Aged Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Beneficiaries as a Percent of Population Ages 65+, 2008
| Aged SSI as % of Population Ages 65+ | |
|---|---|
| United States | 3.1% |
| Alabama | 2.2% |
| Alaska | 4.0% |
| Arizona | 1.6% |
| Arkansas | 1.9% |
| California | 9.0% |
| Colorado | 1.7% |
| Connecticut | 1.4% |
| Delaware | 1.1% |
| District of Columbia | 2.7% |
| Florida | 3.2% |
| Georgia | 2.6% |
| Hawaii | 3.3% |
| Idaho | 1.0% |
| Illinois | 1.9% |
| Indiana | 0.7% |
| Iowa | 0.8% |
| Kansas | 0.9% |
| Kentucky | 2.1% |
| Louisiana | 2.9% |
| Maine | 1.1% |
| Maryland | 2.2% |
| Massachusetts | 5.3% |
| Michigan | 1.3% |
| Minnesota | 1.6% |
| Mississippi | 3.3% |
| Missouri | 1.1% |
| Montana | 0.8% |
| Nebraska | 0.8% |
| Nevada | 3.2% |
| New Hampshire | 0.5% |
| New Jersey | 3.0% |
| New Mexico | 3.2% |
| New York | 5.1% |
| North Carolina | 2.0% |
| North Dakota | 0.9% |
| Ohio | 1.0% |
| Oklahoma | 1.4% |
| Oregon | 1.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 1.4% |
| Rhode Island | 2.6% |
| South Carolina | 1.8% |
| South Dakota | 1.3% |
| Tennessee | 1.8% |
| Texas | 4.3% |
| Utah | 1.0% |
| Vermont | 1.2% |
| Virginia | 2.1% |
| Washington | 2.0% |
| West Virginia | 1.2% |
| Wisconsin | 1.0% |
| Wyoming | 0.6% |
| Sources: | Table 1, SSI Recipients by State and County, 2008, Social Security Administration, Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, available at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/ssi_sc/2008/table01.html |
| Definitions: | SSI: Supplemental Security Income is a federal entitlement program that provides cash assistance to low-income aged, blind, and disabled individuals. Individuals receiving SSI benefits are eligible for Medicaid coverage in all states except "section 209(b)" states, which have opted to use their more restrictive 1972 criteria in determining Medicaid eligibility for SSI recipients. Section 209(b) of the 1972 amendments to the Social Security Act allowed states the option of continuing to use their own eligibility criteria in determining Medicaid eligibility for the elderly and disabled rather than extending Medicaid coverage to all of those individuals who qualify for SSI benefits. As of 2001, eleven states (Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Virginia) had elected the "209(b)" option to apply their 1972 eligibility criteria to aged or disabled individuals receiving SSI benefits for purposes of determining Medicaid eligibility. |
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