How To Check If You Qualify For Supplemental Security Income

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is funded by the U.S. Treasury Funds. The program is administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is not paid by Social Security taxes. SSI provides disabled adults and children, and people with limited income and resources. There are some requirements you need to fulfill in order to receive this aid. Here is the list of the requirements in order to be a part of the program. 

Requirements

To be eligible for the program you need to meet some requirements. The primary group is disabled, blind, and older than 65. This is the first and primary group since they have limited working abilities. The second group of citizens applying to the program are the ones with limited income and resources. All applicants must have U.S. citizenship. This means that they must reside in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the Northern Mariana Islands. The exception is those whose parents are assigned to permanent duty anywhere outside the United States or students temporarily studying abroad for no longer than six months. Some additional things may affect your eligibility, and those are marital status and the income of your family members like your spouse and any of your children. The best way to check if you have all the necessary requirements for SSI is by using the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool. Once you complete the screening questionnaire, you will be provided with the benefits you are eligible for in detail. If you want to apply, it will be very much needed to have this questionnaire printed and added to the entire document. 

The Definition of the Abilities

The SSI is mainly dedicated to people who are categorized as elderly. The age scale is from 65 years old and above. Blindness is another disability that can affect the outcome of the application. Blindness in disability programs means that the subject has a central visual acuity for a distance of 20/200 or less in your better eye with the use of a correcting lens. The second category is a visual field limitation in your better eye, the widest diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than 20 degrees. The third category applies to the totally blind and disabled. 

There are special legal terms for disabled children. The child under 18 needs to have medical reports confirming the mental and physical disability, as well as the emotional disorders and problems with learning. Other impairments include marked and severe functional limitations and terminal illnesses with the possible death outcome. If the states last for a longer period of time or will last for some longer period of time, starting with 12 months or longer, then they can apply for the SSI program. If the age is above 18, then disability applies to the programs dedicated to adults.   

The legal requirements for disabled adults include people who are 18 and above. These include people who have medical reports on mental and physical impairments including difficulties in learning and emotional disorders. If the person is not able to do any sort of work that is financially beneficial, then they can be the program applicants. One of the terms refers to the duration of illness. If the deteriorated physical state lasts for longer than 12 months and will last for more than 12 months, and the illness is regarded as terminal, then the applications will be taken into consideration and sent for further consideration. 

All of these requirements can vary and SSI agents may decline your application even though you fulfill all the necessary demands. In these cases, it is best for you to have a lawyer specialized in this matter, as you may find here at  laportelawfirm.com/supplemental-security-income, where lawyers with respectable practice can lead you through the process and help you become a part of the program. SSI is a sensitive legal matter and the best way to have your legal right respected is by having a professional guarding your side. 

Limited Income 

Limited income means that you do not earn enough money for existential living. Income for SSI includes money you earn from work, the money you receive from some other sources such as Social Security Benefits, unemployment benefits, friends or relatives, etc. The other important thing to keep in mind is resources for the purpose of SSI are: cash, bank accounts, land, vehicles, personal property,  life insurance, and any other source that can be converted to cash used for food and shelter. 

SSI is a very useful program for the ones who have certain problems with completing their daily actions and providing for themselves.