STIMULUS PAYMENTS (one-time payments)
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Individuals who are receiving SSI need to be aware of several key elements related to the stimulus payment:
- Stimulus payments are NOT taxable.
- Stimulus payments received by the individual that are initiated through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) will not count as income in the calculation of the individual’s SSI amount for that month.
- Stimulus payments will not be counted as resources for a 12-month period following the receipt of the funds.
- SSI recipients will receive the stimulus payment, even if they did not file a tax return. However, for benefit recipients with dependents, who did NOT file a tax return in 2018 or 2019, an extra step is needed. Go to IRS Economic Impact Payments on IRS.gov and provide the information needed in the Non-Filers section. This will ensure they receive the $500 per dependent payment in addition to their $1,200 individual payment.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), Disabled Widow(er) Benefits (DWB), Childhood Disability Benefits (CDB)
The stimulus payment will have no impact on any of these Title II benefits: SSDI, DWB, CDB, and SSA Retirement. These benefits are classified as insurance benefits and are NOT impacted by unearned income. In addition, the stimulus payments will NOT be taxable.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
There is no impact on SNAP benefits due to the receipt of a stimulus payment in accordance with 26 U.S. Code § 6409.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
There is no impact on HUD rent subsidies due to the receipt of the stimulus funds. The one-time stimulus payments paid to individuals and families would be excluded from income, as they are temporary, nonrecurring payments (per 24 CFR 5.609). Please contact your local housing authority if you have any questions.
HUD has also extended a “tailored set of mortgage payment relief options for single family homeowners with FHA-insured mortgages.” “Effective immediately for borrowers with a financial hardship that makes them unable to pay their mortgage due to the COVID-19 National Emergency, mortgage servicers must extend deferred or reduced mortgage payment options – called forbearance – for up to six months, and must provide an additional six months of forbearance if requested by the borrower.”
Medicaid
Medicaid recipients who received benefits before the COVID-19 crisis or become eligible during the crisis cannot be terminated from Medicaid. On a case by case basis, states may change the category or eligibility, e.g., from regular Medicaid to 1619(b) or Medical Assistance for Workers with Disabilities (MAWD), but terminations of coverage will not be allowed.
Medicare
The stimulus payment will have no impact on Medicare premiums or eligibility. Medicare Savings Plans (MSPs), those programs that Medicaid is paying Medicare premiums for Parts B and D, and in some cases co-pays and deductibles, will also not be impacted by the stimulus payments in accordance with above language (26 U.S. Code § 6409).
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
In accordance with the language in 26 U.S. Code § 6409, the stimulus payment will have no impact on TANF eligibility or resource levels for a 12-month period from receipt of the funds.
Veterans Affairs (VA) Pension
In accordance with the language in 26 U.S. Code § 6409, the stimulus payment will have no impact on VA Pension eligibility or resource levels for a 12-month period from receipt of the funds.