SSI Caretakers: What is an Essential Person?

This is an old doctrine that Social Security no longer recognizes: unless you were deemed an essential person back in 1973, you cannot become one now.  An SSI essential person is someone who lives with an SSI beneficiary and provides essential care to that individual.  This could be a child taking care of a parent, or a live-in caretaker. However, there are very strict requirements around the definition of an essential person. More importantly, if you were not deemed an “SSI Essential Person” prior to 1974, you cannot become one now.

What is an SSI Essential Person?

• Must have been an essential person as of December 1973
• Must be a caregiver
• Must have lived with SSI recipient since December 1973
• Must never have been eligible for SSI benefits
• Must not have been eligible for State assistance in December 1973

For many years, Social Security was administered at a local level by the states. Some states would increase a payment to defray the cost of a qualified caregiver. When the Federal Government took over managing the SSI and SSDI programs in the 1970s, they created a way to facilitate continued payments to these qualified caregivers, or essential persons.

There are very few qualified individuals left who would be considered an SSI Essential Person. Simply put, if you did not meet those requirements before 1974, and you were not deemed an essential person then, you cannot become an essential person now.