A proposed change to Social Security rules could have a major impact on disabled and low-income Americans. According to analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), nearly 400,000 Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients could see their benefits reduced or eliminated if the rule takes effect.
How the Rule Change Works
Under a 2024 rule finalized by the Biden administration, households receiving SNAP food assistance automatically qualify as a “public assistance household.” This protects disabled SSI recipients from a penalty that can reduce their monthly payment by up to one-third.
The Trump administration is seeking to rescind this protection. If the rule is rolled back, SNAP recipients would no longer automatically count as a qualifying household. Instead, every person in the household would need to receive a public assistance payment, a requirement that many low-income families supporting disabled relatives may struggle to meet.
Impact on Benefits
The maximum federal SSI benefit in 2026 is $994 per month, roughly three-quarters of the poverty line for a single individual. With the proposed penalty applied, recipients could see this drop by approximately $331, leaving them with just $663 per month.
Analysis from the CBPP found that a typical multi-person SNAP household with at least one SSI member earns around $17,000 per year. Reducing benefits for these households could push them further into financial insecurity, with little room to absorb the loss.
National and State-Level Consequences
The proposed rollback would affect SSI recipients across the country. Over 275,000 beneficiaries could see their monthly payments reduced, and more than 100,000 could lose eligibility entirely. In Massachusetts alone, the CBPP estimates that 11,600 disabled recipients could be impacted.
The Social Security Administration frames the change as a measure to maintain “program integrity,” arguing that the costs of the 2024 rule outweigh its benefits. Critics, however, warn that the rule would disproportionately harm some of the most vulnerable Americans who rely on a combination of SSI and SNAP to make ends meet.
Next Steps
The SSA submitted the proposal in July 2025, but it has not yet been formally published as a rule, and a public comment period has not opened. Disabled and low-income families, advocacy groups, and state officials will likely be watching closely as the process unfolds, potentially influencing the final decision.
The proposal highlights ongoing debates about the balance between program oversight and protections for vulnerable populations. Any rollback could create significant financial strain for households already managing limited resources, underscoring the human stakes behind administrative changes.
