Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is an assistance program administered by the Social Security Administration to provide benefits for persons who are disabled, blind, age 65 or older and who have limited income and resources.
Disabled or blind children may also qualify.
Disability for an adult is defined by the Social Security Administration as a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which: 1.
Prevents a person from engaging in any substantial gainful activity, and 2.
Can be expected to result in death; or 3.
Has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months Substantial Gainful Activity is defined as work activity that involves physical or mental duties, or a combination of both, that is productive in nature, and is performed for pay or profit.
Please note that actually making a profit is not required, nor is working fulltime required.
In general, if you earn $900 per month, you are not considered disabled.
Income is defined as wages, earnings from self-employment, certain royalties and honoraria, sheltered workshop payments, Social Security benefits, pensions, State disability payments, unemployment benefits, interest income, cash from friends or relatives, food or shelter that you receive free or at a price that is less than fair market value, part of the income of your spouse or parents if you live with either.
Resources are defined as cash, bank accounts, stocks, U.
S.
savings bonds, land, life insurance, personal property, vehicles, anything else you own that could be exchanged for cash and used for food and shelter, and deemed resources.
The total of your resources cannot exceed $2,000.
00.
Deemed Resources are a portion of resources owned by your spouse or parents.
To complicate the matter even further, there are some income exclusions.
There are also some resource exclusions.
Adults who wish to apply to Supplemental Security Income must first apply for Social Security Benefits.
That's because there are two disability programs: SSI and SSDI.
SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance that is available for workers who become disabled or for disabled spouses of retired or deceased workers.
SSDI is also available for disabled children under certain circumstances.
The application process requires you or your officially designated representative to visit a local office for an interview.
The interviewer will complete your application during the interview process; it is not something you can do in advance.
You must prepare in advance for the interview.
Your interviewer will need the following information: 1.
Names, addresses and phone numbers or all doctors, therapists, hospitals and clinics where you have received medical treatment, including emergency room visits 2.
Your Patient ID number for each of those places 3.
The dates you were seen at each of those places 4.
Names of any medications you are taking 5.
Medical records in your possession 6.
An original or certified copy of your birth certificate.
If you were born outside the United States, you must furnish proof of U.
S.
citizenship or legal residency 7.
If you were in the military, you must furnish a copy of your DD-214 (discharge papers) 8.
If you worked for someone else, you must furnish a copy of your last year's W-2.
If you were self-employed, you must furnish a copy of your income tax return.
9.
Worker's compensation information, including date of injury, claim number and proof of payments 10.
Social security numbers for your spouse and minor children 11.
Your checking and/or savings account numbers 12.
Name, address and phone number of a contact person should you not be available when called 13.
Kinds of jobs and dates you worked during the previous 15 years The application process for Supplemental Security Insurance is not a short one, and it may take the agency three to five months to make a decision on your application.
For that reason, it is especially important that you apply as soon as possible and have all of the needed information for your interview.
To insure you have the latest information from the Social Security Administration, you may wish to visit their website at http://www.
ssa.
gov/ssi/text-apply-ussi.
htm
Disabled or blind children may also qualify.
Disability for an adult is defined by the Social Security Administration as a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which: 1.
Prevents a person from engaging in any substantial gainful activity, and 2.
Can be expected to result in death; or 3.
Has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of at least 12 months Substantial Gainful Activity is defined as work activity that involves physical or mental duties, or a combination of both, that is productive in nature, and is performed for pay or profit.
Please note that actually making a profit is not required, nor is working fulltime required.
In general, if you earn $900 per month, you are not considered disabled.
Income is defined as wages, earnings from self-employment, certain royalties and honoraria, sheltered workshop payments, Social Security benefits, pensions, State disability payments, unemployment benefits, interest income, cash from friends or relatives, food or shelter that you receive free or at a price that is less than fair market value, part of the income of your spouse or parents if you live with either.
Resources are defined as cash, bank accounts, stocks, U.
S.
savings bonds, land, life insurance, personal property, vehicles, anything else you own that could be exchanged for cash and used for food and shelter, and deemed resources.
The total of your resources cannot exceed $2,000.
00.
Deemed Resources are a portion of resources owned by your spouse or parents.
To complicate the matter even further, there are some income exclusions.
There are also some resource exclusions.
Adults who wish to apply to Supplemental Security Income must first apply for Social Security Benefits.
That's because there are two disability programs: SSI and SSDI.
SSDI is Social Security Disability Insurance that is available for workers who become disabled or for disabled spouses of retired or deceased workers.
SSDI is also available for disabled children under certain circumstances.
The application process requires you or your officially designated representative to visit a local office for an interview.
The interviewer will complete your application during the interview process; it is not something you can do in advance.
You must prepare in advance for the interview.
Your interviewer will need the following information: 1.
Names, addresses and phone numbers or all doctors, therapists, hospitals and clinics where you have received medical treatment, including emergency room visits 2.
Your Patient ID number for each of those places 3.
The dates you were seen at each of those places 4.
Names of any medications you are taking 5.
Medical records in your possession 6.
An original or certified copy of your birth certificate.
If you were born outside the United States, you must furnish proof of U.
S.
citizenship or legal residency 7.
If you were in the military, you must furnish a copy of your DD-214 (discharge papers) 8.
If you worked for someone else, you must furnish a copy of your last year's W-2.
If you were self-employed, you must furnish a copy of your income tax return.
9.
Worker's compensation information, including date of injury, claim number and proof of payments 10.
Social security numbers for your spouse and minor children 11.
Your checking and/or savings account numbers 12.
Name, address and phone number of a contact person should you not be available when called 13.
Kinds of jobs and dates you worked during the previous 15 years The application process for Supplemental Security Insurance is not a short one, and it may take the agency three to five months to make a decision on your application.
For that reason, it is especially important that you apply as soon as possible and have all of the needed information for your interview.
To insure you have the latest information from the Social Security Administration, you may wish to visit their website at http://www.
ssa.
gov/ssi/text-apply-ussi.
htm
Source...