Supplemental Security Benefits (SSI)

gives cash assistance
to people with limited income and resources
who are age 65 or older, blind or disabled.

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What is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and how can I apply?

1. WHAT DOES “DISABLED” MEAN FOR AN ADULT?If you are age 18 or older we may consider you “disabled” if you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment (including an emotional or learning problem) which:
   1. results in the inability to do 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 not less than 12 months.

2. WHAT IS SUBSTANTIAL GAINFUL ACTIVITY (SGA)?

   We use the term substantial gainful activity (SGA) to describe a level of work activity and earnings that is both substantial and gainful. SGA involves performance of significant physical or mental activities, or a combination of both. For your work activity to be substantial you do not need to work full time. Work activity performed on a part-time basis may also be SGA. If your impairment is anything other than blindness, earnings averaging over $1,070 a month (for the year 2014) generally demonstrate SGA.

   Gainful work activity is:

   work performed for pay or profit, or

   work of a nature generally performed for pay or profit; or

   work intended for profit, whether or not a profit is realized.

3. Is SSI Title XVI?
4. Resource & Income Limits 
5. SSI Home Page – Table of Contents on Social Security Website
6. Medicaid – Medi-Cal is generally automatic.
   1. Extra Payments for SSI in CA # 11125 

Links & Resources

Disability Benefits 101 on SDI * SSI *

publication 10026 – Benefits for Children with Disability

SSI and SSDI – Contact Info

How does being incarcerated – Jail, #Prison affect Social Security or SSI Benefits?

How do you get benefits reinstated?

If you’re receiving SSI, your payments are suspended while you’re in prison.  Your payments can be reinstated in the month you’re released.   However, if your confinement lasts for 12 consecutive months or longer, your eligibility for SSI benefits will terminate and you must file a new application for benefits.

If Social Security suspends your disability or SSI benefits because you were in prison, you can request for Social Security to reinstate your benefits. You’ll need to contact Social Security and provide a copy of your official release documents  before they can act on your request.

For SSI beneficiaries, benefits are terminated when the person is incarcerated for a year or more.

See our separate website on Criminal Law

Forms to Get one released from Prison

Which prison?
http://www.dcor.state.ga.us/Divisions/Facilities/StatePrisons

Is he on SSI or SSDI?

Were benefits suspended or terminated?

Was he getting benefits before?

Does the prison have a pre-release agreement with Social Security?

Please read this pamphlet from Social Security
https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10504.pdf

A prerelease agreement is a written or verbal agreement between an institution and SSA to cooperate in the processing of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applications under the prerelease procedure. For a complete description of prerelease agreements see SI 00520.910 – Prerelease Agreements – Institutionalization. https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0423530001

After you know your release date, notify someone at your facility that you want to start your SSI payments or Social Security benefits. The institution then will notify us if you are likely to meet the requirements for benefits. We will get an application from you several months before your anticipated release. That way, we can begin processing your application. Your benefits can start as soon as possible after your release.
If your institution does not have a prerelease agreement with the local Social Security office:
After you know your anticipated release date, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). Tell the representative you are scheduled to be released from an institution and want to apply for benefits. Please have your Social Security number handy. We will set up an appointment with your local Social Security office to take your application when you are released. https://faq.ssa.gov/en-US/Topic/article/KA-02597

Social Security and Health Care Benefits for the  Incarcerated 

This fact sheet describes

• income support through the Supplemental Security Income (SSI)  and
• Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) programs, and
• health coverage under  Medicaid –  Medi Cal and Medicare, which together can enable someone with mental illness to transition  successfully from jail or prison to community life.
  • Our webpage on
    • reinstating Part B Medicare if you lost it
    • Get Quotes for Health Insurance

#Work and Disability

Disability Benefits Brochure # 10029

We base your SSI payments on how much other income you have. When your other income goes up, your SSI payments usually go down. When you earn more than the SSI limit, your payments will stop for those months. But, your payments will start again for any month your income drops to less than the SSI limits. Be sure to tell us if your earnings drop, or if you stop working.

