Social Insurance and Public Assistance

796 Series Bf591–598 Bf SOCIAL INSURANCE AND PUBLIC ASSISTANCE
TABLE Bf591–598 Supplemental Security Income program – persons receiving payments from federal or state
governments: 1974–1998
Contributed by Price V. Fishback and Melissa A. Thomasson
State supplementation
Federal, or federally Federal only, or
Federally administered
State administered
administered state federal with state
Total supplementation supplementation Total Total Only Total Only
Bf591 Bf592 Bf593 Bf594 Bf595 Bf596 Bf597 Bf598
Year Number Number Number Number Number Number Number Number
1974 4,027,572 3,996,064 — — — — 300,724 31,508
1975 4,359,625 4,314,275 3,893,419 1,987,409 1,684,018 420,856 303,391 45,350
1976 4,285,785 4,235,939 3,799,069 1,912,550 1,638,173 436,870 274,377 49,846
1977 4,287,299 4,237,692 3,777,856 1,927,340 1,657,645 459,836 269,695 49,607
1978 4,265,473 4,216,925 3,754,663 1,946,921 1,681,403 462,262 265,518 48,548
1979 4,202,727 4,149,575 3,687,119 1,941,572 1,684,283 462,456 257,289 53,152
1980 4,194,100 4,142,017 3,682,411 1,934,239 1,684,765 459,606 249,474 52,083
1981 4,067,421 4,018,875 3,590,103 1,874,844 1,625,279 428,772 249,565 48,546
1982 3,908,466 3,857,590 3,473,301 1,798,400 1,550,405 384,289 247,995 50,876
1983 3,955,767 3,901,497 3,589,521 1,811,614 1,557,714 311,976 253,900 54,270
1984 4,093,956 4,029,333 3,698,758 1,875,187 1,607,234 330,575 267,953 64,623
1985 4,200,177 4,138,021 3,799,092 1,915,503 1,660,847 338,929 254,656 62,156
1986 4,346,652 4,269,184 3,921,661 2,002,746 1,723,401 347,523 279,345 77,468
1987 4,457,847 4,384,999 4,019,297 2,078,503 1,806,847 365,702 271,656 72,848
1988 4,541,441 4,463,869 4,088,988 2,154,759 1,884,675 374,881 270,084 77,572
1989 4,672,577 4,593,059 4,206,390 2,224,122 1,949,585 386,669 274,537 79,518
1990 4,888,180 4,817,127 4,412,131 2,343,803 2,058,273 404,996 285,530 71,053
1991 5,199,539 5,118,470 4,729,639 2,512,220 2,204,329 388,831 307,891 81,069
1992 5,646,877 5,566,189 5,202,249 2,684,371 2,371,564 363,940 312,807 80,688
1993 6,064,502 5,984,330 5,635,995 2,849,887 2,536,349 348,335 313,538 80,172
1994 6,377,111 6,295,786 5,965,130 2,950,470 2,628,431 330,658 322,039 81,325
1995 6,515,753 6,514,134 6,194,493 2,817,408 2,517,805 319,641 299,603 61,619
1996 6,676,729 6,613,718 6,325,531 2,731,681 2,421,470 288,187 310,211 63,011
1997 6,564,613 6,494,985 6,211,867 3,029,449 2,372,479 283,118 656,970 69,628
1998 6,649,465 6,566,069 6,289,070 3,072,392 2,411,707 276,999 660,685 83,396
Sources
U.S. Social Security Administration, Social Security Bulletin: Annual Statistical Supplement
(1999), Table 7.A3, p. 287. Annual data from earlier years are from
Social Security Bulletin: Annual Statistical Supplement (1983) and Social Security
Bulletin: Annual Statistical Supplement (1988).
Documentation
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program was implemented in 1974
and superseded the former programs of Old-Age Assistance, Aid to the Blind,
and Aid to the Permanently and Totally Disabled, except in the U.S. territories
of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands. SSI provides income support
to persons age 65 and older, and blind or disabled adults and children. The
federal payment is based on the individual’s countable income, although
not all income is counted against the federal SSI benefit level. States have
the option to supplement the SSI floor and are required to supplement the
federal benefit rate under certain circumstances.
A detailed legislative history and program summary is available in the
Social Security Bulletin: Annual Statistical Supplement (1997).
Data are reported in December of every year. In 1974, data were unavailable
for some series in December, but were reported in January. These
series are listed in the Social Security Bulletin Annual Statistical Supplement (1997),
pp. 287–90.
Administration of SSI Payments
The administration of SSI payments is complex. Some persons receive only
federal payments, others receive both federal payments and a state supplementation,
and some receive federally administered state supplements.
Details are described next.
Series Bf592. Includes persons receiving a federal payment, as well as those
receiving a state supplement administered by the federal government.
Series Bf593. Includes persons receiving a federal payment of some form,
either a federal payment alone or a federal payment with a state supplement.
The state supplementations are administered sometimes by the federal government
and sometimes by the state government.
Series Bf595. Includes persons receiving either federally administered state
supplements only, or both a federal SSI payment and state supplement.
Series Bf596. Includes persons receiving only federally administered state
supplementation.
Series Bf597. Includes persons receiving either state supplementation only
or both a federal payment and state-administered state supplementation.
Series Bf598. Includes persons receiving only state-administered state supplementation.