<abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> 2002a, 2002b, 2012; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a, 2000b, 2012a, 2012b; <abbr class="spell">SSAB</abbr> 1999, 5). Subsequently, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> has made <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> simplification a leading priority.</p>
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<p>Until recently, limited information has existed to inform <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy and its simplification. Available <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> publications have left the following four perennial <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> questions unanswered:</p>
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<ul>
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<li>How many <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> applicants and recipients alleged receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from within and/or outside of their households?</li>
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<li>What proportion of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients alleged receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> in the form of food and/or shelter?</li>
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<li>What proportion of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients alleged obtaining <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> exceeding the amount deducted from their federal benefit rate?</li>
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<li>To what extent did the total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> alleged vary by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source and form, as well as by age group of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients?</li>
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</ul>
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<p class="noindent">The existing literature does not quantify several facets of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> because of the absence of detailed <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> research data.</p>
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<p>For over 20 years, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> has used the Modernized Supplemental Security Income Claims System (<abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>) to administer the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program. I used administrative data from the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to quantify the source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients. This article provides basic statistics about the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> that <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients acquire from others. More importantly, it answers the four noted questions so policy and decision makers can make data-driven decisions as they strive to simplify <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy and minimize <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment errors. Subsequent articles will describe the household composition of recipients who receive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and may explore <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy options for simplifying the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program.</p>
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<h2>Program Background</h2>
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<p>The <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program provides a basic monthly national income guarantee, called the federal benefit rate (<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>), to children and adults with disabilities (including blind persons) as well as the aged (persons 65 or older).</p>
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<h3><abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Program Eligibility</h3>
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<p>To be eligible for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>, all applicants must meet income and resource requirements.<sup><a href="#mn2" id="mt2">2</a></sup> In addition to the federal <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment, some states provide supplemental benefits to their residents (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2013).<sup><a href="#mn3" id="mt3">3</a></sup></p>
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<p class="noindent"><span class="h4">Financial eligibility requirements</span>. The law requires <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> to reduce the monthly <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> dollar for dollar by the amount of the individual's “countable” income—that is, income minus all applicable exclusions. <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> financial eligibility rules require that the countable income (after any applicable exclusions) of applicants and recipients be less than the current <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> plus any available state supplement. In certain situations, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> also considers the income of other individuals who live with the applicant when determining eligibility for the program. This includes spouses who are not eligible for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> and parents if the applicant is younger than age 18.</p>
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<p class="noindent"><span class="h4">Disability requirements</span>. The disability test for children requires the applicant to have a medically determinable impairment (or a combination of impairments) resulting in “marked and severe functional limitations.” However, the disability test for nonaged adults is the same as that used for the Disability Insurance (<abbr class="spell">DI</abbr>) program covered under Social Security and requires that the applicant be blind or have a physical or mental impairment that prevents him or her from engaging in any substantial gainful activity (<abbr class="spell">SGA</abbr>).<sup><a href="#mn4" id="mt4">4</a></sup> The identified impairment must also have lasted or be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months or to result in death. For 2014, the <abbr class="spell">SGA</abbr> standard is $1,070 per month for nonblind persons and $1,800 per month for blind persons (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2014c). However, the <abbr class="spell">SGA</abbr> rate for blind individuals is not applicable to <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients, but rather for blind participants in the <abbr class="spell">DI</abbr> program.</p>
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<h3>Payment Amounts</h3>
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<p><abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> uses a “couple”-<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit for recipients who live with an eligible spouse and an “individual”-<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit for all other recipients to determine the recipient's eligibility and payment amount. For 2014, the monthly individual <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> is $721, while the monthly couple <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> is $1,082 (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2014b). <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> generally adjusts the individual and couple <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>s annually for inflation. Many states augment the federal <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment by offering some <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients a state supplemental payment. In sum, a recipient's monthly <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment is equal to the applicable <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> plus any applicable state supplement, minus any countable income (after any applicable exclusions).</p>
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<p class="noindent"><span class="h4">How does <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> apply <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> to determine payment amounts?</span> The agency must reduce payments if an applicant or a recipient has countable earnings or other income, including <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.<sup><a href="#mn5" id="mt5">5</a></sup> The rationale for reducing benefits by the value of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received is that persons receiving food and/or shelter assistance need less help fulfilling their basic needs than those without such support.</p>
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<p>Current <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> rules require applicants and recipients to answer detailed questions about household composition and expenses as well as the contributions toward household expenses made by themselves and/or those living in the household. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> collects <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>-related information from recipients during their initial application interview and after a change of address, household composition, or household expenses.</p>
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<p>Two phases compose the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process. During the first phase, claims representatives identify which of the four (A, B, C, or D) federal living arrangement (<abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>) categories the recipient belongs to (Box 1). <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> categorizes a person as living in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> if he or she resides in another person's household throughout a month and receives both food and shelter from other people living in that household. The agency identifies a recipient as belonging to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> if he or she is either an eligible child younger than age 18 who lives in his or her parent's household or younger than age 22 and is a <span class="nobr">full-time</span> student. An <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient belongs to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D</span> if he or she resides in a public or private medical institution throughout a month and Medicaid is paying more than 50 percent of the cost of care or, effective December 1996, if he or she is a child younger than age 18 who resides in a medical care facility in which private insurance (or a combination of private insurance and Medicaid) pays more than 50 percent of the cost of care. If an individual belongs to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D,</span> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not count food or shelter from the medical treatment facility as <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, but the agency may count <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from other sources. The <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> category includes all persons for whom <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B,</span> <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C, or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D</span> categories do not apply. <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients belonging to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> include the homeless; transients; persons who earmark their contributions for food or shelter; persons who live with others, but separately consume or purchase their food; and those who live in public assistance households. Although all <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients may receive outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, claims representatives must identify an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient's living arrangement to determine whether he or she lives with others and could receive inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.</p>
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<div class="textBox2 no-right-padding no-left-padding no-bottom-padding" id="box1">
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<div class="title no-right-margin no-left-margin"><span class="tableNumber">Box 1. </span>Federal living arrangement (<abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>) categories, characteristics, and descriptions</div>
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<div class="table no-margin">
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|
<table class="textTable">
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:7em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:12em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:54em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stubHeading" scope="col"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> category</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Residence type</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Description</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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|
<tbody>
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|
<tr>
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|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<td>Own household</td>
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|
<td>A noninstitutionalized individual residing in own home in which he or she owns the home, has rental liability, or pays a pro rata share of household expenses. The <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> category also includes persons who are homeless or transient.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr class="topPad1">
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|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</th>
|
|
<td>Another's household</td>
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|
<td>A recipient living in another's home and receiving both food and shelter from the household members.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr class="topPad1">
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<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</th>
|
|
<td>Parent's household</td>
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<td>The recipient is an eligible child younger than age 18 who lives with a biological, adoptive, or step parent.</td>
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</tr>
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<tr class="topPad1">
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<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D</th>
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|
<td>Medicaid institution</td>
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<td>An eligible adult or child in a public or private medical institution, with Medicaid paying more than 50 percent of the cost of his or her care. <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D</span> recipients are subject to a Supplemental Security Income (<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>) payment of $30 per month. Only 2 percent of all <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients are in this group. <span class="nobr">In-kind</span> support and maintenance is not countable for individuals who are in <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-D.</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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<tfoot>
