Supreme Court decision may hurt Puerto Rico residents who need access to federal disability program, expert says
Efforts to expand a federal program for disabled, elderly and blind Americans suffered a setback on Thursday when the Supreme Court ruled that Puerto Rico residents should be excluded from receiving those benefits. The program, called Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, currently provides monthly checks to about 7.7 million Americans who qualify. But because it is aimed at people with low income and few resources, the program comes with strict income and asset limit rules. Some Congressional lawmakers have proposed updating the program, which has regulations that have not been updated since it was created in 1972. Last year, the House of Representatives included one key change — expanding SSI to residents of U.S. territories — when it passed Democrats’ Build Back That change would include residents of Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. Residents of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands are already eligible to receive SSI benefits. However, tha