Noteboom The Law Firm

Restrictions and Benefits of Supplemental Security Income

If you find that you are eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) you should be aware of the restrictions attached before your first payment is mailed. You might find that you qualify for other benefits as well, or you could find out that some types are not available to you once you receive SSI.

Since eligibility for SSI is partially determined based on your monthly income, any additional income could reduce or completely cancel your benefits. This means that you are not usually eligible for other government payments in most cases. Even if you are allowed to receive benefits from more than one program, your payments will be reduced from each one. Your income from a job clearly counts, but other sources of income do not.

If you receive food stamps, loans, irregular bits of income throughout the month, or either shelter or food from a nonprofit agency, do not worry. None of these will be counted as income when it comes to determining your benefit amount. However, if you get grants or other free money not meant for education, or simply move from a house to a nursing home, your benefits will probably be either reduced or stopped.

While you cannot get much, if any, money from the government while keeping your SSI payment the same, you may be eligible for other types of assistance. For example, most recipients of SSI also use healthcare paid for by the state, called Medicaid. You can also usually receive food stamps, depending on your state.

You should contact a lawyer who is educated about how SSI works before you even apply. This is especially important if you need to find out if you can get other help while receiving payments. Realizing at the last minute that a recent grant or move to a nursing home may disqualify you from SSI payments could be devastating.

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.