Big Change for SSI

 Big Change has arrived for SSI

 

People with disabilities may receive Supplemental Security Income or SSI.   Recipients of the benefit are required to report how they spend the stipend.  Until recently if a recipient paid less than fair market value for his/her rent, the difference between the fair market value and the actual rent was deducted from the stipend.

This situation was most likely to occur when the recipient lived at home or with other family members.  Yet, the benefit did not pay enough for fair market value in the open market AND the recipient’s disability often made it very difficult for him/her to live independently.

Recipients went to court in a number of states.  As a result, there was variety around the country.  In seven states, Connecticut, New York, Vermont, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Texas, monthly payments were not reduced if the recipient was paying more than a third of his/her income for housing even in those instances when it was less than fair market value.

With the new rule, Social Security will apply the less stringent standard nationwide.   Social Security administration expects that as a result of the new rule about 41,000 people will see their SSI payments increase an average of $132 a month.  An additional, 14,000 are expected to now qualify for SSI.

The new policy took effect on September 30.

This rule change is part of a wide-ranging effort to reconsider how the Social Security Administration is handling SSI payments.  Earlier in the spring, the Social Security Administration said it would also stop counting food as part of the “in-kind support and maintenance” this fall.  How Social Security views income from other public agencies is also being examined.

Martin O’Malley, Director of Social Security,  explained that the plan not only had huge benefits for recipients but it also reduced agency time spent calculating and administering rental subsidy.

A win-win for people with disabilities and the bureaucracy that serves them.

 7%- That’s Amazing

Only 7% of the 8^th graders taking the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment in math passed it last school year.   That’s terrible.  Well actually it is quite amazing if you take the trouble to look at some of the practice items that are published online.  If you did that, you would not only be amazed that anyone passed the test but  you would also have to ask the question – why on earth do we even TRY to prepare kids to pass this foolishness.

Sample question:

Which expression below is equivalent to +=

A= -8

B= -1/8

C= 1/8

D=8

 

Truly the above is a sample question for an 8^th grader.  The vast majority of 8^th graders got this wrong.  Probably the vast majority of job holding successful adults got it wrong too. Other questions on the test are similar.

Time is finite.   Once elapsed you can never get it back.  Teachers are working and wasting students’ time teaching them to try and do this foolishness.   To what purpose??  Evidently so they will not be among the 93% who do not pass the test.  How many more useful functional things could our students be learning instead of wasting their time on this. 

 

One of the easier items is =49/16

Again, how useful is this?  

Students need to pass these tests to get a high school diploma.  Check around with people you know and see how many can answer the questions.  Then ask yourself, are they relatively successful adults?   Are they employed, self-supporting, have jobs, contributing to society?  And yet they can’t do these math questions. 

There is a lot of hype around the poor math scores of students.   Very few people ask the question, what is being measured and is the juice worth the squeeze.  Do we really care if our kids can do these things or not and isn’t there some better way for them to be using their time.

Sort of reminds me of the Emperor’s New Clothes.  While we are arguing over the color of his cloak, we fail to acknowledge he isn’t wearing a cloak at all!

BTW, the answer to question 1 is D-8.   The answer to question 2 is 1 ¾.  Let me know if you can ever use this information.

Do we want to feed the kids or not

 Maybe there is such a thing as a free lunch?

 

Eight states in our union have promised every student a free lunch.   No paperwork, no forms, no how much money does your family have.   Nope, everyone who comes to school gets a free lunch- or at least free to the student.

Governor Walz of Minnesota said that while other states were banning books, his state was banishing hunger.

The Federal meal program for k-12 students was created to provide food to children from low-income families while at school.   The program is funded through the US Department of Agriculture.   While originally created as a kind of stop-gap for hungry kids, it has become in many ways an entitlement program.

As with all things there are three sides to every story.

The US House of Representatives has passed a budget package that would eliminate the community eligibility provision.  This is a policy that allows entire school districts, groups of schools or a single school to provide all students with meals regardless of the income of any single child.  Project 2025 and the US House of Representatives argue that the program should return to its original intent and only serve low-income kids.

California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico and Vermont all join Minnesota in providing free lunch to all.  Under the typical meal system, some students pay the full price, others pay a reduced price and still others get a free lunch.  Universal free lunch dramatically reduces the paperwork and each child can feel good about him or herself. No more stigma for some kids if they want to eat.    Under the typical system, some kids would rather go hungry than have to identify as poor enough for a free lunch.   As Scrooge would say, “if they would rather go hungry then let them”.   A bill sponsored in both houses of Congress calling for free breakfast and lunch has gained no traction among Republicans.

For many children, school lunches (and breakfast in some cases) provide the major food source for a child in a day.    Some schools send home weekend bags too.

These lunches aren’t free.   Someone is footing the bill.   So, the questions are should all kids eat, should some kids eat, and who should be paying for the groceries, because there really isn’t a free lunch.