Replies

SSI is the money given to disabled and poor who haven’t worked enough to collect full SS. It is a set amount...here in Ohio, about 600 a month, plus full Medicaid, and other “entitlements”, i.e., food stamps, housing, cash assistance, utility assistance...whereas regular SS is based on the number of years worked (I think 10 yrs is required) and comes with Medicare only.

The McCain/kennedy amnesty would have allowed illegals to collect SS after only 18 months.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is administered by SSA but SSI is not part of the social security system.

"A White House Task Force [1994] is considering a proposal that would deny Supplemental Security Income benefits to elderly legal immigrants unless they become US citizens. Illegal immigrants are not [legally] eligible for SSI benefits. The SSI program is a major source of support for needy elderly legal immigrants, since many do not qualify for Social Security benefits because they did not work in the United States.

"The number of immigrants receiving SSI has increased from 128,000 in 1982 to 601,000 in 1993. About 150,000 new applications for SSI are received from legal aliens each year. Two-thirds of the immigrant SSI recipients are elderly, reflecting the tendency of some immigrants who have become US citizens to bring their parents into the country, and then have their parents apply for SSI. The number of parents who immigrate to join their children in the US has increased from 40,000 in 1985 to 65,000 in 1993. By not permitting immigrants to obtain SSI, AFDC and Food Stamp benefits until they become US citizens--meaning they must wait at least 5 years--the Task Force estimates savings of over $1.2 billion per year."

Here [End of quote. My emphasis]

By 1996 a huge percent of those on SSI were foreign elderly relatives of legal immigrants. In some cases the elderly parents returned to the home country, I've heard, after the checks started coming.

In 1996 Congress passed reforms which initially denied SSI to elderly immigrants upon arrival in the States. Modifications to the reform over the years have weakened the restrictions but as far as I know the changes were limited to allowing those elderly immigrants already receiving SSI [in August 1996] to continue to receive SSI.

SSI is suplemental security assistance. It doesn’t come from SS trust fund but the general treasury. (Both of which are empty now.) The amount of money recieved depends on which state you live in. The average amount is I think 675 a month while in Massachusettes its like 750 a month. California has the most generous system where you get 850 a month but they tend to deduct that from food stamps. In order to qualify you need less than 2000$ a month. people are often forced on SSI against their will by government adult protective services and abusive family member in order to provide an excuse to confiscate funds. In the end most of these people will have nothing.