Beginning in December of this year, the roughly eight million people who rely on Supplemental Security Income will receive more from this valuable social program.
As a part of a sweeping raise in Social Security for recipients in Pennsylvania and across the United States, those that rely on Supplemental Security Income, a disability program geared toward the poor, will receive an extra $18 a month, which results in $216 more a year. And while the raise might not seem like a huge sum of money, it will certainly present its benefits to recipients during this time of economic decline.
Not receiving a raise in payments to at least stay consistent with inflation has left recipients that rely on SSI to build debt because they cannot cover all their expenses. While some certainly will accept the increased pay as additional disposable income, extra money is crucial to others that were barely making ends meet.
The raise is far more important for those receiving Social Security Disability benefits. These are people who are receiving a low and outdated flat rate, which is gobbled up quickly by medical costs. They cannot work because of illness or injury.
The rest of the Social Security recipients were no doubt relieved to hear of the first raise in a few years. Recipients will receive a 3.6 percent increase in the amount of money they receive from the program. This increase was made to keep up with the soaring cost of living in the country.
The general Social Security raise kicks in on January of 2012 and will affect the 55 million recipients.
Source: MSNBC, "Social Security raise needed in tough economy," Matt Sedensky, Oct. 23, 2011
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