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<tr>
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<td class="firstNote" colspan="3">SOURCE: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s <i>Program Operations Manual System</i>.</td>
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</tr>
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</tfoot>
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</table>
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</div>
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</div>
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<p>The second phase of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process involves one of two <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> counting methods (Box 2).<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies the <i>value of the <span class="nobr">one-third</span> reduction (<abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>) rule</i> to recipients who live in another person's household <span class="nobr">(<abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B)</span> throughout a month and receive <i>both</i> food and shelter from within the household. Claims representatives reduce the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> recipient's <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> by <span class="nobr">one-third</span> rather than counting the actual value of support received. If an individual or a couple receives <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> but is not subject to the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies the <i>presumed maximum value (<abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>) rule</i>. The agency applies this rule to an individual in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> (living in own home) or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> (child living with parents) generally because the recipient lives in another person's household, but does not receive both food and shelter from that person or the recipient lives in his or her own household and receives inside and/or outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. The <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> is equal to <span class="nobr">one-third</span> of the <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> plus $20 (the general income exclusion) and caps the amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> that <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> counts. The agency may apply an amount less than the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> to calculate a person's payment if the individual can show that the actual value of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received is lower than the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>.</p>
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<div class="textBox2 no-right-padding no-left-padding no-bottom-padding" id="box2">
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<div class="title no-right-margin no-left-margin"><span class="tableNumber">Box 2. </span>In-kind support and maintenance (<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>) counting rules, descriptions, and 2009 value</div>
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<div class="table no-margin">
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<table class="textTable">
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|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:10em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:34em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:29em"></colgroup>
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<thead>
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|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stubHeading" scope="col"><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> counting rule</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Description</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">2009 value</th>
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|
</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Value of the <span class="nobr">one-third</span> reduction (<abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>)</th>
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|
<td>The first rule—<abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>—reduces the federal benefit rate (<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>) by <span class="nobr">one-third</span> if a recipient lives in another's household (or federal living arrangement (<abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>)-B) and receives both food and shelter from within that household. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies this reduction instead of counting the actual value of the support received.</td>
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|
<td>For 2009, the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> was $224.66 for an individual and $168.50 for each eligible spouse.</td>
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</tr>
|
|
<tr class="topPad1">
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Presumed maximum value (<abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>)</th>
|
|
<td>The second rule—<abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>—applies to an individual or a couple who receive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and are not subject to the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> developed the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> to ensure that Supplemental Security Income recipients who are receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and belong to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> do not face a higher benefit reduction than those who reside in another's home.</td>
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|
<td>The <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> reduction was equal to <span class="nobr">one-third</span> of one's <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> plus $20—$244.66 for an individual and $178.50 for each eligible spouse. However, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does permit <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> category members to rebut the full <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> if the value of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> support they received was less than the full <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>.</td>
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</tr>
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|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
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<tr>
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|
<td class="firstNote" colspan="3">SOURCE: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s <i>Program Operations Manual System</i>.</td>
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</tr>
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|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
|
|
</div>
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|
</div>
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|
<h2><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Literature</h2>
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|
<p>Today, a limited body of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> literature exists. The content of available <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> research falls into one of the following topical areas: <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy, past simplification attempts, and prevalence of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>—discussed in the next three sections.</p>
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<h3><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Policy</h3>
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|
<p>An <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> report on <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>, released in 2000, identifies <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy as being exceptional because no other federal program counts <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support when determining benefit eligibility (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000b). Balkus and others (2009) explain that Congress' reasoning for including <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> as countable income was to direct <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments to persons with the least amount of income and support. However, a substantial portion of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> literature criticizes <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies for being inequitable, complex, intrusive, and burdensome (Balkus and others 2009; <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> 2002a, 2002b; Kennedy 1983; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a, 2000b, 2012a, 2012b; <abbr class="spell">SSAB</abbr> 1999, 5). Numerous publications identify <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy as one of the leading policies that make the administration of the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program difficult, time-consuming, and costly, although only 9 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients have their benefit rates reduced by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> each year (Balkus and others 2009; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a; 2013, Table 8). Furthermore, <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> and <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s Office of the Inspector General have repeatedly declared <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy as one of the leading causes of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> improper payments (<abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> 2002a, 2002b, 2012; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2012a, 2012b). Balkus and others (2009) indicate that <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy does not treat recipients equally. For instance, recipients with higher household expenses who receive support with a higher monetary value have a lower percentage of their total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> offset by benefit reductions than those who have lower household expenses and need less support to fulfill their needs. Balkus and others (2009) and <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> (2000a) note that <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies also create disincentive issues by deterring families who would like to assist low-income relatives on <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>. Finally, the Social Security Advisory Board indicates that <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> must often base <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> determinations on what is alleged by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> applicants and recipients rather than on verifiable information, such as expense receipts (<abbr class="spell">SSAB</abbr> 2005).</p>
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|
<h3>Past Simplification Attempts</h3>
|
|
<p>Various articles and reports highlight <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s numerous attempts to reduce the administrative burden and errors spurred by counting <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. For example, the agency presents several <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> options and acknowledges that implementing alternative <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy might simplify the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program, but could create other dilemmas (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a). Several other <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> documents discuss past attempts made by the agency's managers, researchers, and legislative workgroups to develop, study, and propose new approaches for simplifying <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy (Balkus and others 2009; <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a, 2012b). Repeatedly, <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr> (2000a, 2000b, 2012) has reported limited progress on simplifying <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> complexities and addressing the persistence of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>-related challenges. Several sources have acknowledged that a lack of detailed and comprehensive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> data has impeded past <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> simplification efforts and opportunities to better inform <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy decisions and options (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2000a, 2000b; <abbr class="spell">SSAB</abbr> 1999, 5; 2005).</p>
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|
<h3>Prevalence of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></h3>
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|
<p>Although existing <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> literature provides summary <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> statistics, it does not detail the characteristics or amounts of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> (2000a) and Balkus and others (2009) report that nearly 9 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients have their benefit rates reduced because of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> during any given year. The <a href="/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2012/index.html"><i><abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Annual Statistical Report, 2012</i></a> identifies <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> as the second most common source of unearned income received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2013, <a href="/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2012/sect02.html#table8">Table 8</a>).</p>
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|
<p>Available <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> literature provides insight into the qualitative aspects of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy and evaluation efforts, but falls short on providing detailed quantitative information. The current body of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> literature leaves many questions unanswered about the source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients. This article alleviates the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> literature gap by quantifying the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> participants, as of October 3, 2009, using <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data.</p>
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|
<h2>Research Data and Methodology</h2>
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|
