Noteboom The Law Firm

Know the SSI Rules for Noncitizens

Most people assume that they must be a citizen of the United States in order to get the benefit of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI. While this is not true, and you are indeed allowed to get some SSI benefits while you live here, there are some limits on the payments.

Whether you are a refugee from another country or just a noncitizen living here, you are allowed to get SSI for up to seven years. Of course, you have to have the usual eligibility requirements, such as work credits, to qualify. As long as you meet the following requirements, you will likely get SSI:

• You are blind or otherwise disabled and were living in the U.S. by August 22, 1996
• You have permanent residence status due to the Immigration and Nationality Act, and have at least 40 work credits
• You are a Cuban or Haitian in the United States due to the Refugee Education Assistance Act
• You are part of an Indian tribe
• You are an active duty member of this country's armed forces

If you think you might be eligible, you can contact a lawyer to find out. You can also talk to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to find out if your application fees can be waived, and if you can get faster processing of your naturalization application.

If you have applied to be a naturalized citizen, and your seven years of receiving SSI are over, you might have some options. For example, because of the SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act, you could get payments going back to October 2008, and continuing until October 2010. In some cases, you could get the payments extended until September 2011. Talk to an experienced lawyer to find out if you are eligible for extended payments.

Fort Lauderdale, Florida disability lawyers, LaVan & Neidenberg, represent over 5000 disability claimants. Our disability attorneys have experience with cross examining agency-appointed medical and vocational experts and take time when speaking with you about your disability claim. Call us today at 1-888-234-5758 for a FREE legal consultation. There is NO OBLIGATION to hire our firm and there are NO FEES unless one of our trained disability lawyers wins your case.