SSI 'sharing household expenses' rules changed? No longer including groceries in fair share calculation?

The caseworker is probably referring to the updated PMV (Presumed Maximum Value) rule for SSI. As of 2023, SSA made some changes to how they calculate the 'one-third reduction rule' and 'the presumed maximum value rule' for in-kind support. The fair share concept still applies - if your sister pays her equal share of household expenses, she won't face the reduction. But you're right to question the grocery part. According to the POMS manual, fair share should include food, shelter, and utilities when determining if someone is paying their fair share. I'd recommend calling SSA again and asking them to explain the specific policy change they're referring to - it's possible there's a new internal guidance that isn't widely known yet.

OMG the rules keep changing!!! I went through this EXACT same thing with my son last year and they DEFINITELY counted groceries as part of household expenses! We had to track EVERYTHING for 3 months - rent, electric, water, internet AND food - and divide by the number of people in the house. It was such a HASSLE and then they STILL didn't approve the change for another 2 months!!! If they changed it to make it simpler, that's actually good news, but I'd get it in WRITING because different workers tell you different things!!!

I work with SSI recipients regularly, and there hasn't been an official nationwide policy change removing food/groceries from the fair share calculation that I'm aware of. The basic rule is still that if a person pays their fair share of household expenses (typically rent/mortgage, utilities, AND food), then they aren't receiving in-kind support and maintenance (ISM). However, in some field offices, they may be implementing simplified procedures that focus primarily on housing costs since those are easier to document and verify. I've noticed some caseworkers will approve fair share calculations based primarily on rent/utilities if those payments alone reach the threshold needed. I'd recommend documenting everything anyway - rent, utilities, AND food contributions. Better to have too much documentation than not enough.

From my understanding, they're supposed to count food when calculating the fair share. But honestly, your caseworker might be doing you a favor by not including it. It's usually easier to prove rent and utilities with receipts or money orders. Grocery spending is harder to document consistently. If your sister can show she's paying 1/2 of rent and utilities (assuming 2 people in household), that might be enough to remove the reduction without dealing with the complexity of tracking grocery expenses.

They just did the same thing with my disability review last month - only asked for rent receipts and utility bills, nothing about groceries. Got approved really fast too. Maybe they're just being more efficient? Or maybe different offices are doing things different ways? Typical SSA confusion lol

Have you tried calling the SSA directly to get clarification on the policy? I was dealing with endless wait times trying to reach someone about my mother's SSI issue. I finally discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com) and they got me connected to an SSA agent in under 10 minutes. There's even a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU When I finally talked to an agent, they explained that while the written policy still includes food in fair share calculations, they're currently focused on housing expenses in many regions due to staffing shortages. They said as long as my mom could document her share of the rent and utilities, that was sufficient for their review. Might be worth asking specifically about your local office's current practices.

Btw my son's caseworker told me the 'fair share' calculation is super simple: take total household expenses and divide by number of people. So for 2 people, your sister should pay 50%. But what counts as 'household expenses' seems to be the confusion here!!!

Just to provide some additional information: The POMS (Program Operations Manual System) section SI 00835.160 is what covers the 'sharing household expenses' rules. It still explicitly includes food in the calculation. Here's the official policy: "A person is considered to be living in another person's household and receiving ISM in the form of food and shelter if: - The person does not pay their pro rata share of the household operating expenses for food and shelter, or - The person pays less than their pro rata share of the household operating expenses for food and shelter." However, I've heard some field offices are streamlining the process by focusing primarily on shelter costs since those are the largest expense and easiest to document. This might explain the inconsistent information your caseworker provided.

One more thing to consider - if your sister buys and prepares her food separately from your mom, that could be why they're not concerned about the grocery calculation. The rules are different if someone purchases their own food versus sharing household food expenses.

As someone new to navigating SSI rules, this thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation with my elderly father who lives with me. The inconsistency in how different caseworkers interpret these rules is really frustrating. It sounds like the safest approach is to document everything - rent, utilities, AND food expenses - even if the caseworker says they only need housing costs. That way you're covered if they later ask for more documentation or if you get assigned to a different worker who interprets the rules differently. Good luck with your sister's case! I hope the fair share calculation gets her SSI increased.