<p>For over 20 years, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> has used the Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System to support the administration of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> claims. I have deciphered and manipulated the content of <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> administrative data to support <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> research, despite that huge undertaking. My original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file (pulled on October 3, 2009) contained records for 1,120,817 <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units identified as having positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts recorded in certain <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> fields.<sup><a href="#mn6" id="mt6">6</a></sup> Later, I matched that original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file to the Characteristic Extract Record (<abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>) format of the Supplemental Security Record (<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr>) to identify which <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> cases were in current-pay status within a week of the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> pull date.<sup><a href="#mn7" id="mt7">7</a></sup> Then, I reconfigured couple-unit records to allow person-level comparisons. As a final step, I applied five selection criteria and limited my original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> sample to the 53 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who were in current-pay status and alive during the week leading up to the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> pull date. Appendixes <a href="#appendixA">A</a> and <a href="#appendixB">B</a> detail the structure, limitations, and uses of the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>; my final sample selection criteria; and the methods I used for computing recipients' source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> support.</p>
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<h2>Overview of the Final Study Sample</h2>
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|
<p>My final <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> research sample consists of 611,192 recipients,<sup><a href="#mn8" id="mt8">8</a></sup> of which about 91 percent received <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments as an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>-individual unit and 9 percent as a member of an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>-couple unit. I focused on persons who received an individual <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> because they represent the majority of persons receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. Among my final individual-<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> sample, 35.0 percent belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A,</span> an additional 57.8 percent resided in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B,</span> and the remaining 7.2 percent were in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> (Chart 1).<sup><a href="#mn9" id="mt9">9</a></sup> From a different perspective, almost 45 percent of individuals younger than age 18 lived in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> (Chart 2). The overwhelming majority (82.3 percent) of young adults aged 18 to 24 were in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B,</span> and 51.7 percent of individuals aged 25 or older were also in the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> category.<sup><a href="#mn10" id="mt10">10</a></sup> Young adult <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients comprised 18.3 percent of all individual <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (Chart 3). I separated young adults (aged <span class="nobr">18–24)</span> from all other working-age <span class="nobr">(25–64)</span> recipients to examine how those young adults fared during the years following their transition from childhood to adulthood.</p>
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|
<div class="chartCenter">
|
|
<div class="chart700" id="chart1">
|
|
<div class="title">Chart 1.<br>Distribution of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit and <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> category, October 2009</div>
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<div class="scrollChart"><img src="v74n3p39-chart01.gif" alt="Area chart described in previous paragraph. Also, 54.3% of couples belonged to FLA-A and 45.7% of couples belonged to FLA-B." width="392" height="412" /></div>
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|
<div class="firstNote">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</div>
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|
<div class="lastNote">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="chartCenter">
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<div class="chart700" id="chart2">
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<div class="title">Chart 2.<br><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> distribution of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by age group, October 2009</div>
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<div class="scrollChart"><img src="v74n3p39-chart02.gif" alt="Stacked bar chart with tabular version below." width="677" height="219" /></div>
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<div class="table altTable"><a class="altToggle" href="">Show as table</a>
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<table>
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<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table equivalent for Chart 2. </span><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> distribution of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by age group, October 2009</caption>
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|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:18em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="3" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stubHeading" scope="col">Age group</th>
|
|
<th scope="col"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<th scope="col"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</th>
|
|
<th scope="col"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</th>
|
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</tr>
|
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</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Younger than 18</th>
|
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<td>4.2</td>
|
|
<td>51.0</td>
|
|
<td>44.8</td>
|
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</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><span class="nobr">18–24</span></th>
|
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<td>17.4</td>
|
|
<td>82.3</td>
|
|
<td>0.3</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">25 or older</th>
|
|
<td>48.3</td>
|
|
<td>51.7</td>
|
|
<td>0.0</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="noNotes" colspan="4"> </td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
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</div>
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<div class="firstNote">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</div>
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|
<div class="lastNote">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<div class="chartCenter">
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<div class="chart700" id="chart3">
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<div class="title">Chart 3.<br>Age distribution of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit, October 2009</div>
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<div class="scrollChart"><img src="v74n3p39-chart03.gif" alt="Stacked bar chart with tabular version below." width="640" height="219" /></div>
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<div class="table altTable"><a class="altToggle" href="">Show as table</a>
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<table>
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<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table equivalent for Chart 3. </span>Age distribution of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit, October 2009</caption>
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<colgroup span="1" style="width:18em"></colgroup>
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|
<colgroup span="4" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
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<thead>
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<tr>
|
|
<th class="stubHeading" scope="col"><abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Younger than 18</th>
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<th scope="col"><span class="nobr">18–24</span></th>
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<th scope="col"><span class="nobr">25–64</span></th>
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<th scope="col">65 or older</th>
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</tr>
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</thead>
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<tbody>
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<tr>
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<th class="stub0" scope="row">Individuals</th>
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<td>16.0</td>
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<td>18.3</td>
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<td>40.8</td>
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<td>24.9</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Couples</th>
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<td>0.0</td>
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|
<td>0.0</td>
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<td>7.7</td>
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<td>92.3</td>
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</tr>
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</tbody>
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<tfoot>
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<tr>
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<td class="noNotes" colspan="5"> </td>
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</tr>
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</tfoot>
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</table>
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</div>
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<div class="firstNote">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</div>
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<div class="lastNote">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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<h2>Findings</h2>
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<p>My new use of <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data for research purposes reveals noteworthy differences between recipients who receive support and reflects the different <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> assumptions and counting rules applicable among those individuals. As mentioned earlier, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> determines that recipients who live in the home of another person and receive support in the form of both food and shelter are in the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> category. The agency applies the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> members rather than counting <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. Furthermore, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> rule to all other <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> who are not subject to the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule, such as those having rental liability or ownership of their home or those paying at least their pro rata share of the household food and shelter expenses. Because <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not count <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> for <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> members, this section details the self-reported <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients in categories <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> as of October 3, 2009.</p>
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<h3>Research Question 1: How Many <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Applicants and Recipients Alleged Receiving Support from Within and/or Outside of Their Households?</h3>
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<p><abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s ability to simplify <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> policy and reduce improper <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments has been contingent on its knowledge of recipients' sources of <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support. <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members comprised 43.3 percent of my final study sample (not shown), the majority (56.6 percent) of whom received support from only outside of their homes (Table 1). The remaining 56.7 percent of my final study sample belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B,</span> and <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applied the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule rather than counting <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (not shown).</p>
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<div class="table" id="table1">
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<table>
|
|
<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table 1. </span><span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit and <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source, October 2009</caption>
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<colgroup span="1" style="width:16em"></colgroup>
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|
<colgroup span="5" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" class="stubHeading" id="c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> category and <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit</th>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" id="c2">Total</th>
|
|
<th colspan="4" class="spanner" id="c3"><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th id="c4" headers="c3">Undetermined <sup>a</sup></th>
|
|
<th id="c5" headers="c3">Outside</th>
|
|
<th id="c6" headers="c3">Inside</th>
|
|
