June 28, 2024 - Final State Budget

CA4SSI celebrates the three-party California State Budget agreement. We thank the Governor and Legislature for their commitment to preserving SSI/SSP grants in the 2024-2025 State Budget and for the 9.2 percent increase which took effect on January 1, 2024. Additionally, we are appreciative that CDSS will display the SSI/SSP grant amount compared to the fair market rent for a studio in all 58 counties on their website. This will help keep California accountable for ensuring that SSI/SSP recipients can live in dignity and are not rent-burdened. 

We know the Governor and Legislature needed to balance many difficult decisions with the state facing a large budget shortfall, and we are grateful that the final budget supports low-income Californians who are struggling to stay housed, buy food, and survive.

Since the individual grant for SSI/SSP recipients is only 94% of the federal poverty level, and the grants for couples are only slightly over the poverty line, we are pleased the Governor realized the real consequences of reducing the grant, which would have resulted in an increase in homelessness and a greater need for emergency food and health care services. In addition, these grants support vulnerable low-income communities such as seniors, people living with disabilities, women, and people of color, who often have had less access to employment and other opportunities across their lifespan and who disproportionately live in poverty. We look forward to seeing this commitment to protect and strengthen SSI/SSP grants in the 2025-2026 State Budget.

MAY 10, 2024 - May Revise


CA4SSI Priorities for 2024 Budget Year

  • Appropriate a three-step increase to bring the SSI/SSP grants to 100% of the federal poverty level over three years and provide an ongoing Cost of Living Adjustment. (Factsheet)

  • Revive and Refund the Special Circumstances Program as a 5 year, time-limited program (Factsheet)

 

CA4SSI Responds to the Governor’s Proposed 2024-25 Budget

Seniors and People with Disabilities Who Receive SSI Received One-Time $600 Golden State Grant in 2021

The Golden State Grant provided direct aid to those most impacted by the pandemic. It included a one-time $600 grant to SSI seniors and people with disabilities, to help meet the high costs that SSI recipients struggle to pay during COVID. Learn more here.

SSI/SSP Recipients Can Now Be Eligible for CalFresh

In the summer of 2019, the “cash out” policy that bans SSI recipients from receiving CalFresh (food stamps) ended. People who receive SSI are now able to also receive CalFresh at the same time.