Answers to Common Questions About SSI 1
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WHAT IS SSI?
SSI or Supplemental Security Income is a federal program that provides monthly
financial assistance payments to certain individuals including persons with
disabilities who have limited income and assets. The program, run through the
Social Security Administration, is not financed from Social Security taxes or
the Social Security Trust fund. SSI payments are financed by the general revenue
funds of the United States Treasury.
An individual who meets the eligibility criteria for SSI can receive monthly payments in amounts up to $494.00 in 1999. Married couples (with no children), where both spouses are eligible for SSI, can receive up to $741.00 per month in 1997. Payments may be received by mail or the Social Security can deposit them directly into an individual's bank account.
Many states, such as Connecticut, have programs that provide financial supplements to individuals who receive SSI. The level of funding varies from state to state. For more information about the State Supplement program in Connecticut, contact your local Department of Social Services office.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE
SSI?
Individuals with limited income and few assets who are 65 years of age, or
blind, or have another disability may be eligible to receive SSI. Applicants
must live in the United States or North Marianas Islands and be a U.S. citizen
or be in the U.S. legally.
Applicants with disabilities must meet Social Security's definition of disability to be eligible for assistance. A disability is a "physical or mental impairment that is expected to keep you from doing any substantial work for at least a year or is expected to result in death." Substantial work is considered earnings of $500.00 per month or more.
Social Security will evaluate medical evidence from your
physician, your medical records and its own supplemental testing to
determine whether you meet the disability definition. You may be
immediately eligible for benefits if you have one of Social Security's
"presumed" disabilities. These include having two missing
limbs; a leg amputated at the hip; deaf or blind; inability to get
around without a gurney, wheelchair, walker or crutches due to a
long-standing condition; cerebral palsy, Down's Syndrome, muscular
dystrophy, diabetes with a foot amputation; severe mental retardation
and are at least seven years old; a stroke more than three months ago
with marked difficulty in walking or using a hand; muscle atrophy with
marked difficulty in speaking or coordination of the hands or arms;
and AIDS.
Call your local Social Security office for more information about
"presumed" disabilities and the application process.
CAN I RECEIVE SSI FOR MY CHILD WHO HAS A
DISABILITY?
Children who are blind or who have disabilities may be eligible for SSI if
they meet Social Security's definition of disability and fall within the
income and asset limits. If a child is under the age of 18 and lives at home
or is away from home but still under parental control, the income and assets
of the parents will be considered in determining the child's SSI eligibility.
In 1996, Congress passed a welfare law that included changes in the SSI eligibility determination for children with disabilities. The law is designed to limit the number of children who will be eligible for SSI in the future. Social Security's new definition of disability for children requires the child to have a "medically determinable physical or mental impairment which results in marked and severe functional limitations". The disability must be expected to last at least 12 months or be expected to result in death.
CAN I RECEIVE SSI IF I AM ADDICTED TO
ALCOHOL OR DRUGS?
Yes and No. Public Law 104-121, signed by President Clinton on March 29, 1996,
prohibits the payment of disability benefits under SSI to individuals whose
drug and/or alcohol addiction is the sole basis for the Social Security
Administration's determination of disability. If an applicant who is
addicted to drugs or alcohol can prove that another disability is the factor
essential to the determination of disability, SSI benefits may be awarded
based on the other disability. In other words, you can receive SSI even if you
are addicted to drugs and alcohol but another disability has to be the basis
for receiving the benefits.
Your right to appeal a decision made by Social Security is addressed later in this booklet. You may also contact your local Social Security office for information about your status as a non-citizen and appealing decisions made by Social Security.
HOW DOES SOCIAL SECURITY DEFINE
"INCOME" AND "ASSETS"?
Income is defined as earned and unearned money that you receive, such as
wages, pensions, and social security checks. Income can also include
non-monetary items such as food, clothing and shelter (unless given to you by
a non-profit organization such as a food pantry, church, or a homeless
shelter).
Social Security does not count all of your income. Food stamps and the first $20.00 of income received each month are not counted. Also, Social Security does not count the first $65.00 of wages earned h month and half the earnings over the $65.00. Other income that may not be counted includes:
- Student wages and scholarships
- Wages used to purchase disability-related items or services needed for work
- Wages used to pay for the work-related expenses of an individual who is blind.
