If your child meets the medical requirements for SSI, your household will also have to meet certain income requirements. Social Security will consider the wages earned by both parents, money in the bank, and the value of any retirement accounts, investments, and additional property other than your primary residence. Vehicles you own will also be counted as resources; Social Security will exclude one vehicle form he resource count.

In order to meet the resource qualifications for SSI benefits the countable value of your resources which includes cash, investments, countable vehicles and property, must not be worth more than $2,000. If you have money in the bank that puts you over this resource limit you do have the option of spending this money down in order to qualify. You can use the money for any purpose; once you are below the $2,000 resource limit your child may become eligible for SSI benefits.

It may seem like a big hassle to be approved for SSI; however, once your child is eligible to receive SSI you will also be enrolled in Medicaid through your State. Medicaid will pay for your child’s medical expenses including prescription medication. You may also qualify for food stamps. To find out more about qualifying for SSI benefits in your state contact Social Security at their toll-free number.

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• SSI Basics

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federally subsidized program for the disabled or elderly that meet certain income requirements. If you qualify, you could receive as much as $603 per month as an individual or $904 per month as a couple. Some States such as California and New York pay an additional amount on top of the Federal amount.

If you are over the age of 65 you are not required to meet the disability requirements to receive SSI; however, you will have to meet income and resources requirements. Resources are limits on the things that you own or money you have in the bank. Social Security will not count all of your belongings; however, they will consider things like multiple vehicles and property you own. Social Security will exclude one vehicle and the home you live in.

The resource limit also applies to money you have in the bank, stocks, and savings bonds. To be eligible you will need to have less than $2,000 for an individual or 3,000 for a couple.

To find out if you qualify for SSI benefits as an elderly individual or couple you will need to schedule an appointment with a Social Security representative. Social Security will not usually require you to go into the Social Security office for this appointment; you can schedule a telephone appointment to apply for your SSI benefits.

To apply for SSI benefits contact Social Security at their toll-free number: 1-800-772-1213.

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Related Articles at Supplemental Security Income:

• SSI Basics

How did this happen?

If you receive SSI benefits in California you may be receiving payment from two sources. The Federal government pays $603 per month for SSI benefits in every State. You may not be eligible for the full amount depending on your income and living arrangement; however the maximum Federal amount in 2006 is $603. States like California pay a supplement to the Federal amount because the cost of living is so high in these states.

In California Governor Schwarzenegger lowered the State’s contribution by the amount of the Federal increase, approximately $24. For most people this caused no change in the amount they received from SSI from 2005 to 2006. (The Federal amount went up $24 and the State amount went down $24)

Some Californians are not eligible for the Federal amount in their SSI check due to other income or their living arrangement. These individuals actually saw a decrease in their SSI amount because the amount the State was paying was lowered by the amount of the Federal increase. (Approximately $24)

Can anything be done about this?

If you’re unhappy about this don’t vote to re-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger in the next election.

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Related Articles at Supplemental Security Income:

• SSI Basics


• SSI for the Elderly

It is difficult to work and maintain your eligibility for Supplemental Security Income. Unlike Social Security Disability where you can work and earn up to $860 gross (before taxes are withheld) per month, SSI only allows you to earn $85 gross (before taxes) each month before Social Security will start withholding from your SSI payment.

After the first $85 you earn in a month Social Security will start withholding $1 from your SSI check for every $2 you earn over the $85 limit. The problem with this reduction is once your SSI benefits are reduced to zero you will not be eligible for Medicaid insurance through your State.

Looking at an example, the maximum you can receive from SSI in most States for 2006 is $603 per month. If you were to work and earn more than $85 at what point would your SSI be reduced to zero? To calculate this amount multiply the amount of SSI you receive in a month by 2 and add $85. For our example above of $603 multiply by 2, $603*2 = $1206. Take this amount and add $85: $1206 + $85 = $1291. If you receive $603 per month and earn $1291 your SSI check will stop and you will lose your Medicaid coverage for that month.

Keep in mind that this $1291 is well above what Social Security considers “Significant Gainful Activity,” and if you are working and earning this amount you could lose your SSI benefits. The amount Social Security considers “Significant Gainful Activity” in 2006 is $860 of pre-tax earnings; if you stay under this amount you can maintain your eligibility for disability benefits. If your SSI is less than $603 and you are working, as long as you stay eligible for $1 of SSI you will keep your Medicaid eligibility.

If you have further questions about how work will affect your SSI benefits a representative from Social Security’s toll-free number can explain this for your particular situation. Remember when calculating the amount you can earn you have to use the actual amount you are currently receiving in your SSI check, as this amount will already have other income you receive factored into it. To speak to a representative about your SSI benefits contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

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Related Articles at Supplemental Security Income:

• SSI Overpayments


• SSI in California


• SSI Basics


• SSI for the Elderly

Overpayments on your SSI record arise for a variety of reasons; however, they all have one factor in common: other income. If you receive income from your spouse’s employment, your employment, child support, an insurance settlement, inheritance, or even if you win money won at the casino, this income will most likely create an overpayment with your SSI benefits.

If you are working and receiving SSI benefits, Social Security excludes only $85 of what you earn from the job each month when counting your income. After excluding the first $85 (pre-tax or gross earnings) they will deduct $1 for every $2 you earn over the $85 limit. When you report that you are working to Social Security they will base your monthly SSI payments off an estimate of your work earnings. This estimate is usually higher than what you actually earn to prevent you from being overpaid. You will need to submit copies of your pay stubs to the local Social Security office to ensure that you are being paid correctly.

