Probably before the end of this year the Supreme Court will hold an oral argument in the case of U.S. v. Vaello-Madero, which presents the issue of whether it is constitutional to deny SSI benefits to U.S. citizens who reside in Puerto Rico. If the Supreme Court holds that it is unconstitutional it is estimated that several hundred thousand Puerto Ricans will file SSI claims. The brief on the merits on behalf of the U.S. was filed on June 7. The brief on the merits on behalf of Mr. Vaello-Madero was filed on August 30.
Hmmm. Be careful what you wish for. While some citizens of Puerto Rico could become eligible for SSI due to a Supreme Court ruling, Congress coudld choose to pay for it by extending federal income taxes to PR. Of course, that might come at the expense of other programs extending to PR. This one might be hard to predict, but I am going wth the status quo. Too many worms in opening the can...
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