<th id="c7" headers="c3">Dual</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" id="r1">Percent</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub2" id="r2" headers="r1 c1">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c2">100.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c4">1.2</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c5">56.6</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c6">40.1</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c7">2.1</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r3" headers="r1 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c2">100.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c4">1.2</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c5">53.7</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c6">42.9</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c7">2.2</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r4" headers="r1 r3 c1">Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c2">100.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c4">1.2</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c5">53.9</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c6">42.7</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c7">2.2</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r5" headers="r1 r3 c1">Couple</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c2">100.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c4">0.7</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c5">53.1</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c6">44.4</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c7">1.8</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r6" headers="r1 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C: Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c2">100.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c4">1.8</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c5">72.5</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c6">24.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c7">1.7</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" id="r7">Number</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub2" id="r8" headers="r7 c1">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c2">264,352</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c4">3,304</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c5">149,611</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c6">105,880</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c7">5,557</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r9" headers="r7 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c2">224,237</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c4">2,595</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c5">120,520</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c6">96,248</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c7">4,874</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r10" headers="r7 r9 c1">Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c2">194,541</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c4">2,385</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c5">104,754</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c6">83,062</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c7">4,340</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r11" headers="r7 r9 c1">Couple</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c2">29,696</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c4">210</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c5">15,766</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c6">13,186</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c7">534</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r12" headers="r7 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C: Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c2">40,115</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c4">709</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c5">29,091</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c6">9,632</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c7">683</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="firstNote" colspan="6">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System (<abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>) data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="note" colspan="6">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr> = Characteristic Extract Record; <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income; <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> = Supplemental Security Record.</td>
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|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="lastNote" colspan="6">a. The noted cases did not have positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts appearing in their <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records, but did have <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> indicated by their matching <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> records.</td>
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|
</tr>
|
|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<p>An estimated 40.1 percent of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members alleged receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from only inside of their homes (Table 1).<sup><a href="#mn11" id="mt11">11</a></sup> However, the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> members were far more likely to receive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from exclusively within their homes than those in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> (42.9 percent versus 24.0 percent).</p>
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|
<p>The data in Table 1 suggest that one option for simplifying <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy <i>and</i> reducing improper <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment amounts may be to increase the efficiency of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation efforts among <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> group members receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from outside the home.</p>
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|
<h3>Research Question 2: What Proportion of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Recipients Alleged Receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> in the Form of Food and/or Shelter?</h3>
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|
<p>It is important to know whether individuals in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> received support in the form of food and/or shelter because one can anticipate that the value of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> would be greater if a person received assistance in the form of shelter rather than food. Chart 4 indicates that persons in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> were most likely to allege receiving only shelter assistance if they received outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, and they were most likely to allege receiving food and shelter assistance if they received inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (86.6 percent versus 42.8 percent).<sup><a href="#mn12" id="mt12">12</a></sup> For persons receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from inside the household, the type of support received is not readily identifiable;<sup><a href="#mn13" id="mt13">13</a></sup> an estimated 31.4 percent of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> members and all <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> members with inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> had an undefined-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> type.<sup><a href="#mn14" id="mt14">14</a></sup></p>
|
|
<div class="chartCenter">
|
|
<div class="chart700" id="chart4">
|
|
<div class="title">Chart 4.<br><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members, by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> type and source and <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit, October 2009</div>
|
|
<div class="scrollChart"><img src="v74n3p39-chart04.gif" alt="Stacked bar chart with tabular version below." width="700" height="409" /></div>
|
|
<div class="table altTable"><a class="altToggle" href="">Show as table</a>
|
|
<table>
|
|
<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table equivalent for Chart 4. </span><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members, by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> type and source and <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit, October 2009</caption>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:16em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="4" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stubHeading" scope="col"><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source and <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Food and shelter</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Only shelter</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Only food</th>
|
|
<th scope="col">Undefined</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="4" class="panel" scope="rowgroup">Outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td>6.8</td>
|
|
<td>86.6</td>
|
|
<td>2.4</td>
|
|
<td>4.3</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A individual and couple</th>
|
|
<td>7.9</td>
|
|
<td>84.6</td>
|
|
<td>2.6</td>
|
|
<td>5.0</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C individual</th>
|
|
<td>1.9</td>
|
|
<td>94.8</td>
|
|
<td>1.6</td>
|
|
<td>1.6</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="4" class="panel" scope="rowgroup">Inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td>42.8</td>
|
|
<td>18.6</td>
|
|
<td>1.0</td>
|
|
<td>37.6</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A individual and couple</th>
|
|
<td>47.1</td>
|
|
<td>20.5</td>
|
|
<td>1.0</td>
|
|
<td>31.4</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C individual</th>
|
|
<td>0.0</td>
|
|
<td>0.0</td>
|
|
<td>0.0</td>
|
|
<td>100.0</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="noNotes" colspan="5"> </td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<div class="firstNote">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System (<abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>) data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</div>
|
|
<div class="note">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance.</div>
|
|
<div class="note">Rounded components of percentage distributions do not necessarily sum to 100.</div>
|
|
<div class="lastNote">a. The noted cases did not have specific-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> types indicated in their <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records.</div>
|
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</div>
|
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</div>
|
|
<p>This analysis suggests that persons receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from the outside are more likely to have <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals exceeding the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount deducted from their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> because they are more likely to receive shelter assistance than those receiving only inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. The Research Question 4 section discusses this hypothesis.</p>
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|
<h3>Research Question 3: What Proportion of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Recipients Alleged Obtaining <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Exceeding the Amount Deducted from Their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>?</h3>
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<p>My <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data present an opportunity to study the actual dollar amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> allegedly received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients and identify how many of those recipients alleged an <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> total exceeding the amount deducted from their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>. Recall that <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> group members and does not count any <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> within or outside of the household. Because we do not need to calculate the actual value of support received in most cases, it is not surprising that no <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> sample members had <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals greater than the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>. However, <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> members may have an alleged <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap (or <span class="nobr">one-third</span> of the <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> plus $20), even though <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not deduct amounts in excess of the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> from payments.<sup><a href="#mn15" id="mt15">15</a></sup> As mentioned previously, the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap policy has been the source of many equity issues. More explicitly, recipients with higher household expenses who receive support with a higher monetary value have a lower percentage of their total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> offset by benefit reductions than those who have lower household expenses and need less support to fulfill their needs (Balkus and others 2009).</p>
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|
<p>The current <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> cap rules create an advantage for the 31.4 percent of all <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who alleged having an individual (not household) support total exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> and did not have their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> reduced by every dollar of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> recorded in the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> (Table 2). In fact, an estimated 13.0 percent of all <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> group members receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> allegedly declared an <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> total equal to or greater than 200 percent of the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> and had their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> reduced by no more than 50 percent of the value of the support they had received (not shown). Meanwhile, almost half (47.1 percent) of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> members had a “small” <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> total, less than 50 percent of the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> (not shown) and had their <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> reduced by every dollar of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> recorded for them.</p>
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|
<div class="table" id="table2">
|
|
<table>
|
|
<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table 2. </span><span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members who alleged total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> > <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit and <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source, October 2009</caption>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:16em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="5" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" class="stubHeading" id="c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> category and <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> unit</th>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" id="c2">Total</th>
|
|
<th colspan="4" class="spanner" id="c3"><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th id="c4" headers="c3">Undetermined <sup>a</sup></th>
|
|
<th id="c5" headers="c3">Outside</th>
|
|
<th id="c6" headers="c3">Inside</th>
|
|
