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Income and Social Security
District of Columbia SSI supplement
The District pays an Optional State Supplemental Payment (OSSP) only to people on SSI who live in an adult foster care home, which means a community residential facility or an adult living facility.
In 2026 it is $681 a month in a home with 50 or fewer residents and $791 in a larger home, paid with your SSI. People living on their own get no supplement.
How to apply in District of Columbia
- In person
- Through your adult foster care home or the agency that referred you, which sends the application to the DC Department of Health Care Finance
- Who runs it
- Social Security Administration
What you may get
| Monthly supplement, one person living on their own (January 2026) | None for people living on their own |
|---|---|
| Monthly supplement, one person in an adult foster care home with 50 or fewer residents (January 2026) | $681 a month |
| Monthly supplement, one person in an adult foster care home with more than 50 residents (January 2026) | $791 a month |
| Monthly supplement, couple in an adult foster care home with 50 or fewer residents (January 2026) | $1,717 a month |
| Monthly supplement, couple in an adult foster care home with more than 50 residents (January 2026) | $1,937 a month |
How District of Columbia is different
Where District of Columbia's rules differ from the federal rules for State SSI supplements.
- Paid in the same check as your SSI; the care home or referring agency applies for you through the DC Department of Health Care Finance
Good to know
- You must get SSI, or meet the SSI rules, to qualify.
- The care home or referring agency types the OSSP application and emails it to the DC Department of Health Care Finance, which sends it on to Social Security.
- Most of the payment goes to the home for your care. You keep a personal needs allowance, which was $134.16 a month in 2024.
- In some years the District has paid residents a lump sum to make up for a past shortfall in the supplement.
Free help
Free help with this in District of Columbia
Department of Aging and Community Living (DACL)
Your local Area Agency on Aging can help with meals, rides, help at home, caregiver support and applying for benefits.
More help in District of Columbia
State SSI supplement in another state
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Sources
- Social Security Administration (POMS), SI 01415.058 Federally Administered Optional Supplementary Payment Programs for January 2026 (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- DC Department of Health Care Finance, Optional State Supplemental Payment Application Instructions (revised April 2025) (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
- DC Department of Health Care Finance, Transmittal #24-04: 2022 Retroactive Payment of State Supplement and January 2024 Payment Levels (official government site). Checked Oct 28, 2026.
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