Disabled in Puerto Rico Get Less Than Any Other State in the US

People with disabilities in Puerto Rico get almost no help from the U.S. government, despite being U.S. citizens, exacerbating the island nation's economic problems and promoting even more migration.

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For 40 years, Congress has refused to give the island – a U.S. territory – the same support it provides disabled Americans in the 50 states under the federal Supplemental Security Income program, SSI.

Instead of getting SSI benefits, Puerto Ricans can only access a federal program from the 1960s, called Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled. The program now exists only for the territories and funding has been capped since 1996.

The program offers only 1.3 percent of the money that would be provided if Puerto Rico were a state, and recipients get US$74 monthly on average for living expenses, compared to the $733 a disabled person can collect in the states.

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The lack of benefits has contributed to nearly half of Puerto Rico’s disabled community living in poverty – twice the rate of those in the 50 states.

Puerto Rico has been under U.S. control since it was ceded by Spain in the Treaty of Paris of 1898. Puerto Rico, along with the 16 other U.S. territories, has no self-determination or federal financial backing enjoyed by U.S. states.

The U.S. treats the disabled differently in each of its territories. Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands get the same disability support as in mainland states, with an average payment of US$560 monthly. Recipients in Guam and the Virgin Islands get US$164 and US$176, respectively. Residents in American Samoa get nothing.

People living with disabilities in Puerto Rico are increasingly at risk as the island continues to fight against the largest municipal debt crisis in U.S. history. Healthcare debt has grown to constitute and estimated one-third of Puerto Rico's US$70 billion debt. As a territory, the island cannot declare bankruptcy so Congress has formed a board of seven members, including four Puerto Ricans, who are tasked with approving island budgets and restructuring its debt with creditors. Many fear the well-being of Puerto Ricans with disabilities will be low on the board's priority list.

The right of Puerto Ricans to move freely to the United States has also affected many poor and disabled residents on the island. Tens of thousands of young professionals have left the island in search of better health benefits, leaving many disabled relatives without essential family care and support.

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The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that five percent of Puerto Rico residents, 169,000 people, have a disability that makes it hard to bathe or dress. More than 12 percent, or 330,000 people, struggle to live independently, which means that shopping or visiting a doctor is difficult.

Over 67,000 Puerto Ricans migrated to the mainland last year, up from 28,000 in 2010, many seeking jobs, economic stability and better medical care.