Social Security Amendments of 1972

E8137

The Social Security Amendments of 1972 were a major U.S. federal law that expanded and restructured Social Security, notably creating the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and introducing automatic cost-of-living adjustments for benefits.

Aliases (1)
  • 1972 Social Security Amendments ×1

Statements (49)
Predicate Object
instanceOf United States federal statute
social welfare legislation
administeredBy Social Security Administration
affectsProgram Medicaid
Medicare
Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance
state public assistance programs for the aged, blind, and disabled
amends Social Security Act of 1935
appliesToJurisdiction United States
benefitType Social Security disability benefits
Social Security retirement benefits
Social Security survivors benefits
cash income support
country United States
createsProgram Supplemental Security Income
establishes Supplemental Security Income
historicalSignificance established a national minimum income floor for certain aged, blind, and disabled persons
introduced permanent automatic cost-of-living adjustments into the Social Security system
indexingMeasure Consumer Price Index
introduces automatic cost-of-living adjustments for Social Security benefits
introducesMechanism automatic indexing of Social Security benefits to inflation
legalDomain public assistance law
social insurance law
legislativeBody United States Congress
partOf Social Security Act amendments
policyGoal protect Social Security beneficiaries from inflation
shift financial responsibility for certain cash assistance programs from states to the federal government
standardize eligibility and benefit rules for the aged, blind, and disabled nationwide
policyInnovation automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs)
presidentAtEnactment Richard Nixon
primaryFocus expansion of Social Security benefits
federalization of certain cash assistance programs for the aged, blind, and disabled
restructuring of Social Security
programAbbreviation SSI
relatedProgram Medicaid
Medicare
Social Security
Supplemental Security Income
replaces state-administered aid to the blind with a federal SSI program
state-administered aid to the permanently and totally disabled with a federal SSI program
state-administered old-age assistance programs for the needy aged with a federal SSI program
shortName 1972 Social Security Amendments
signedBy Richard Nixon
subjectTo United States federal budget appropriations for SSI
targetPopulation low-income aged individuals
low-income blind individuals
low-income disabled individuals
transfersAdministrationTo Social Security Administration
yearEnacted 1972


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