People living in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) who meet all SSI eligibility rules can receive benefits. People are not eligible for SSI for any month they spend entirely in the other US territories: American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands (USVI). Of these, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the USVI have federal block grant programs authorized under the Social Security Act for aged, blind, or disabled adults who meet financial eligibility requirements. American Samoa receives neither the block grant programs nor SSI. The table below summarizes pertinent information about the territories.
The Statement is included in SSA’s 2025 Annual Report of the SSI Program. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996 gives Board members, individually or jointly, the opportunity to include their views on SSI in SSA’s annual report to the President and Congress. The Board or one of its members has submitted a statement every year since 1998, except for 2024 due to the lack of a quorum.