In a discriminatory blow to differently abled men and women living in the U.S. Island territory of Puerto Rico, the Supreme Court has ruled these individuals are not eligible for Supplemental Security Income. In other words, low-income elderly, blind or disabled Puerto Ricans are now officially excluded from disability benefits offered by the federal government — despite being U.S. citizens — based purely on the location in which they live.
Inside the Case
The court’s decision stems from a federal case brought against 67-year-old Jose Luis Vaello-Madero. While living in New York state, Vaello-Madero became severely ill and as a result, was eligible for federally provided Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The SSI program, which was created in 1972, replaced a mishmash of existing state policies to offer one federal program designed to support individuals who are aged, blind or otherwise disabled.
In 2013, after collecting his benefits for about a year, Vaello-Madero moved from New York to Puerto Rico. Unaware of the change in his benefit eligibility, he continued collecting SSI benefits until 2017 when the U.S. government discovered he was no longer living in the continental U.S. and decided to try to recoup more than $28,000 in federal SSI payments it had already paid out to him in the time since he left New York. As part of that repayment process, the government also filed suit against Vaello-Madero demanding the money back.