If your only income is SSI, and the money you make from your job, we don’t count the first $85 of your monthly earnings. Each month, we reduce your SSI benefits 50 cents for every dollar that you earn over $85.

Example: You work and earn $1,000 in a month; and your only income comes from your earnings and your SSI.
$1,000
-$85
$915 divided by 2 = $457.50

We would take $457.50 from your SSI payment.

You may be eligible for a plan to achieve self-support that allows you to use money and resources for a specific work goal. These funds don’t count when we figure out how your current income and resources affect your benefits.  Learn more — Working While Disabled 10095

Also visit our website, http://www.socialsecurity.gov/work.

HOW DOES DEEMING WORK FOR A CHILD?

The term deeming means –  identifies the process of considering another person’s income and resources to be available for meeting an SSI claimant’s (or recipient’s) basic needs of food and shelter.  ^SSA.gov *

If a child is under age 18, not married, and lives at home with parent(s) who do not receive SSI benefits, we may consider a portion of the parents’ income and resources as if they were available to the child. We may also count a portion of a stepparent’s income and resources if the child lives with both a parent and a stepparent (or an adoptive parent and a stepparent). We also do this when a child is temporarily away at school, returns home during weekends, holidays or during the summer and remains subject to parental control.

We make deductions from deemed income for parents and for other children living in the home. After we subtract these deductions, we use the remaining amount to decide if the child meets the SSI income and resource requirements for a monthly benefit.

For more information, see the SSI Spotlight on Deeming Parental Income and Resources.

WHEN DOES DEEMING NOT APPLY?

Deeming from the parent stops when a child attains age 18, marries, or no longer lives with a parent. Deeming does not apply, and we may pay up to $30 plus the applicable State supplement when:

a disabled child receives a reduced SSI benefit while in a medical treatment facility; and

the child is eligible for Medicaid under a State home care plan; and

deeming would otherwise cause ineligibility for SSI benefits.

Also, we do not consider the income of a parent for deeming purposes if the parent receives a Public Income Maintenance payment (PIM) such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and his or her other income was used to compute the PIM payment.

See SSI AND ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER GOVERNMENT AND STATE PROGRAMS for information on TANF.

If either child or parent is temporarily absent from the household (less than 60 days), the rules about deemed income still apply. ^{ssa.gov/ssi child-ussi}

In–Kind Income is food or shelter that you get for free or less than its fair market value.

Bibliography

Supplemental Security Income # 11125

Ticket to Work Program

• Publication 3966, Living and Working with Disabilities

Is Medi-Cal  #automatic  for SSI – Supplemental Security Benefit beneficiaries – recipients?

***Yes,  according to

• Nolo.com *
• Disabilty Secrets.com *
• CA Health Care Advocates *
• Western Poverty Law Center 
• See our webpage on DAC Disabled Adult Children & Pickle Amendment
  • Supplemental Security Income (“SSI”) and Medicaid – Medi-Cal are needs-based programs.

Many individuals receive SSI due to poverty and others receive SSI due to disability.

Medicaid Medi-Cal  benefits can cover items like prescription medication, transportation, and home-based care.

Main Social Security Page, Disability Page and related pages

• DAC Disabled Adult Child – Keep Medi Cal – Retirement
  • Disabled Children – over 26 – stay on parents insurance
  • Representative Payee

• IHSS In Home Supportive Services
• Part B Medicare Premium paid by Medi Cal
• Share of Cost – Medically Needy – What is it?
• Social Security Disability – SSDI
  • California Teachers & Social Security Disability
• SSI – Supplemental Security Benefits – Automatic Medi Cal
  • DAC Disabled Adult Child – Keep Medi Cal – Retirement
    • Disabled Children – over 26 – stay on parents insurance
    • Representative Payee