Supreme Court to decide if Puerto Ricans eligible for SSI
Posted March 5, 2021 by Premier Disability Services, LLC®The Supreme Court announced Monday that it will hear a case on Puerto Ricans’ eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Associated Press reported.
A lower court ruled in April that it was unconstitutional to exclude residents of the island, a U.S. territory, from SSI benefits for elderly, blind and disabled people. The Trump administration appealed the decision, citing two 20th century decisions by the high court that upheld the constitutionality of the original federal law creating SSI, which excluded U.S. territories.
Territory residents are covered under a separate program with more restrictive eligibility requirements, called Aid to the Aged, Blind and Disabled.
President Biden has not yet indicated whether the U.S. will drop its appeal in the case. Del. Jenniffer González-Colón (R), Puerto Rico’s representative in Congress, used the Supreme Court’s announcement to urge the administration to drop the case.
Full article: https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/540992-supreme-court-to-hear-puerto-rico-aid-case
Contact our office today if you or anyone you know would like to learn more about qualifying for Social Security Disability benefits.
By: Joyce Trudeau of Premier Disability Services, LLC®
