Applying for SSI Disability

SSI Disability stands for supplemental security income. In terms of disability, SSI is designed to provide disability benefits for those people who have either never worked or for people based on their work history and earnings, were once covered for social security disability, but, due to decreased earnings or a lapse in their work history, are no longer covered. And, finally, SSI serves to guarantee that individuals who are found disabled receive a guaranteed minimum monthly benefit. This would be for an individual who has worked enough to be insured for social security disability, but whose earnings were fairly low. This individual may be able to receive concurrent benefits; in other words, both social security disability and SSI Disability benefits.

SSI Disability is different from SSD (social security disability) in the sense that it is a needs based program. To be eligible to receive SSI Disability benefits, a disabled individual cannot have countable assets in excess of two thousand dollars. What are countable assets? There’s actually a fairly long list for this. Countable assets would include a home other than the home in which a claimant primarily lives and a car, other than the car a claimant uses as his/her primary mode of transportation.

SSI Disability cases are not decided any differently from SSD cases. The medical determination is handled exactly the same way and no distinction is made by either a disability examiner or an administrative law judge.

Under the SSI program, a child from birth to age 18 may receive monthly payments based on disability or blindness if:

1. he/she has an impairment or combination of impairments that meet the definition of disability for children and;

2. the income and resources of the parents and the child are within the allowed limits.

The definition of disability for a child as defined by Social Security Administration states:

1. the child must have a physical or mental condition(s) that very seriously limits his or her activities; and

2. the condition(s) must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least one year or result in death.