<th id="c7" headers="c3">Dual</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" id="r1">Percent</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub2" id="r2" headers="r1 c1">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c2">31.5</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c4">0.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c5">36.8</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c6">23.1</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r2 c3 c7">66.0</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r3" headers="r1 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c2">34.2</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c4">0.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c5">41.5</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c6">24.2</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 c3 c7">67.6</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r4" headers="r1 r3 c1">Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c2">34.8</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c4">0.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c5">44.3</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c6">22.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r4 c3 c7">69.7</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r5" headers="r1 r3 c1">Couple</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c2">30.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c4">0.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c5">22.5</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c6">38.6</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r3 r5 c3 c7">50.9</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r6" headers="r1 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C: Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c2">16.5</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c4">0.0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c5">17.6</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c6">11.7</td>
|
|
<td headers="r1 r6 c3 c7">54.5</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" id="r7">Number</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub2" id="r8" headers="r7 c1">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c2">83,232</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c4">0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c5">55,103</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c6">24,460</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r8 c3 c7">3,669</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r9" headers="r7 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c2">76,616</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c4">0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c5">49,986</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c6">23,333</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 c3 c7">3,297</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r10" headers="r7 r9 c1">Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c2">67,736</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c4">0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c5">46,450</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c6">18,261</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r10 c3 c7">3,025</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" id="r11" headers="r7 r9 c1">Couple</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c2">8,880</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c4">0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c5">3,536</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c6">5,072</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r9 r11 c3 c7">272</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" id="r12" headers="r7 c1"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C: Individual</th>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c2">6,616</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c4">0</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c5">5,117</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c6">1,127</td>
|
|
<td headers="r7 r12 c3 c7">372</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="firstNote" colspan="6">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System (<abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr>) data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</td>
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</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="note" colspan="6">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> = presumed maximum value; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income.</td>
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</tr>
|
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<tr>
|
|
<td class="lastNote" colspan="6">a. The noted cases did not have positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts appearing in their <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records, but did have <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> indicated by their matching <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> records.</td>
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</tr>
|
|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
|
|
</div>
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|
<h3>Research Question 4: To What Extent Did the Total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Alleged Vary by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Source and Form and by Age Group of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Recipients? </h3>
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|
<p>This section sheds light on the characteristics of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> who were most likely to benefit from the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap. The data in Table 2 reveal that persons in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> were more likely to allege support exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> if they lived in their own home (34.2 percent) and/or alleged outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (41.5 percent). The table also shows that <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> members receiving inside <i>and</i> outside (dual) support were most likely to allege <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> (67.6 percent), but those individuals represented no more than 4 percent of persons with <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals above the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap (not shown). Over half (55 percent) of those benefiting from the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap were <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A,</span> individual <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients alleging outside support (not shown). I also examined <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A,</span> individual-<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> by age group and their source of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> support.</p>
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|
<p>Of the 98.8 percent of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A,</span> individual-<abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who alleged outside and/or inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (Table 1), I found that the aged (65 or older) subset was most likely to allege <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals greater than the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>, while the young adult <span class="nobr">(18–24)</span> subset was least likely to do so (40.8 percent versus 23.6 percent), as shown in Table 3. The subset for children (younger than age 18) was the most likely to allege assistance exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap among those alleging only outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, while the aged subset (65 or older) was most likely to do so among those alleging only inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (61.6 percent versus 27.5 percent). The latter findings are most likely the result of at least 90 percent of child <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and were receiving outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and at least 70 percent of aged <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and were receiving inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> assistance in the form of shelter (not shown).</p>
|
|
<div class="table" id="table3">
|
|
<table>
|
|
<caption><span class="tableNumber">Table 3. </span><span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> subsample members who received <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments as <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> individual units and alleged total <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> > <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr>, by <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source and age group, October 2009</caption>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:16em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="1" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<colgroup span="4" style="width:8em"></colgroup>
|
|
<thead>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" class="stubHeading" scope="colgroup"><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> source</th>
|
|
<th rowspan="2" scope="colgroup">Total</th>
|
|
<th colspan="4" class="spanner" scope="colgroup">Age group</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th scope="col">Younger than 18</th>
|
|
<th scope="col"><span class="nobr">18–24</span></th>
|
|
<th scope="col"><span class="nobr">25–64</span></th>
|
|
<th scope="col">65 or older</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</thead>
|
|
<tbody>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" scope="rowgroup">Percent</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" scope="row">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td>34.5</td>
|
|
<td>32.5</td>
|
|
<td>23.6</td>
|
|
<td>32.8</td>
|
|
<td>40.8</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Outside</th>
|
|
<td>44.3</td>
|
|
<td>61.6</td>
|
|
<td>32.8</td>
|
|
<td>41.8</td>
|
|
<td>51.0</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Inside</th>
|
|
<td>22.0</td>
|
|
<td>11.8</td>
|
|
<td>16.3</td>
|
|
<td>20.6</td>
|
|
<td>27.5</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td> </td>
|
|
<th colspan="5" class="panel" scope="rowgroup">Number</th>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub1" scope="row">All subsample recipients</th>
|
|
<td>64,711</td>
|
|
<td>1,172</td>
|
|
<td>4,039</td>
|
|
<td>35,415</td>
|
|
<td>24,085</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Outside</th>
|
|
<td>46,450</td>
|
|
<td>924</td>
|
|
<td>2,492</td>
|
|
<td>25,987</td>
|
|
<td>17,047</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<th class="stub0" scope="row">Inside</th>
|
|
<td>18,261</td>
|
|
<td>248</td>
|
|
<td>1,547</td>
|
|
<td>9,428</td>
|
|
<td>7,038</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tbody>
|
|
<tfoot>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="firstNote" colspan="6">SOURCE: Author's calculations using Modernized <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Claims System data matched with additional <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> administrative records.</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
<tr>
|
|
<td class="lastNote" colspan="6">NOTES: <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> = federal benefit rate; <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> = federal living arrangement (refer to <a href="#box1">Box 1</a> for a description of each category); <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> = <span class="nobr">in-kind</span> support and maintenance; <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> = presumed maximum value; <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> = Supplemental Security Income.</td>
|
|
</tr>
|
|
</tfoot>
|
|
</table>
|
|
</div>
|
|
<p>These analyses suggest that aged, <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients were most likely to benefit from the current <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap provision because at least 80 percent of them received outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and/or assistance in the form of shelter (not shown). These findings reaffirm my earlier hypothesis that <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients receiving outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> are more likely to have <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals greater than the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> if they receive assistance in the form of shelter.</p>
|
|
<h2>Conclusions</h2>
|
|
<p>This groundbreaking <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> research has provided valuable insight on the incentive, equity, and administrative issues associated with current <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policies. First, this study reveals that over half of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients receive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> support from persons living outside of their homes. Second, most recipients receiving outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> support obtain that support more often in the form of shelter rather than food (<a href="#chart4">Chart 4</a>). Third, an estimated 47.1 percent of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> subsample members receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> alleged individual <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals less than 50 percent of the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap (not shown), while an additional 31.5 percent alleged <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> totals greater than the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap and did not incur a dollar-for-dollar reduction of benefits because of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received (<a href="#table2">Table 2</a>). Also, my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data show that <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> were more likely to receive support exceeding the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> cap if they were aged members of the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> category—recipients who received support from outside of their households and/or in the form of shelter (<a href="#table3">Table 3</a>). In conclusion, this research presents new insights on the source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> applicants and recipients and how <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> policy and decision makers can use <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data to understand complex policy issues when considering alternative options.</p>
|
|
<h2 id="appendixA">Appendix A: Research Data for the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> and <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Evaluation Process</h2>