In order to be eligible for SSI an individual may have up to $2000 in assets. If you are married, the combined asset limit for you and your spouse is $3000. Assets are the possessions, belongings, or effects that an individual owns such as real estate, bank accounts, stocks, bonds, art work, and cash. Social Security, however, does not count everything you own. The follow are examples non-counted items:
- The house you live in and the land immediately around it
- Your clothing, household and personal effects
- Wedding and engagement rings
- Your car, if worth less than $4,500 wholesale, outfitted especially for your disability, or if used for work or medical appointments.
- Burial plots for you and members of your immediate family.
- Up to $1500 in monies to be used for your burial may not count if they are in an irrevocable burial account.
- Items used by persons who have disabilities in order to work or earn extra income may not count. (For example: computer, wheelchair)
NOTE: The income and assets of other individuals may considered for certain applicants. If an applicant is under 18 years of age, the parents income and assets may be used in the SSI eligibility process. The income and assets of the spouse will be considered for a married applicant. If a sponsored non-citizen alien applies for SSI benefits the income and the assets of the sponsor will be considered by Social Security.
HOW DO I APPLY FOR SSI AND WHAT PERSONAL
INFORMATION SHOULD I BRING TO MY APPOINTMENT WITH SOCIAL SECURITY?
You can apply for SSI by visiting your local Social Security office or by
making an appointment with a local Social Security representative who can help
you apply.
If you have difficulty reaching your local Social Security office, appointments may be made by calling the national Social Security information line at 1-800-772-1213 (voice) or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY).
The eligibility procedure for SSI can take a long time. You can help shorten the process by bringing the following items to the Social Security office when you apply:
- Your social security card or record of your social security number.
- Your birth certificate or other proof of age.
- Information about the place where you live - your mortgage or lease.
- Income and asset information such as bank books, checkbooks, payroll slips, car registration, burial fund records, stock certificates, and insurance policies.
- Information about physicians, hospitals and clinics that you have visited including names, addresses and telephone numbers.
If you do not have all of the necessary papers for the application process, call or visit Social Security anyway. SSI benefits are awarded from the date that you apply!!
WHERE CAN I LIVE AND STILL RECEIVE
SSI?
You can live in a variety of places and receive SSI benefits. These places
include but are not limited to: apartments; rooming houses; group homes;
shelters; parent or other family home
If you live in a public institution such as a state psychiatric facility (where Medicaid is not responsible for the cost of your care or a halfway house), you will not be eligible to receive SSI. Individuals who live in public or private institutions, where Medicaid is paying for more than half the cost of the care, are eligible for a reduced SSI check of $30.00 each month.
CAN I RECEIVE SSI WHILE I AM OUT OF THE
UNITED STATES?
If you are absent from the United States for fewer than 30 days in a row, your
SSI will not be affected. However, if you leave for more than 30 days, your
SSI benefits will stop until you return to the United States and have been in
the country for 30 days in a row.
WHAT IS A REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE?
Social Security may determine that an SSI recipient needs help with money
management and therefore, may appoint a person, called a representative payee,
to accept SSI checks on behalf of the recipient. Representative payees can
include relatives, friends, or agencies involved with the recipient. The SSI
check is sent to the representative payee but the money belongs to and must be
used to support the recipient.
A recipient of SSI may challenge the determination by Social Security that a representative payee is necessary. The selection of certain persons as representative payees may also be challenged by the SSI recipient.
WHAT IF MY REPRESENTATIVE PAYEE IS NOT
USING MY MONEY
FOR ME?
If your representative payee is not using your SSI money to support you,
immediately contact Social Security. You can ask Social Security to suspend
payments to your representative payee, to provide an alternative
representative payee and to investigate your allegations of financial
mismanagement.
WHO CAN I LIVE WITH AND STILL RECEIVE
SSI?
You can live with: parent(s), roommate(s), spouse, young children, grown
children who do not provide your complete support, or alone. If you move or
your living situation changes, you should notify your local Social Security
office. Social Security will determine if your benefits will change because of
the change in your living situation.
WHAT IF SOCIAL SECURITY DETERMINES THAT
I AM NOT ELIGIBLE FOR SSI?
If Social Security denies your application for benefits, they will send you a
letter stating that you have been denied SSI and how to appeal the denial. You
have 60 days from the date you receive the letter to file an appeal. Social
Security assumes that you receive correspondence five (5) days after it=s
dated, unless you can prove that you received it later.
The four levels of the appeals process can be found later in this booklet.