The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced on Aug. 27 that it’s moving its application for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – which provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults with little to no income and resources – online starting in December.
The goal is to develop an online, simplified SSI application process by expanding an existing online portal known as iClaim. The public currently uses iClaim to apply for other types of SSA benefits, such as retirement and Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB). SSA said paper forms will continue to be available.
“Over the past year, we have asked many applicants and advocates – as well as our workforce – how we could make the SSI application process easier and simpler. Now, we are taking an important first step to do just that,” Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley said in a press release.
“People in our communities who need this crucial safety net deserve the dignity of an application process that is less burdensome and more accessible than what we now have, and we’re committed to achieving that vision over the next few years,” O’Malley added.
The iClaim expansion will leverage “user-tested, plain-language questions, prepopulated answers where possible, seamless step-by-step transitions, and more,” according to SSA. The agency said this will reduce the time spent applying for SSI, as well as the processing time for claim decisions.
SSA said it plans to first roll out the expanded application to first-time applicants between 18 and 65, who have never married and are concurrently applying for Social Security benefits.
In the second phase of the rollout, currently targeted for late 2025, the agency plans to expand the online SSI application to all applicants.
“Subsequent SSI simplification steps will incorporate lessons learned from the iClaim expansion into in-person, phone, mobile, and paper-based processes for SSI applications,” SSA said in the release. “As part of that, the agency plans to develop a separate simplified child SSI application.”
Each year, SSA processes more than two million disability and SSI claims. In his fiscal year 2024 budget, President Biden invested funds into improving access to SSA services – including decreasing customer wait times and simplifying the SSI application process.
