Gaming this system has become a national pastime.

Social Security is considered a "welfare" benefit, as, of course, is Medicare, and aren't counting in the poverty statistics, either, which dramatically overstates poverty among the elderly.  For example, my in-laws recently passed away at 93.  For their past several years, they lived on their Social Security and a couple of small pensions.  (They lived a debt-free life.)  If they wanted to apply, they would probably have qualified for food stamps based on their cash income.  But when they passed away, the value of their debt-free real estate, vehicles, annuities, stocks, gold, art work, etc., probably ran between $4-5 million.  The Census Bureau probably counted them among the "poor."