Featured Policy: PA SSP Cuts - Posted February 2, 2010

About 345,000 vulnerable Pennsylvanians including very low income older adults, severely disabled, and blind, receive State Supplemental Payments (SSP) to supplement their federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit. Effective February 1, Pennsylvania began cutting the SSP by $5.30 per month for an individual and $10.40 per month for a couple. While $5 or $10 may not seem like much of a loss to some in today’s economy, it is important to realize that the maximum SSI grant to an individual is only $674 per month and $1,011 for a couple. Prior to the cut, Pennsylvania’s SSP amounted to an additional $27.40 per month for an individual and $43.70 per month for a couple, still well below the poverty level. (Please note that this cut does not impact residents of personal care homes or domiciliary care homes.) Advocates recently became aware of this hidden provision inserted in last fall’s state budget agreement when the proposal was published in the PA Bulletin. There is a statewide coalition being organized under the leadership of Community Legal Services and AARP of PA to fight the cuts. (Contact Kathy Cubit if you want your organization included in this advocacy effort.)

Please help stop the cuts by contacting Edward J. Zogby, Bureau of Policy, Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare, Room 431, Health and Welfare Building, Harrisburg, PA 17105, or e-mail ezogby@state.pa.us to submit an official comment to the PA Bulletin notice. More importantly, please contact Governor Rendell and your state legislators voicing your opposition to the cuts and requesting an immediate roll-back. Click here for a one page fact sheet and a sample letter from Community Legal Services.  You may contact Kathy Cubit if you need any other information and to let me know what response you receive.  Thank you in advance for any help you can provide to this advocacy effort.