Congress created the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program with legislation enacted
October 30, 1972. The new Federal program offered, in most respects, more generous
provisions than did the State plans it replaced. For blind recipients, however, the
treatment of income under the SSI program was not always more beneficial than the
State plan provisions.
To ensure that blind recipients would not be disadvantaged under the SSI program,
Congress included in the SSI legislation a “grandfathering” provision to protect them. Under the alternative income counting provision, blind
SSI recipients converted from the State plans are guaranteed the use of either State
plan income disregards or Federal SSI income exclusions, whichever are more advantageous
to them.