If you are working and receiving SSI benefits or if your child receives SSI benefits and you or your spouse starts working, you need to notify Social Security as soon as possible. If you don’t call Social Security to let them know, the IRS will notify Social Security of your earnings and you will have a hefty overpayment to deal with. Social Security could even stop your SSI benefits because of your earnings.

This is true for any other income you receive. Insurance settlements, casino or lottery winnings, and family inherences all affect your SSI payment amounts. You might think Social Security won’t know, but they always find out. It’s best to notify them in advance than to receive that nasty overpayment letter later.

When you receive an overpayment letter from Social Security you have 60 days to file an appeal. At the end of the 60 day timeframe Social Security will usually start withholding ten percent of your SSI benefits for the overpayment. If you don’t agree with Social Security’s reason for your overpayment there are two ways to file an appeal. If the overpayment is not your fault you can file for reconsideration on the overpayment. This could be if Social Security made a mistake and paid you too much. If paying your overpayment back would create a financial hardship for you where you would not be able to pay your rent, food, and medical expenses, you can request a waiver. You can even file both reconsideration and waiver requests. To request reconsideration or a waiver call Social Security at the toll-free number below.

If your overpayment was caused by cashing two checks for a given month Social Security generally will not waive the overpayment unless you can prove it wasn’t you that cashed both checks. To prove this you will have to submit signature samples and the Treasury Department will conduct an investigation. Some people who receive SSI cash the check they receive on the first of the month, and then call Social Security to report that they did not receive the check. Social Security is very trusting until you give them a reason not to be; they will send out a replacement check for the one you didn’t receive. If you cash both checks this is called “double check negotiation.” Social Security frowns on this and people who do this can be prosecuted for fraud.

If you receive an overpayment letter from Social Security the best thing to do is call the toll-free number to clarify the reason for the overpayment and how it will affect your check. Social Security is notorious for poorly written letters and a representative should be able to answer your questions and tell you how the overpayment will affect your SSI payments. To speak to a representative, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

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SSI benefits are intended to help pay for your food, clothing, and shelter and are not subject to Federal income tax. Because of this Social Security does not report what you receive from SSI to the IRS, or send you a 1099 at the end of the year.

Some assistance programs require a print out of your benefit amounts for the prior year. For these cases Social Security can prepare a special benefit letter for you with the payment amounts you received each month of the previous year. Social Security representatives refer to this document as an “SSI 1099″ even though it is not reported to IRS and you must call Social Security to request one. You can contact Social Security to request this letter at 1-800-772-1213.

Because SSI benefits are not taxable by the IRS, you will not pay State income taxes on this money either.

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Typically you have 60 days from the date of the denial letter to file your appeal. Social Security will still accept your appeal request after 60 days if you have good cause for filing late. You may have an attorney represent you at the hearing stage of your appeal.

To start the appeal process on your SSI claim call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213.

For more information about appealing Social Security read our section on disability appeals.

Appealing SSI Denials

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If you qualify for SSI benefits you will also receive Medicaid health insurance from your State. Medicaid is a health insurance plan for those in need. Many States use SSI eligibility to decide if an individual is eligible for their Medicaid program. Some States have coined their own names for these programs and may not call them Medicaid. One example of this is the State of California; in California Medicaid is called MediCal. For more information on the Medicaid program refer to our section on Medicaid. In addition to eligibility for Medicaid, SSI eligibility may entitle you to food stamps from your State. Contact social services in your area to see if you qualify for food stamps.

To qualify for the SSI program you must first meet the program requirements. You need to be a legal resident of the United States, and not leave the country for more than 30 days. For the most part you must be a citizen of the United States to be eligible for SSI benefits. There are some cases where resident aliens can also receive SSI benefits.

You will also need to meet medical and non-medical requirements for the SSI program. If you are under the age of 65 you need to meet the disability requirements and be evaluated by your states Disability Determination Service (DDS). The basic requirements for disability are that you have a condition that will prevent you from working for 12 months or longer. Children under the age of 18 may also receive SSI benefits and must also meet similar disability requirements and be evaluated by the State. If you are over the age of 65 you are not required to meet the disability requirement and must only meet the non-medical requirements for SSI.

The non-medical requirements for the SSI program are that an individual must have limited income and resources. Limited income is any money you may receive on a weekly or monthly basis from your job, pension, unemployment benefits, VA benefits, relatives, or friends. Limited resources refers to money you have in the bank, investment accounts such as IRA/401k, stocks, savings bonds, mutual funds, or CDs. It also includes any property you own other than your primary residence, your vehicles (one is excluded), life insurances policies, and trust funds. The sum value of these resources is limited to $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a married couple. If your assets add up to more than this value you will not be eligible for SSI benefits.

If you are approved for SSI benefits the amount you receive each month is based on the income you already have. In most states, the maximum amount you can receive each month in 2006 is $603 per month. Some States, such as California and New York, pay an additional supplement on top of the Federal amount of $603. If you live in one of the States that pays an additional supplement this amount will be explained to you in your award letter.

To apply for SSI benefits schedule an appointment with your local Social Security office by calling the 800 number. The number to call is 1-800-772-1213. You may be able to set up a telephone interview instead of going into the local office; however, you will still need to provide proof of citizenship in the form of an original birth certificate or passport, and sign the application. If you are applying for your child you may be required to have an in-office appointment, as you will be filling out additional paperwork to become your child’s payee.

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