SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME: GENERAL INFORMATION

SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME GENERAL INFORMATION

SSI MONTHLY FEDERAL BENEFIT RATES (FBRs) AND LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

See the amounts below to determine the maximum monthly SSI benefit you can get in the following living arrangements if:

• your State does not add to the SSI monthly FBR,  and
• you have no countable income.  See SSI Income on page 19 for more information.

However, depending on what State you live in, you may receive a supplemental payment.  Some States contribute to the total amount payable to SSI beneficiaries.  This amount varies from State to State. See SSI Benefits on www.SSA.gov for more information on the State supplement.  The amounts below refers to the amount you get from the federal government only, provided you or your spouse does not receive any other countable income as of January 2009.

Live alone or pay your share of food and housing costs:
• Individual/Child $ 674

• Couple $ 1,011

Live in the household of another:
• Individual/Child      $ 449.34

• Couple $ 674

Live in a Medicaid Institution:
• For each Individual/Child $ 30

NOTE: Amounts given are general guidelines only.

SSI RESOURCE LIMITS – You can get SSI in all States if we count the things that you own and they are worth less than the following:

• Individual/Child $2,000

• Couple $3,000

NOTE: SSA does not count all of the things you own as a resource.  For more information about Resources, see www.SSA.gov.

SSI ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR SSI?

Anyone who is:
• aged (age 65 or older);
• blind; or
• disabled.

And who:
• has limited income; and
• has limited resources; and
• is a U.S. citizen or national, or a certain category of alien (Note: In general, an alien who is subject to an active warrant for deportation/removal does not meet the citizenship/alien requirement); and
• is a resident of one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands; and
• is not absent from the country for a full calendar month or more than 30 consecutive days; and
• applies for any other cash benefits or payments for which he or she may be eligible, e.g., pensions, Social Security; and
• gives SSA permission to contact any financial institution and request any financial records that the financial institution may have about you; and
• files an application; and
• meets certain other requirements.

WHAT DOES “AGED” MEAN?

“Aged” means age 65 or older.

WHAT IS “BLINDNESS” FOR AN ADULT OR CHILD?

“Blindness” in Social Security disability programs is “statutory blindness,” which means:
• you have a central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in your better eye with best correction; or
• you have a limitation in the field of vision of your better eye, so that the widest diameter of your visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees.

If you have a visual impairment that is not “blindness” as defined above, you may still be eligible for SSI benefits on the basis of disability.  See the definitions of disability for children and adults below.

WHAT DOES “DISABLED” MEAN FOR A CHILD?

An individual under age 18 is “disabled” if he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment, which:
• results in marked and severe functional limitations; and
• can be expected to result in death; or
• has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

If the individual is age 18 or older, the adult definition of disability explained below applies.

WHAT DOES “DISABLED” MEAN FOR AN ADULT?

An individual age 18 and older is “disabled” if he or she has a medically determinable physical or mental impairment which:
• results in the inability to do any substantial gainful activity (see definition of substantial gainful activity on page 35); and
• can be expected to result in death; or
• has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

WHAT DOES “LIMITED INCOME” INCLUDE?

Income includes:
• money you earn from work;
• money you receive from other sources, such as Social Security, workers compensation, unemployment benefits, Department of Veterans Affairs, friends or relatives; and
• free food or shelter.

WHAT ARE “LIMITED RESOURCES”?

Resources are things you own such as:
• cash;
• bank accounts, stocks, U.S. savings bonds;
• land;
• vehicles;
• personal property;
• life insurance; and
• anything else you own that could be converted to cash and used for food or shelter.

The SSI limits for resources that SSA does count are:

Individual/Child $2,000

Couple                  $3,000

CITIZEN/NON-CITIZEN STATUS

To get SSI, you must be:
• a citizen or national of the U.S.; or
• a non-citizen who meets the alien eligibility criteria under the 1996 legislation and its amendments.