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<p>For most <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> cases, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> claims representatives use the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to gather, record, and update <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> claims information and to support <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> administrative efforts, such as the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation.<sup><a href="#mn16" id="mt16">16</a></sup> During the initial interview process, those representatives navigate through several <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> computer screens, while recording information provided by applicants or third parties. A person's application type or posteligibility event determines which <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> screens or paths a representative must navigate. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> has programmed over 20 <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> screens to support the <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> and <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process, but not all screens apply to every applicant or recipient. Therefore, some <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> fields have skip patterns. The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> confirms eligibility and calculates an applicant's or a recipient's benefit rate after claims representatives record sufficient information about the claim to make a determination or enter information about a posteligibility event, such as a change in address, household composition, or household expenses (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2001). Essentially, the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> is a dynamic system because it is a constantly changing pending file that serves as a repository for claims representatives to use in creating permanent <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> records.</p>
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<p>The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> captures only information gathered during the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process that is necessary to determine benefit eligibility and payments. Recall that <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> policy involves identifying a recipient's <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> and applying one of two <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> counting methods. Claims representatives first use the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to determine a recipient's <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> during the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process (<a href="#box1">Box 1</a>). (Thirteen <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> screens directly support the determination of one's living arrangement.) Thereafter, representatives use the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to gather the information needed to determine the amount of chargeable <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (<a href="#box2">Box 2</a>). For <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> group members, claims representatives use the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to determine the specific amount or type of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> (that is—food, shelter, or both) received by those recipients along with their contribution to household expenses. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> needs this information to determine a recipient's pro rata share of household food and shelter expenses and whether a representative should reduce that recipient's <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> by the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> or a lesser amount. The agency determines that recipients who live in another person's household and receive both food and shelter assistance from within the home are in the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> payment category. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> reduces the applicable <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> by the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>. Claims representatives do not complete any <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> development for <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> members, but instead reduce their benefits by the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr>.</p>
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<h3>Limitations of <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> Data</h3>
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<p>The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> provides the most comprehensive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> data and maintains a database of information with more detail than the <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr> format of the <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr>. In addition to collecting information about individuals who apply for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> as well as information about the parents if the applicant is a minor (younger than age 18), <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> uses the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to collect information on persons who are ineligible to receive payments, but who are part of a family in which someone does receive <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments (for example, ineligible spouses, children, others). The agency retains information on the value of resources in the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> to determine eligibility. In the context of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation efforts, the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> indicates the amount of support received by most individuals in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C,</span> identifies whether support originated inside or outside of a recipient's home, and specifies for the majority of persons receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> whether they received assistance in the form of food and/or shelter. <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records also reflect what segments of the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> participated in during an initial or posteligibility interview. Furthermore, those records show a household member's relationship to a recipient (that is—parent, child, spouse, and so forth). In contrast, the <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> provides monthly <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> records, but only flags a record if an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient had a positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount recorded and if he or she had the monthly payment reduced under the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> or <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> rule (Panis and others 2002, <abbr title="chapter">chap.</abbr> 6).</p>
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<p>Like most data sources, the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> has limitations. The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> is a dynamic system that only reflects the characteristics of pending cases on the day that <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> staff members pull a set of records. The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> does not provide data for past <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients or reflect any subsequent updates made to incomplete cases. The system does not provide data on the current-pay status of recipients or whether they were alive on the pull date of their records. Furthermore, one can only acquire <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> data through the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> for a point in time because extract files are unavailable; this access restriction greatly impedes researchers who wish to examine <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> trends. For the most part, <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data do not capture all of the information that recipients or third parties provide to claims representatives during the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation process, unless <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> needs that information to determine eligibility and payment amounts. For instance, <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> applies the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule and does not count <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> if an individual belongs to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> during an entire month and receives both food and shelter from the household. The system does not record uniform information among <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients with <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> because of the different <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> screens or paths applicable to different groups. The data are unverified and largely based on the anecdotal evidence supplied by recipients or third parties. Despite there not being a corresponding <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> record for every <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> case, <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data best equip <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> to quantify the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients and to inform policymakers who wish to simplify <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> administration and avoid <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payment errors.</p>
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<h3><abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Study Data</h3>
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<p>My original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file provides a snapshot of the source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients, as of October 3, 2009. That file contained records for 1,120,817 <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units. I matched my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file with the <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr> format of the <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr><sup><a href="#mn17" id="mt17">17</a></sup> to verify which cases involved persons who were alive, had positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> records, and were in current-pay status at approximately the same time as the October 2009 <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> pull date.<sup><a href="#mn18" id="mt18">18</a></sup> Matching <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> and <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> records revealed that nearly 47 percent of my original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> sample were not in current-pay status, alive, and/or receiving <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> during the week agency staff pulled my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file.<sup><a href="#mn19" id="mt19">19</a></sup> Surprisingly, one out of eight <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units (140,281 in all) had matching <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> files indicating that the unit head was deceased before the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file's October 3, 2009, pull date. In addition, less than 2 percent of my original sample had matching <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> <i>and</i> <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> files equal to zero. Linking <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> with <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> data enabled me to ensure that all final study individual-unit and couple-unit sample members were alive <i>and</i> eligible for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> during the week leading up to October 3, 2009.</p>
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<h3><abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> Sample Selection Criteria</h3>
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<p>I selected my final study sample using five criteria:</p>
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<ol>
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<li><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr> status;</li>
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<li>Death date;</li>
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<li>Payment status;</li>
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<li>Presence of a positive <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> or <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount; and</li>
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<li>Receipt of an individual or a couple <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>.</li>
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</ol>
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<p>First, I retained <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> cases for individuals who belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A,</span> <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B, or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> and had matching <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> records indicating that they were alive and were in current-payment status during the week immediately preceding October 3, 2009. Second, I omitted the portion of my original <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file that involved <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units with matching <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> and <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> records equal to zero because <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> did not reduce those persons' <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> using the <abbr class="spell">VTR</abbr> rule, as was the case for their <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-B</span> counterparts. Third, I differentiated remaining <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units by whether their members had received <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments as individuals or as eligible spouses. Next, I duplicated <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> couple-unit records and divided their recorded values in half to establish a record for each eligible spouse, so I could make person-level <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> comparisons among individual-unit and couple-unit <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients and compare my estimates with those appearing in the <a href="/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2012/index.html"><i><abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Annual Statistical Report</i></a> (<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> 2013)<i>.</i> Last, I verified that my couple (or eligible-spouse) subsample comprised only <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who were <i>both</i> alive and receiving <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments under the couple <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> during the week of October 3, 2009. Subsequently, my final study sample comprised 556,472 individual units and 54,720 couple units, which totaled 611,192 <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients. </p>
