A Social Security rule change which is being pushed by White House officials would slash benefits or end support for as many as 400,000 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients with Down syndrome, dementia and other disabilities whose parents or relatives receive SNAP (food stamp) benefits.
Pro Publica, a nonprofit national investigative news organization, reports that “according to four federal officials, internal emails, and a federal regulatory listing, the administration is working on a rule change that would deduct the value of a disabled adult’s bedroom from their SSI allotment, even if the family members they live with are poor enough to qualify for food stamps.”
Under the proposed rule, any SSI beneficiary above the age of 18 living at home who is not paying full rent will be treated as if they have a benefactor. The value of their bedroom will be calculated and deducted from the disabled person’s SSI check. That “rent” value may be recalculated as often as every month. This would mean slashing the benefits of some of the most low-income SSI recipients by up to a third or ending their SSI support altogether. The maximum SSI benefit in 2026 is $994 per month and the average benefit is a meager $710 a month, so any benefit cut will be devastating for many families.
In their report Pro Publica states that “[t]he likely SSI cut will affect not just younger adults with disabilities such as Down syndrome and severe autism who are still living at home with their low-income parents, but also older people with health or financial problems who have had to move in with their adult children on tight budgets.[This] marks a second attempt by the Trump administration to quietly but dramatically downsize disability benefit programs overseen by the Social Security Administration, despite those programs’ strict eligibility standards and minimal instances of fraud.”
KQED, the National Public Radio station in San Francisco, points out that “[this]a change that advocates worry will further burden disabled people and their families — and could make it harder for disabled people to stay in their homes instead of institutions.”
