There are almost 8 million people who collect Supplemental Security Income benefits in this country. Some of them qualify for these income benefits as a result of their age. Others get disability payments due to an injury that they sustained that prevents them from working.
Do you think that you might be eligible to collect Supplemental Security Income benefits through the SSI federal benefit program? If so, you should learn everything that you can about SSI eligibility before applying for it.
Today, we’re going to answer some of the questions that people often have about SSI eligibility. It should help to shed some light on what you need to know about SSI eligibility prior to putting in your SSI application.
Continue reading to get more educated when it comes to SSI eligibility.
To Start, What Is Supplemental Security Income?
Before we begin talking about SSI eligibility and who is and isn’t qualified to collect benefits, it’s important for you to know what Supplemental Security Income is. Supplemental Security Income is a federal benefit program that is designed to help those who don’t bring in enough income every month to stay afloat.
Contrary to popular belief, the Supplemental Security Income program is not funded by Social Security taxes. Instead, it’s funded by the general tax revenues that the federal government brings in. And there are millions of people who benefit from the Supplemental Security Income program in a big way each month.
Who Is Eligible to Collect Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
Now that you know what the Supplemental Security Income program actually is, let’s get into talking about who is eligible to collect SSI benefits. Not just anyone is going to be able to apply for these income benefits and get approved for them.
Generally speaking, you’re going to need to fall into one of these three categories to even be considered for SSI benefits:
- Anyone who is 65 or older
- Anyone who is blind
- Anyone who is disabled
That isn’t to say that everyone who is over 65 or everyone who is disabled is going to get approved for Supplemental Security Income benefits. But you have to meet one of these minimum requirements to even be considered for SSI benefits.
Which Qualifications Must You Meet to Get Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
In addition to checking one of the three boxes that we just mentioned above to be eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits, there are also a whole host of other qualifications that you’re going to have to meet to even be considered for SSI benefits. Here are several of the other requirements for those interested in collecting SSI benefits:
- You must have a limited income (work income, other Social Security benefits, unemployment benefits, etc.)
- You must have limited resources (cash, stocks, land, vehicles, etc.)
- You must be a U.S. citizen
- You must live in the U.S. for at least one full year
- You must be willing to allow the Social Security Administration to obtain some of your financial records
- You must look for other options as far as securing living expenses
SSI eligibility is not something that is just handed out freely. You’re going to have to prove that you really need to collect Supplemental Security Income benefits to collect them.
How Can You See If You’re Eligible for Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
If you’re wondering whether or not you’re likely to qualify for Supplemental Security Income benefits, the easiest way to find out is by utilizing the Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool that has been created by the SSA. It will ask you to answer a series of questions about yourself and your financial situation.
It should only take you about 10 minutes at most to check on your SSI eligibility. It’s well worth giving this tool a try to see what you’re able to find out from it.
What Is the Process for Applying for Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
If you use the tool that we just talked about and it tells you that you will likely be approved for Supplemental Security Income benefits, you can then fill out an application to collect them. You can apply for SSI benefits right online.
Or if you would prefer to apply for SSI benefits over the phone, you can call 1-800-772-1213 (or 1-800-325-0778 if you are deaf/hard of hearing) to do it. Either way, you’ll be able to work your way through the application process to see if you can get approved for SSI benefits.
What Should You Do If You Are Denied Supplemental Security Income Benefits?
In a perfect world, you’ll fill out an application to collect Supplemental Security Income benefits, get approved, and then start getting your benefits right away. But unfortunately, this isn’t how it always goes for those who apply for SSI benefits.
If you apply for SSI benefits and get denied, there might be a good reason for it. If you agree with the reason that you’re given, you might decide that the best course of action is to forget about collecting SSI benefits. You can move forward with your life without them.
But if you don’t agree with the reason that you get for being denied SSI benefits, it’ll be a different story. In this case, you should consider touching base with the best attorneys for SSI benefits and SSID benefits to see if they can help. They might be able to fight on your behalf to get you access to the benefits that you deserve.
Check Out Your SSI Eligibility to See If You Qualify for Supplemental Security Income Benefits
If you qualify for Supplemental Security Income benefits and you don’t collect them, you could be leaving money that you’re rightfully entitled to on the table. This could make your life so much harder than it has to be.
It’s why it would be worth it to check on your SSI eligibility if you think you might qualify for SSI benefits. You can put yourself into a much better financial position by taking advantage of the SSI benefits that you can collect.
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