Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides means-tested income support payments to eligible aged, blind or disabled persons, is one of the fastest-growing entitlement programs — and noncitizens are one of the fastest-growing groups of recipients.

The cost of SSI grew 20 percent annually from 1991 through 1994. In 1994 more than six million SSI recipients received nearly $22 billion in federal benefits and more than $3 billion in supplemental state benefits.

• Noncitizens represent about one-third of aged SSI recipients and about 5.5 percent of disabled recipients.

• About two-thirds of the noncitizens on SSI live in just three states - California, New York and Florida.

• In December 1995, about 785,000 noncitizens were receiving SSI benefits, accounting for about 12 percent of the total.

• They received nearly $4 billion in federal and state SSI aid in 1995.

If noncitizens receive SSI, they are also generally eligible for Medicaid. Medicaid costs are even greater than the cost of the SSI cash benefits. In 1994:

• Medicaid benefits averaged about $2,800 for the aged SSI recipient who received them.

• Medicaid costs were about $5,300 per blind and disabled noncitizen on SSI, excluding long-term care costs.

• Including long-term care, Medicaid benefits averaged about $8,300 for the aged and $7,700 for the disabled.

The term noncitizens includes legal immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers and undocumented aliens legalized by the 1986 immigration reform act — but not illegal aliens.

About 46 percent of noncitizen recipients applied for SSI within four years of entering the United States, even though some were admitted with financial sponsors who agreed to provide support for them for three years.

Source: Jane L. Ross, "Supplemental Security Income: Noncitizens Have Been a Major Source of Caseload Growth," GAS/T-HEHS-96-88, February 6, 1996, Government Accounting Office, Washington, DC.