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<h2 id="appendixB">Appendix B: Research Methodology Used in Identifying Sources and Type of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> and Calculating <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Amounts</h2>
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<p>In this section, I describe my methods for computing recipients' source, form, and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.</p>
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<p>Outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> is food and/or shelter provided to an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient by at least one person living outside of the recipient's household. Outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> may also include <span class="nobr">rent-free</span> shelter or a rental subsidy (reduced rent). Inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>, on the other hand, is food and/or shelter provided to an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient by persons within the household. If the household does not cover all of the recipient's shelter and food costs, the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> is treated as outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.</p>
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<h3>Determining Outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></h3>
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<p>Determining receipt of outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> is relatively straightforward. The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records the form (that is, food and/or shelter) and amount of support received from someone outside the household. I calculated outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts by summing the six outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> values recorded for <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> individual and couple <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units on the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> screen. Then, I divided each eligible spouse's outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> total in half to compute the amount received by each eligible spouse.</p>
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<h3>Determining Inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr></h3>
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<p>The value of inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient is dependent on his or her household shelter and food expenditures, separate-food-consumption and purchasing status, and his or her contribution to household expenses. Recipients can receive inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> provided they do not live alone, reside only with an ineligible parent or spouse, and/or belong to a public assistance household. Therefore, all noted inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> numbers pertain to the members of my final sample who belonged to <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> or <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> and resided with at least one ineligible household member.<sup><a href="#mn20" id="mt20">20</a></sup> I initiated my inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> calculations by dividing <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> sample members living with at least one ineligible household member into two groups:</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Recipients who shared their food expenses with all members of their household (59.4 percent); or</li>
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<li>Recipients who either consumed all of their meals outside of their household or purchased their food separately from their household members (40.6 percent).</li>
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</ol>
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<p>For <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> sample members who shared food expenses equally with their household members, I based their inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts on their personal share of total household food and shelter expenses minus their personal contribution toward household expenses. As for <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> sample members who separately consumed their meals or purchased their food separately from their household members, I based their inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts on their personal share of total shelter expenses minus their personal contribution toward household expenses.<sup><a href="#mn21" id="mt21">21</a></sup></p>
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<h3>Identifying Outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Type</h3>
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<p>It is also straightforward to determine the type of outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by persons not living in the household of another. I simply referred to the six fields of the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> screen that specify the type of outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received. I identified <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients as acquiring only food outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> if their positive outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> flags were only equal to “1” (denoting food), and I classified <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients with outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> flags all equal to “2” (denoting shelter) as having only shelter outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>. I then categorized all <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> observations as receiving food <i>and</i> shelter outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> if they had one of the following:</p>
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<ol>
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<li>Outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> flags equal to 1 (food) and 2 (shelter); or</li>
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<li>At least one outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> flag equal to “4,” indicating they had received food and shelter outside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> because of a nonhousehold situation.<sup><a href="#mn22" id="mt22">22</a></sup></li>
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</ol>
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<h3>Identifying Inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Type</h3>
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<p>Next, I investigated whether inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> recipients received support in the form of food, shelter, or both. Assessing recipients' food consumption activities is essential for computing what, if any, inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts they received; identifying if they had received assistance in the form of food and/or shelter; and determining their <abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>. I immediately classified <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> recipients who lived with at least one ineligible household member as receiving inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> shelter if their <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records indicated they had either consumed all of their meals outside of the home or purchased their food separately from their household members. However, distinguishing inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> food and shelter was more involved among the majority of recipients in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> who shared food expenses with all of their household members. The <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> only distinguishes the type of inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by recipients without rental or home ownership liability because the system only allows claims representatives to record earmarked contributions for <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> sample members. Almost half (47.3 percent) of the recipients in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> who shared food with others had neither rental nor ownership liability for their households; 5 percent of that subset had earmarked contribution fields specifying positive amounts.</p>
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<p>I identified the few sample members in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> without rental or home ownership liability <i>and</i> without missing records as receiving only inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> shelter if a claims representative had earmarked those individuals' personal contributions toward food, and vice versa. For members of <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> with contributions earmarked for food <i>and</i> shelter, I based their inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> type on whether their food and/or shelter contributions fell below their pro rata share of total household food and shelter expenses. For example, I identified sample members with food and shelter earmarked contribution records as receiving inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> shelter if their food contribution was equal to or greater than their pro rata share of total household food expenses and their shelter contribution was less than their pro rata share of total household shelter expenses. Because one cannot identify the type of inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by renters or homeowners, I classified that type of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> as undefined. It is possible that the subgroup with undefined-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> types received both food and shelter assistance from within their homes.</p>
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<h3>Computing <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> Amounts</h3>
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<p>One of my research objectives was to identify the proportion of October 2009 <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> from inside and/or outside their households.</p>
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<p>I based my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> counts on the number of recipients who had at least one positive outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> field.<sup><a href="#mn23" id="mt23">23</a></sup> Nearly 27 percent (n=162,202) of my final study sample had outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amounts greater than zero; almost 80 percent (n=127,018) of that group belonged to the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> category.</p>
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<p>Calculating the proportion of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients who received inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> was more involved. Those calculations required examining <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients' household member counts, household shelter and food expenditures, separate-food-consumption and purchasing status, and their personal contribution toward household expenses. I initiated my inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> computations by dividing <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients into two groups: (1) those who ate all of their meals in their household and shared food purchases with their household members, and (2) those who either ate all meals outside of the household <i>or</i> separately purchased their food. For the first group (n=541,359), I set their inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount to their pro rata share of total household expenditures minus their personal contribution toward household expenses. For individuals separately consuming or purchasing food (n=74,933), I calculated their inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount as being equal to their pro rata share of their total household shelter expenses minus their personal contribution toward household expenses. I found that 25.9 percent (n=159,831) of my final study sample had <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records indicating that they had received positive inside <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.<sup><a href="#mn24" id="mt24">24</a></sup></p>
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<div id="notes">
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<h2>Notes</h2>
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<p> <a href="#mt1" id="mn1">1</a> In this article, I use the term “applicant” when referring to persons who submit an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> application, but are not necessarily eligible for payments. However, I use the term “recipient” when referring to persons who have had <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> allow their <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> application and provide them with <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt2" id="mn2">2</a> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program rules exclude the first $20 per month of income from all sources, the first $65 of any monthly earned income (up to a maximum of $85 if the applicant or recipient does not have any unearned income), and half of any additional earnings beyond $65. Generally, resources cannot exceed $2,000 for an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>-individual unit and $3,000 for an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>-couple unit, but <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not count one's home and automobile or certain other resources.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt3" id="mn3">3</a> State supplementation can be optional or mandatory. As of 2012, 44 states and the District of Columbia provided optional payments in recognition of the variations in living costs from one state to another and for the special needs of some individuals. Some states must maintain the income levels from December 1973 of persons transferred from the former state adult assistance programs to the <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> program in 1974. Only a few individuals continue to receive mandatory state supplementary payments.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt4" id="mn4">4</a> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> defines <abbr class="spell">SGA</abbr> as the level of work activity that is productive and yields or usually yields remuneration or profit. Agency regulations establish a dollar amount to indicate whether a person's work is substantial.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt5" id="mn5">5</a> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not charge an eligible child with <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> for the food and shelter provided by the parent. Instead, the agency uses a process called deeming to account for the financial support provided by a parent.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt6" id="mn6">6</a> <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units comprise either a person receiving an individual-unit <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> or two eligible spouses who live together while receiving a couple-unit <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt7" id="mn7">7</a> The <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> master file maintains information on all persons who have ever applied for Title <abbr title="sixteen">XVI</abbr> (<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>) and provides information on persons who are, or who have been, eligible for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments or who are ineligible spouses or parents of an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient and living in the same household. Furthermore, the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> does not indicate the pay status of recipients because <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> uses it as a temporary repository for the information needed to determine if an applicant or recipient has received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt8" id="mn8">8</a> My final study sample does not capture everyone who received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> during 2009. That outcome is the result of the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> not providing information about completed <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> cases or subsequent updates to incomplete cases. As a result, my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> data provide a partial picture of the nature and amount of <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> received by those <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> units included in my study file and the larger <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> population.</p>
