[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-305428-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":80,"doc-detail-305428-en":126},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","increasing-eligible-older-adult-participation-in-social-security-income-ssi-benefits","Increasing Eligible Older Adult Participation in Social Security Income (SSI) Benefits","","The document analyzes county-level participation in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, noting that 3.6 million eligible older adults were not enrolled and were missing an average annual benefit of $8,574. It summarizes a June 2025 NCOA study with Social Policy Research Associates across ten counties in five states, comparing a high-participation county to an adjacent low-participation county. It outlines the SSI program, eligibility basis, and how participation rates shifted from 2018 to 2023, including declines and explanations linked to operational challenges and COVID-19.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/general/","General",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/increasing-eligible-older-adult-participation-in-social-security-income-ssi-benefits/305428/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/increasing-eligible-older-adult-participation-in-social-security-income-ssi-benefits/305428.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Theodora","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-21","2026-09-19",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":22},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What did the 2023 NCOA Benefits Participation Map data show about SSI enrollment?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"It showed that nationally 3.6 million older adults were eligible for SSI but not enrolled, missing an average of $8,574 in benefits each year.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What was the purpose of the June 2025 county participation rate study?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"The study aimed to understand factors that influence county-level SSI participation rates and to identify what creates enabling environments and reduces barriers for older adults.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"How did SSI participation rates change from 2018 to 2023?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"SSI participation rates decreased between 2018 and 2023 for nearly every type of jurisdiction, with national participant rates falling by nearly 10 percent and notable declines in several states and cities.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},305428,1789976519,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",[83,88,93,98,103,108,113,118,123],{"id":84,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},11,"Presentations",90,"presentations",{"id":89,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":90,"show_sort_weight":91,"slug":92},12,"Resumes",80,"resumes",{"id":94,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":95,"show_sort_weight":96,"slug":97},14,"Invoices",70,"invoices",{"id":99,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},15,"Posters",60,"posters",{"id":104,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},16,"Social Media",50,"social-media",{"id":109,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},17,"Forms",40,"forms",{"id":114,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},18,"Letters",30,"letters",{"id":119,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},21,"Paper Templates",5,"papers-templates",{"id":124,"doc_module":22,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":4,"slug":125},158,"general-158",{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":127},{"doc_id":78,"user_id":128,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":129,"doc_module":22,"category_id":124,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":130,"file_id":131,"file_url":132,"file_type":133,"file_size":134,"view_count":26,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":121,"language":135,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":136,"faqs":137,"seo_title":138,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":139,"read_time":26},687197207919,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/a000253d6f5f7c60be?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1779446848396160552","Increasing Eligible Older Adult Participation in Social Security Income (SSI) Benefits  \nThe 2023 National Council on Aging (NCOA) Benefits Participation Map data revealed that nationally, 3.6 million older adults were eligible for but not enrolled in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program. These individuals were missing out on an average of $8,574 SSI benefits each year ($715 per month) in 2026. The data also showed wide variations between counties within some states with both high-and low-participation rates.  \nIn June 2025, NCOA launched a study, conducted in partnership with Social Policy Research Associates (SPR), to better understand the factors that influence county-level participation rates in key public benefits programs. The study focused on ten counties across five states (California, Missouri, New York, Texas, and Washington) and included one high-participation county and a geographically adjacent low-participation county in each state. Below are key insights from the five high-SSI participation rate counties.  \nOVERVIEW OF SSI  \nABOUT THE STUDY  \nThe County Participation Rate Study aimed to better understand why older adult participation rates in Medicare Savings Program (MSP), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) vary dramatically between counties within the same state. The goal was to identify factors that create enabling environments for older adults to access needed public benefits and reduce barriers to their uptake. The study relied on qualitative data gathered through interviews and listening sessions, as well as a review of the Benefits Participation Map and publicly available datasets.  \nAdministered by the Social Security Administration (SSA), SSI is a cash benefit for adults 65 and over and individuals of all ages who are blind or have a disability. The program serves those with very few resources; to be eligible, recipients must have both a very low income and almost no assets. In 2024, the maximum monthly benefit was $994 for an individual and $1,491 for a couple.1 While Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is also administered by SSA, eligibility for that program typically requires that a recipient have a  \n1 National Council on Aging. 2026. How do I Apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? [https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-do-i-apply-for-supplemental-security-income-ssi/](https://www.ncoa.org/article/how-do-i-apply-for-supplemental-security-income-ssi/)  \ndisability and a work history that included paying into payroll taxes.2 In contrast, SSI is funded by U.S. Treasury funds and does not require a work history.3  \nCHANGES IN SSI PARTICIPATION RATES  \nThe comparison of 2018 and 2023 data from the NCOA Benefits Participation Map provides a unique snapshot of changes in SSI benefits participation at county, state, and national levels. Below, we provide a side-by-side view of the two data snapshots and provide some key explanatory information about policy changes that may have impacted SSI participation. Table 1 shows 2018 and 2023 SSI participation rates across the five study states and Table 2 shows these rates across the five high-participation rate counties.  \nTable 1. State SSI Participation Rates, 2018 and 20234  \n\n|  | 2018 | 2023 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| National | 49. 0% | 39. 5% |\n| California (CA) | 53.8% | 48.8% |\n| Missouri (MO) | 33.4% | 27.9% |\n| New York (NY) | 45.4% | 46.7% |\n| Texas (TX) | 46.7% | 36.3% |\n| Washington (WA) | 51. 1% | 40.0% |\n\nTable 2. SSI Participation Rates for High-Participation Rate Counties, 2018 and 2023  \n\n|  | 2018 | 2023 |\n| --- | --- | --- |\n| National | 49.0% | 39.5% |\n| San Francisco County, CA | 75.4% | 69.8% |\n| St. Louis County, MO | 40.9% | 30.3% |\n| New York City, NY | 75.7% | 52.8% |\n| Duval County, TX | 83.3% | 66.9% |\n| Clark County, WA | 70.7% | 35.6% |\n\nSSI participation rates decreased between 2018 and 2023 for nearly every type of jurisdiction. Nationally, SSI participant rate","cbCaidNypI6B71yf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaidNypI6B71yf","pdf",4070935,"English","# Overview of SSI\n# About the Study\n# Changes in SSI Participation Rates\n## National and state comparisons (2018 vs 2023)\n## High-participation counties comparisons (2018 vs 2023)\n## Factors behind participation declines","[{\"question\":\"What did the 2023 NCOA Benefits Participation Map data show about SSI enrollment?\",\"answer\":\"It showed that nationally 3.6 million older adults were eligible for SSI but not enrolled, missing an average of $8,574 in benefits each year.\"},{\"question\":\"What was the purpose of the June 2025 county participation rate study?\",\"answer\":\"The study aimed to understand factors that influence county-level SSI participation rates and to identify what creates enabling environments and reduces barriers for older adults.\"},{\"question\":\"How did SSI participation rates change from 2018 to 2023?\",\"answer\":\"SSI participation rates decreased between 2018 and 2023 for nearly every type of jurisdiction, with national participant rates falling by nearly 10 percent and notable declines in several states and cities.\"}]","Increasing Eligible Older Adult Participation in Social Security Income (SSI) Benefits | PDF",1789824822]