I'm new to this community and SSI rules, but this entire discussion has been so educational! My aunt recently started receiving SSI and lives with family members, so we're likely going to face this exact fair share calculation issue soon. What really strikes me from reading everyone's experiences is how much the process can vary depending on which SSA office and caseworker you encounter. It's both helpful and concerning to see such different approaches - some focusing only on housing costs while others requiring comprehensive documentation including food expenses. Your sister's contributions of $425 for rent and $150 for utilities definitely seem substantial for a two-person household and should qualify as fair share regardless of whether food gets included. I'm taking detailed notes on all the advice here about documenting everything, even expenses a caseworker says aren't needed, and getting any guidance in writing. The suggestion about using Claimyr to actually reach an SSA agent quickly caught my attention too - those wait times have been brutal when we've tried calling. Has anyone else had success with that service for getting clarification on these policy questions? Thanks for starting this thread - the real-world knowledge being shared here is invaluable for understanding how these rules actually work in practice versus what's written in the official guidelines. It's clear that being over-prepared with documentation is the key to success with these fair share calculations!

I'm completely new to SSI rules and this community, but this thread has been incredibly helpful! My disabled cousin is living with relatives and we've been confused about these fair share calculations. Reading through everyone's experiences, it's clear that there's a lot of inconsistency between different SSA offices, which is both frustrating and good to know ahead of time. Your sister's payments of $425 rent + $150 utilities ($575 total) definitely sound like they should qualify as fair share in a two-person household - that's a substantial contribution regardless of whether food expenses are included or not. The fact that some caseworkers are streamlining to focus primarily on housing costs might actually work in your favor since those are much easier to document consistently. I'm taking notes on all the advice about keeping comprehensive records even if they say certain expenses aren't needed, and definitely planning to ask for any guidance in writing. The suggestion about Claimyr for actually reaching SSA agents quickly is also really helpful - we've had terrible experiences with wait times too. One thing I'm wondering - has anyone had experience with how retroactive payments work if the fair share calculation gets approved? Like if your sister's SSI has been reduced for several months, would she potentially get back pay once they approve the fair share documentation? Thanks for starting this discussion - the practical knowledge here is so much more valuable than trying to figure out the official guidelines alone!

I'm new to this community and SSI rules, but this thread has been absolutely invaluable! My disabled brother is in a very similar situation where we're trying to prove he pays his fair share of household expenses. Reading through everyone's experiences, what strikes me most is how much variation there seems to be between different SSA offices and caseworkers - it's honestly both helpful and concerning to know this inconsistency exists. Your sister's contributions of $425 for rent and $150 for utilities ($575 total) definitely sound like they should qualify as fair share in a two-person household, regardless of whether food expenses are included. That's a substantial monthly contribution that clearly demonstrates she's paying her way. I'm taking detailed notes on all the advice here about documenting everything - even expenses the caseworker says aren't needed. The suggestion about getting any guidance in writing from your caseworker is particularly smart given all the conflicting information people are sharing. I wouldn't have thought of that protection, but it makes perfect sense if interpretations change or you get assigned to a different worker. The mention of Claimyr for actually reaching SSA agents caught my attention too - we've had terrible experiences with wait times when trying to get clarification on policies. Has that service worked well for others here? Thanks for starting this discussion - the real-world knowledge being shared is so much more practical than anything I could find in official resources. It's clear that being over-prepared with documentation is key to success with these fair share calculations!

I'm new to this community and SSI rules, but this thread has been incredibly helpful! My grandfather is currently receiving SSI and lives with our family, and we've been trying to understand these fair share calculations for weeks. What's really striking from everyone's experiences is how much inconsistency there seems to be between different SSA offices - some focusing only on housing costs while others requiring comprehensive documentation including food expenses. Your sister's payments of $425 for rent and $150 for utilities definitely sound substantial for a two-person household and should qualify as fair share regardless of the food calculation debate. I'm taking notes on all the advice about documenting everything even if the caseworker says it's not needed - that seems like the safest approach given all the conflicting experiences people are sharing. The suggestion about getting guidance in writing from your caseworker is really smart - I wouldn't have thought of that but it makes perfect sense as protection if policies change or you get assigned to a different worker. Also, the mention of Claimyr for actually reaching SSA agents quickly caught my attention since we've had terrible wait times too. Thanks for starting this discussion - the real-world knowledge being shared here is so much more practical than trying to navigate the official guidelines alone. It's giving me confidence about how to approach this process when we need to establish fair share for my grandfather's situation!