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<p> <a href="#mt9" id="mn9">9</a> All recipients residing in <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> (or a parent's home as a child) received an <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr> as an individual.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt10" id="mn10">10</a> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>'s <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> data indicate that approximately 12 percent of <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipients were aged 18 to 24 as of December 31, 2009 (not shown).</p>
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<p><a href="#mt11" id="mn11">11</a> Some cases did not have <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records with a positive <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount, but all of them had matching <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> data confirming <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> receipt.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt12" id="mn12">12</a> For the subsequent analysis, I have combined the <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> sample receiving individual-unit and couple-unit <abbr class="spell">FBR</abbr>s.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt13" id="mn13">13</a> The category “Undefined” refers to cases without specific-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> types indicated in their <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records (<a href="#chart4">Chart 4</a>).</p>
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<p><a href="#mt14" id="mn14">14</a> This finding is the result of current <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> evaluation procedures not requiring claims representatives to document whether a recipient received support in the form of food, shelter, or both, unless the recipient alleges an earmarked contribution for food or shelter. <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> cases have a positive inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount if a household member who is not a deemor pays more than his or her pro rata share of household expenses.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt15" id="mn15">15</a> In 2009, the <abbr class="spell">PMV</abbr> was $244.66 for an individual and $178.50 for each eligible spouse (<a href="#box2">Box 2</a>).</p>
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<p><a href="#mt16" id="mn16">16</a> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> does not use the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> when a case warrants manual processing or involves an applicant or recipient whose name, birthdate, or Social Security number is unknown. Consequently, some of those cases do not have a corresponding <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> record.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt17" id="mn17">17</a> The <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr> format of the <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> provides a cross-sectional, current image of the <abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> at the time of extraction (Panis and others 2002).</p>
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<p><a href="#mt18" id="mn18">18</a> Relative to my <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> file's October 3, 2009, pull date, the most recent <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> data available were for September 26, 2009.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt19" id="mn19">19</a> The <abbr class="spell">CER</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSR</abbr> master file maintains information on all persons who have ever applied for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> and provides information for those who are, or who have been, eligible for <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> payments or who are ineligible spouses or parents of a recipient and living in the same household. However, the <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> only contains nonpay records because <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> uses it as a temporary repository for the information needed to determine if an applicant or recipient has received <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr>.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt20" id="mn20">20</a> An estimated 67.5 percent of all <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> and <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> individuals and eligible spouses lived with at least one household member who was not an eligible spouse.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt21" id="mn21">21</a> More <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-A</span> cases purchased food separately than did <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">FLA</abbr>-C</span> cases (47.9 percent versus 19.3 percent).</p>
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<p><a href="#mt22" id="mn22">22</a> A “nonhousehold situation” involves an <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> recipient living in a care situation (that is, foster care or a noninstitutional care facility) in which his or her food and shelter is paid for by one fee and cannot be valued separately. Furthermore, recipients with outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> flags equal to 4 could also have flag values equal to 1 and/or 2.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt23" id="mn23">23</a> I divided the outside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> total of each <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>-couple unit in half to generate the <abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> amount received by each eligible spouse.</p>
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<p><a href="#mt24" id="mn24">24</a> Nearly 40 percent of positive inside-<abbr class="spell">ISM</abbr> sample members had <abbr class="spell">MSSICS</abbr> records indicating that they had consumed or purchased food separately from their other household members.</p>
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</div>
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<div id="references">
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<h2>References</h2>
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<p>Balkus, Richard, James Sears, Susan Wilschke, and Bernard Wixon. 2009. “<a href="/policy/docs/ssb/v68n4/v68n4p15.html">Simplifying the Supplemental Security Income Program: Options for Eliminating the Counting of <span class="nobr">In-kind</span> Support and Maintenance</a>.” <i>Social Security Bulletin</i> 68(4): <span class="nobr">15–39.</span></p>
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<p>[<abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>] General Accounting Office. 2002a. <i>Supplemental Security Income: Progress Made in Detecting and Recovering Overpayments, but Management Attention Should Continue.</i> Report to the Commissioner of Social Security, <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-02-849</span> (September 16). Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>. <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-02-849">http://www.gao.gov/products/<span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-02-849</span></a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2002b. <i>Supplemental Security Income: Status of Efforts to Improve Overpayment Detection and Recovery.</i> Testimony Before the Subcommittee on Human Resources, Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-02-962T</span> (July 25).Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>. <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-02-962t">http://www.gao.gov/products/<span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-02-962T</span></a>.</p>
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<p>[<abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>] Government Accountability Office. 2012. <i>Supplemental Security Income: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> Has Taken Steps to Prevent and Detect Overpayments, but Additional Actions Could Be Taken to Improve Oversight.</i> Report to Congressional Requesters, <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-13-109</span> (December 14)<i>.</i> Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>. <a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-13-109">http://www.gao.gov/products/<span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">GAO</abbr>-13-109</span></a>.</p>
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<p>Kennedy, Lenna D. 1983. “<a href="/policy/docs/ssb/v46n5/v46n5p3.pdf">Unearned Income of Supplemental Security Income Recipients, May 1982</a>.” <i>Social Security Bulletin</i> 46(5): <span class="nobr">3–6.</span></p>
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<p>Panis, Constantijn, Ronald Euller, Cynthia Grant, Melissa Bradley, Christin E. Peterson, Randall Hirscher, and Paul Steinberg. 2002. <i><abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> Program Data User's Manual [<abbr>RAND</abbr> Manual].</i> Prepared by the <abbr>RAND</abbr> Corporation (contract <abbr title="number">no.</abbr> <span class="nobr"><abbr class="spell">PM</abbr>-973-<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>)</span> for the Social Security Administration.</p>
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<p>[<abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>] Social Security Administration. 2000a. <i>Simplifying the Supplemental Security Income Program: Challenges and Opportunities.</i> <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> <abbr title="Publication">Pub.</abbr> <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr> <span class="nobr">13-005.</span> Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: Office of Policy<i>.</i></p>
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<p>———. 2000b. <i>Social Security: The <abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Program at the Millennium</i>. <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> <abbr title="Publication">Pub.</abbr> <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr> <span class="nobr">62-003.</span> Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: Office of Policy.</p>
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<p>———. 2001. <i>Establishing Living Arrangements and Value of <span class="nobr">In-Kind</span> Support and Maintenance for Supplemental Security Income Recipients</i>. Evaluation Report <abbr title="Number">No.</abbr> <span class="nobr">A-05-99</span>-21002. Baltimore, <abbr title="Maryland">MD</abbr>: Office of the Inspector General.</p>
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<p>———. 2012a. <i>Major Causes of Improper Payments.</i> Reducing Improper [<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>] Payments Report. Baltimore, <abbr title="Maryland">MD</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>. <a href="/improperpayments/SSI_majorCauses.html">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/improperpayments/SSI_majorCauses.html</a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2012b. <i>Social Security Administration Performance and Accountability Report, Fiscal Year 2012: Improper Payments Information Detailed Report</i>. Baltimore, <abbr title="Maryland">MD</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>. http://www.socialsecurity.gov/finance/2012/Improper%20Payments.pdf.</p>
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<p>———. 2013. <i><abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Annual Statistical Report, 2012</i>. Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>. <a href="/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2012/index.html">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_asr/2012/index.html</a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2014a. <i>Annual Statistical Supplement to the Social Security Bulletin, 2013</i>. Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr>. <a href="/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2013/index.html">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2013/index.html</a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2014b. “<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr> Federal Payment Amounts For 2014.” <a href="/OACT/COLA/SSI.html">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/<abbr title="O ACT">OACT</abbr>/<abbr>COLA</abbr>/<abbr class="spell">SSI</abbr>.html</a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2014c. “What's New in 2014?” http://www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook/newfor2014.htm.</p>
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<p>[<abbr class="spell">SSAB</abbr>] Social Security Advisory Board. 1999. “Statement on the Supplemental Security Income Program.” In the <i>Annual Report of the Supplemental Security Income Program</i>. Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> (May). <a href="/OACT/ssir/SSI99/ssi1999.pdf">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/<abbr title="O ACT">OACT</abbr>/ssir/SSI99/ssi1999.pdf</a>.</p>
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<p>———. 2005. “Statement on the Supplemental Security Income Program.” In the <i>Annual Report of the Supplemental Security Income Program</i>. Washington, <abbr class="spell">DC</abbr>: <abbr class="spell">SSA</abbr> (May). <a href="/OACT/ssir/SSI05/ssi2005.pdf">http://www.socialsecurity.gov/<abbr title="O ACT">OACT</abbr>/ssir/SSI05/ssi2005.pdf</a>.</p>
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