State Assistance Programs for SSI Recipients, January 2005

Rhode Island

State Supplementation

Mandatory Minimum Supplementation

No recipients.

Optional State Supplementation

Administration: Social Security Administration.

Effective date: January 1, 1974.

Statutory basis for payment: General Laws of Rhode Island, 1956, as amended, title 40, chapter 6, section 27.

Funding

Administration: State funds.

Assistance: State funds.

Passalong method: Maintaining payment levels.

Place of application: Social Security Administration field offices.

Scope of coverage: Optional state supplement provided to all SSI recipients, including children, residing in the specified living arrangements (see Table 1).

Resource limitations: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Income exclusions: Federal SSI regulations apply.

Recoveries, liens, and assignments: None.

Financial responsibility of relatives: None.

Interim assistance: State participates.

Payment levels: See Table 1.

Table 1. Optional state supplementation payment levels, January 2005 (in dollars)
Living arrangement State code Combined federal and state State supplementation
Individual Couple Individual Couple
Living alone A 636.35 977.50 57.35 108.50
Living in the household of another B 455.94 707.84 69.94 128.50
Adult residential care or assisted living facility D 1,154.00 . . . 575.00 . . .
Medicaid facility E 50.00 100.00 20.00 40.00
NOTE: . . . = not applicable.
DEFINITIONS:
A: Living alone
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code A or C living arrangement. Includes persons in medical facilities who are residing in a federal Code A living arrangement on the basis of their eligibility under section 1611(e)(1)(E) of the Social Security Act.
B: Living in the household of another
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code B living arrangement.
D: Adult residential care or assisted living facility
Includes adult recipients who reside in a federal Code A living arrangement and live in a licensed shelter care facility.
E: Medicaid facility
Includes recipients residing in a federal Code D living arrangement.

Number of recipients: See Table 2.

Table 2. Number of persons receiving optional state supplementation, January 2005
Living arrangement State code Total Aged Blind Disabled
Adults Children
All recipients 29,269 3,933 185 19,965 5,186
Living alone A 27,110 3,288 160 18,686 4,976
Living in the household of another B 1,010 203 20 636 151
Adult residential care or assisted living facility D 741 372 3 363 3
Medicaid facility E 408 70 2 280 56
 

State Assistance for Special Needs

Administration

State Department of Human Services.

Special Needs Circumstances

Moving expenses: Within cost guidelines, moving costs are covered for SSI recipients when the move is determined to be socially desirable and moving services cannot be provided by city, town, or other community resources.

Catastrophic conditions: In the event of a catastrophe by fire, flood, lightning, or severe wind, the state will provide shelter, clothing, food, and essential household equipment and furnishings.

Burial expenses: The cost of burial expenses can be provided for any person who dies leaving insufficient resources to meet this expense.

Homemaker services: Services provided under specified criteria to prevent institutionalization of a recipient who is unable to perform homemaker duties because of an acute or chronic illness.

Medicaid

Eligibility

Criteria: SSI program guidelines (Title XVI).

Determined by: Social Security Administration.

Medically Needy Program

State provides a program for the aged, blind, and disabled medically needy.

Unpaid Medical Expenses

The Social Security Administration obtains this information.