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Description
The railroad_benefits input (gross Railroad Retirement Board payments) is missing from household net income and from most program income lists that count social_security. A railroad annuitant's income therefore drops out of household_net_income, SNAP, HUD annual income and many state programs.
#10534 makes SSI count the annuity (42 U.S.C. 1382a(a)(2)(B)). Before it, an aged railroad annuitant received the full SSI benefit, which partly stood in for the missing annuity. Now SSI falls correctly and the annuity is still missing elsewhere. Pavel Makarchuk's probe on that PR (Texas, age 70, rent $9,600, 2026):
| Case | SSI | SNAP | hud_annual_income |
household_net_income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $6,000 railroad, before 10534 | 11,928 | 2,244 | 11,928 | 14,823 |
| $6,000 railroad, after 10534 | 6,168 | 3,600 | 6,168 | 10,419 |
| $6,000 Social Security | 6,168 | 2,136 | 12,168 | 14,955 |
| $37,000 railroad, after 10534 | 0 | 3,600 | n/a | 4,251 |
| $37,000 Social Security | 0 | 0 | n/a | 37,000 |
The gap predates 10534 for anyone not eligible for SSI. For example, a 62-year-old railroad retiree's annuity is also missing from net income and SNAP.
Law: SNAP counts "Annuities; pensions; retirement ... benefits" (7 CFR 273.9(b)(2)(ii)). HUD counts "All amounts, not specifically excluded" (24 CFR 5.609(a)(1)).
Scope: add railroad_benefits next to social_security in household_benefits and spm_unit_benefits, and in each program list below after checking that program's income rule. No dataset fills railroad_benefits, so microsimulation does not change.
Some entries below are not income lists and need no change: gov/usda/disabled_programs.yaml, gov/states/ma/tax/income/credits/senior_circuit_breaker/income/disallowed_deductions.yaml and the CA WDP disability list (tracked in #10540).
Lists that count both ssi and social_security but not railroad_benefits (34; 10534 changes their results for SSI-eligible annuitants):
gov/household/household_benefits.yamlgov/hud/annual_income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/local/ca/la/dwp/ez_save/income_sources.yamlgov/local/ca/la/general_relief/income_sources.yamlgov/local/ca/riv/cap/liheap/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/local/ca/riv/cap/share/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ak/dpa/ccap/income/countable_income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/al/dhr/ccsp/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ar/ade/oec/sra/income/sources.yamlgov/states/de/dss/poc/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/fl/doe/sr/income/sources.yamlgov/states/hi/bessd/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/id/dhw/iccp/income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/il/dhs/aabd/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/il/isbe/income/countable_sources.yamlgov/states/in/fssa/ccdf/income/sources.yamlgov/states/ks/dcf/liheap/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/la/ldoe/ccap/income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/ma/tax/income/credits/senior_circuit_breaker/income/disallowed_deductions.yamlgov/states/me/dhhs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ms/dhs/ccpp/income/countable_income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/nc/ncdhhs/lieap/unearned_income_sources.yamlgov/states/nj/njdhs/ccap/income/countable_income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/ok/tax/income/credits/gross_income_sources.yamlgov/states/or/delc/erdc/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/pa/dhs/ccw/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ri/dhs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/tx/tdhca/ceap/income/sources.yamlgov/states/wa/dcyf/eceap/income_sources.yamlgov/states/wa/dcyf/wccc/sources.yamlgov/states/wv/dhhr/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/usda/disabled_programs.yamlgov/usda/school_meals/income/sources.yamlgov/usda/snap/income/sources/unearned.yaml
Lists that count social_security but not railroad_benefits (48 more; Colorado OAP is fixed in 10534):
gov/hhs/tanf/cash/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/local/ca/ala/general_assistance/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/local/ca/cc/general_assistance/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/local/ca/oc/general_relief/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/local/ca/riv/general_relief/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/local/ca/smc/general_assistance/income/sources.yamlgov/states/ca/cdss/child_care/income/sources.yamlgov/states/ca/cdss/tanf/cash/income/sources/db_unearned.yamlgov/states/ca/cdss/tanf/cash/income/sources/other_unearned.yamlgov/states/ca/chhs/wdp/eligibility/income/sources/disability.yamlgov/states/co/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/co/cdhs/tanf/income/unearned.yamlgov/states/ct/oec/c4k/income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/dc/dhs/tanf/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/ga/decal/caps/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/il/dhs/tanf/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/il/hfs/hbwd/eligibility/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/ks/dcf/ccap/income/countable_income/unearned.yamlgov/states/ky/dcbs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ma/dta/tcap/gross_income/unearned.yamlgov/states/md/msde/ccs/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/me/dhhs/tanf/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/mi/mdhhs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/mn/dcyf/ccap/income/countable_income/rsdi_sources.yamlgov/states/mn/dcyf/mfip/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/mo/dese/ccs/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ms/dom/wd/eligibility/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/mt/dhs/tanf/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/mt/dphhs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/nc/ncdhhs/scca/income/sources.yamlgov/states/nc/ncdhhs/tanf/income/unearned.yamlgov/states/nd/dhs/ccap/income/sources.yamlgov/states/nd/dhs/tanf/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/nd/tax/property/renters_refund/income_sources.yamlgov/states/nh/dhhs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/nj/tax/income/credits/property_tax_relief/income/additional_sources.yamlgov/states/nv/dwss/ccdp/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/ok/dhs/ccs/income/sources.yamlgov/states/sc/dss/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/sc/tanf/income/unearned.yamlgov/states/sd/dss/cca/income/sources.yamlgov/states/tx/fpp/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/ut/dwf/ccap/income/sources/unearned.yamlgov/states/va/dss/ccsp/income/countable_income/unearned_sources.yamlgov/states/vt/dcf/ccfap/income/sources.yamlgov/states/wi/dcf/shares/income/sources.yamlgov/states/wy/dfs/ccap/income/countable_income/sources.yamlgov/states/wy/dfs/power/income/sources/unearned.yaml
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